Zim Smith Trail

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Zim Smith Trail, Town of Malta. Photo by Town of Malta

Early morning company

Photo by Jim Floud.

Eagle posing. Photo by Jim Floud.

Squirrel along the way to Round Lake on the trail. Photo by Jim Floud.

Eagle making a flyby. Photo by Jim Floud.

Wild Turkey looking for a bite to eat along the trail. Photo by Jim Floud.

Cardinal along the trail. Photo by Jim Floud.

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The Zim Smith Trail located in Saratoga County is named after the late trail advocate Zimri Smith of Saratoga Springs. The Zim Smith Trail is a paved, 11.5-mile multi-use trail that connects Ballston Spa to Mechanicville through the towns of Ballston, Malta, Clifton Park, the village of Round Lake, and Mechanicville. The Zim Smith Mid-County Trail provides Saratoga County with an alternative transportation link from north to south and is a significant public benefit to the 200,000-plus residents of Saratoga County.

The Zim Smith Trail is a paved asphalt surface from Oak Street in the Village of Ballston Spa to approximately 1 miles South of the Village of Round Lake. From 1 mile South of the Village of Round Lake to Coons Crossing the trail is constructed with compacted stone dust. The trail was constructed as 10 feet wide the entire length.

The Zim Smith Trail services one of the fastest-growing areas of New York State and provides a nearby off-road travel route towards Ballston Spa and Saratoga Springs for the extensive residential areas west of Northway Exit 11 linking to such areas as County Knolls, Northway 11 Apartments, Burton Meadows, Heartwood Estate, Luther Forest, Knolls 11 as well as houses along neighboring roads. The trail also services the Village of Round Lake, a village on the National Historic Register, and would help alleviate traffic congestion during annual festivals which draw up to 45,000 visitors each year as well as link to the Lake itself which is a popular fishing and water recreation area.

The Zim Smith Trail is open to all user types including walkers, bikers, hikers, rollerbladers, and equestrians in the summer months, and permits for skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and other activities during the winter seasons. The trail corridor provides unique advantages which are of critical importance to the development of a County and Region-wide system of multi-use trail facilities. The existing Zim Smith Trail corridor contains the only passages across Route 67, Interstate 87, and the Round Lake Bypass which are protected from motor vehicle traffic. This corridor provides for a safe and exclusive east-west connection between the existing and proposed trails on both sides of the Northway and also to the development of the Luther Forest Technology Park. A trail connection is currently being constructed that will connect the several miles of trails within the Luther Forest Technology campus to the Zim Smith Trail. The use of the entire trail corridor and any proposed trail extensions in the future will remain free to the public.

The Zim Smith Trail serves as a linkage to other bikeways and trailways both within and beyond Saratoga County. Currently, plans are underway for the southern terminus of the trail to be extended to the City of Mechanicville and Saratoga County has plans in the future to expand the trail north to Saratoga Spa State Park and eventually to the Railroad Run trail in the City of Saratoga Springs.

The Zim Smith Trail is outlined in the Green Infrastructure Plan for Saratoga County which was adopted by resolution 237-06 on November 21, 2006. In this document, the Zim Smith Trail is defined as a Greenway, Trail corridor, and spine of the future trail system extending the length of the County. The Saratoga County Green Infrastructure Plan defines the Zim Smith Trail as the backbone of the County trail network and a trail that all others will eventually tie into the proposed or existing 300 miles of the identified trail network. The Zim Smith Trail is also in concurrence with the Saratoga P.L.A.N. vision of the Zim Smith Trail as the"backbone' of the Saratoga County Trail System.

The complete trail provides a non-polluting transportation alternative, increases in tourism to the area, and provides safe recreational ways for children and families between places where Saratoga County residents live, work, shop and play. It also has and will continue to foster long-term tourism benefits by linking the county's remarkable attractions with a system of trail and bikeway routes, linking National, State, and local parks and historic sites, natural areas, and cultural events throughout the county. The Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC) has also indicated that the creation of the Saratoga County Trails system with its anchor trail, Zim Smith, will increasing serve in the likelihood of drivers shifting to cycling, walking, or both, particularly as growing congestion in the region results in lower average speeds for short trips.

Reviews

Janie Walker

Oct 15, 2023

Lovely path through forests and along waterways

Hiked October 10, 2023. From Ballston Spa to Mechanicville, the path takes the wanderer through forests and along waterways, avoiding commercial areas and crossing residential streets until one arrives at Mechanicville, where a busy train depot and an off-limits golf course await. It was a lovely walk, especially with the falling leaves and beautiful colors. An unexpected bonus – though I had mentally prepared to double back and make the day a 20+-mile excursion, I easily found an Uber to take me back to my car after I arrived in Mechanicville.

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Allowed Uses:

Other Activities

• Snow, snow play general
• Wildlife viewing / observation

• Certified as an NRT
  May 29, 2012