Saratoga Belmont
Trail Days
The best bet for your health is to get out on a trail.
Welcome to Saratoga Springs for the running of the Belmont Stakes Festival in Saratoga, June 3-7!
In addition to world-class horse racing, we’ve got a Triple Crown of great Saratoga trails that you can enjoy. If you like to run, bike, walk, or just enjoy nature, here are some fantastic places to explore.
Discover the diverse outdoor recreational opportunities our area offers and make the most of your visit with a perfect blend of thrilling races and serene trail adventures.
Check out all of the publicly-open trails in Saratoga County here.
STA’s Trail Picks:
Our current favorite go-to trail system in Saratoga is the Graphite Range Community Forest, a multi-use trail system just 10 minutes from downtown Saratoga that feels like you're in the heart of the Adirondacks. Hiking, trail running, and mountain biking are all permitted and encouraged at this community forest, owned by Saratoga County and stewarded by Saratoga PLAN.
Interested in a specific activity? Use the jump links below or keep scrolling to find out more.
Are you a walker, hiker, or trail runner?
Every single one of the trails on our Saratoga County Trails map are open to walkers, hikers, and runners. Here are a couple of our favorites that are close to downtown Saratoga:
Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park is located in the town of Wilton, bordering Saratoga Springs, and works in partnership with the Town of Wilton, NYSDEC, and Saratoga County to provide environmental education and outdoor recreation opportunities to the community. There are miles of trails spanning the 2,400 acres of preserved land.
On Wednesday June 3, Wilton Wildlife Preserve is hosting a Karner Blue Butterfly walk from 1:30-3:30pm. This guided walk will introduce visitors to the Saratoga Sand Plains ecosystem, where the endangered Karner blue butterfly thrives. To register, and for more information about this walk, please visit their website here.
On Friday, June 5, WWP is hosting a second Karner Blue Butterfly walk, together with the Saratoga Springs Public LIbrary, at 1:30pm. To register, and for more information, please visit this link.
Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail is a lovely 2-mile, flat, walking path that travels along an abandoned railroad, just on the outskirts of Saratoga Springs. The trail is a part of the Meadowbrook Preserve that encompasses 174 acres of wetland and woods. The Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail is owned by the City of Saratoga Springs and maintained by Saratoga PLAN.
If you’re looking for a local trail run, the local running group, called Saratoga Stryders, has a Saturday morning run at 8:30 in the Spa Park (meet at the Warming Hut) which is open to visitors!
Are you a cyclist?
If you're a cyclist, you're in luck! Saratoga County offers paved paths for our road cycling friends and miles of smooth singletrack for our mountain bike friends. Here are some of our favorite cycling trails in the area.
The Zim Smith Trail is a paved, 11.5-mile multi-use trail that connects the towns of Ballston Spa to Mechanicville. We suggest parking at Shenantaha Creek Park in the town of Malta, where you can start and end your ride and also enjoy a picnic at the park afterwards.
If you’d like to ride from downtown Saratoga, you can follow the Saratoga Greenbelt Trails into Saratoga Spa State Park, where there are ~12 miles of paved and unpaved paths that twist and turn through the beautiful, historic park.
Mountain bikers! We strongly encourage you to check out the Graphite Range Community Forest, as mentioned above. The machine-built flow trails are purpose built for intermediate-level mountain bikers. Have a look at the historic graphite mines and enjoy a scenic overlook in an adirondack chair before continuing on with your adventure through GRCF!
Are you an equestrian?
If you’d like to explore trails by horse, the Homestead County Forest Equine Trail, in the town of Providence (Saratoga County), is a lovely place to visit. There are ~12 miles of trails on this 363 acre parcel of Saratoga County Forest. Check out the Facebook page Friends of Saratoga Horse Trails, to find out more about equestrian trail activity.