Posted on May 3rd, 2021

Thacher State Park Lookout

Picture from the Thacher State Park Lookout parking lot in early Spring 2021.  The view from Helderberg Escarpment looks north over the capital region.

John Boyd Thacher State Park is a state park located 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Albany, New York, near Voorheesville, in Albany County on State Route 157. Located mostly atop the Helderberg Escarpment, the park has several hiking trails that offer panoramic views of the Green Mountains in Vermont and the Taconic Mountains of the Hudson Valley.

The park is named after Albany mayor John Boyd Thacher whose widow, Emma Treadwell Thacher, donated the land in 1914. Since its opening, the area was designated as a State Park. The park soon became popular with the residents of Upstate New York and many amenities were added. The purchase of 500 acres (2 km2) of land in 2004 with a State grant of $750.00 from the Environmental Protection Fund and a donation of land from the Nature Conservancy of 81 acres (320,000 m2) and the further purchase of 188 acres (0.76 km2) on 3 August 2006 took the total area of the park to 2,155 acres (8.72 km2).

The park has a variety of amenities, including:

• Visitor center
• 25 miles of hiking trails
• Picnic areas
• Playgrounds
• Ball fields
• Volleyball courts
• Swimming pool
• Campground

The park is a popular destination for hiking, camping, fishing, swimming, and picnicking. It is also a popular destination for bird watching, as it is home to a variety of birds of prey.