Bus will provide free service in the summer to take residents of a community in NY to natural spaces

Residents of Albany, New York, will now have the opportunity to visit eight natural spaces in and around this city with a free bus service, the New York State Parks Department announced Thursday.

The “Natural Bus” will provide the service from Saturday May 28 until Saturday September 24.

The free service comes as the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy (MHLC), the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), and local project partners have teamed up to offer free CDTA bus service on Saturdays to connect residents of the City of Albany with eight nature areas in and around Albany.

The new locations, which include the Six Mile Water Works of the Albany Pine Bush and City of Albany Water Departments and the trail David’s Trail from MHLC at Bender Melon Farm Preserve, give people new places to explore and connect with nature.

Service will alternate to different locations on a two-week rotating schedule and will be geared toward programming offered at all locations. Location partners will offer free programming most Saturdays, including guided trail walks, educational programs for families, and self-guided scavenger hunts.

All partner locations have easy-to-navigate maps and well-marked trails to make the user experience easy and fun. All venues are free and open to the public from dawn to dusk. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult when visiting Five Rivers.

The Nature Bus will make four stops at the following locations on a bi-weekly rotating basis:

Starting May 28 and every other Saturday until September 17

• Albany Pine Bush and City of Albany Six Mile Water Works Water Department
• Lake Tivoli Farm and Preserve
• Normans Kill West Preserve of MHLC
• Albany County Rail Trail Veterans Memorial Park
• DEC’s Five Rivers Environmental Education Center

Starting June 4 and every other Saturday until September 24

• Normans Kill West Preserve of MHLC
• Albany County Rail Trail Veterans Memorial Park
• Albany County Rail Trail Slingerlands Trailhead
• Hilton Park, MHLC’s David’s Trail and Albany County Rail Trail
• Thacher Park Visitor Center

For more information on the Natural Bus route, including pick-up locations and drop-off times, visit the CDTA here. Also pYou can go to this page.

“Nature Bus continues to meet our goal of connecting historically underserved communities with parks and preserves throughout the region. the state park John Boyd Thacher offers users a world-class nature education facility, trails for all experience levels, and dozens of recreational services. This year, we’re pleased to offer Nature Bus passengers a warm welcome with informative guides, educational programming, and a library for basic gear like guidebooks and binoculars. Thacher State Park is proud to join Friends of Thacher y Natural Heritage Trust to make this program possible and we are forever grateful for our partners at the MHLC and CDTA,” said State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid.

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