Fall Foliage

Fall Foliage Driving Tours

Leaf peeping season is the most picturesque time of the year in Rensselaer County! People travel from all over to catch a glimpse of the colorful vistas in the northeast and Rensselaer County boasts some of the best. Although the beauty of the fall foliage is evident throughout the county, we have assembled the following tours in the hopes of providing you with a plan to enjoy the best of the scenery. Please take advantage of our website to choose a place to dine, shop, or lodge along the way.  

Tour #1:

Take Rt. 2 east out of Troy.

As you leave Troy, notice on the right the impoundment of the Poestenkill made by Benjamin Marshall’s 1840 dam. Just beyond stand stately homes in one of Troy’s early suburbs.

The Eagle Flouring Mill gave its name to the next community. Eagle Mills, formerly called Millville, once provided farm families with a blacksmith, miller, general store, post office, school, and church. Other industries, powered by the Poestenkill, exported their products.

Notice the elegant 1798 Dater House, on the left soon after you leave Eagle Mills, and the converted 1881 school house at Moonlawn Rd. which houses a museum and library.

Then look sharp on the right for White Church Road, an attractive shortcut to the beautiful 1820 Presbyterian Church that is straight ahead as you reach Rt. 351. Visualize and 1870’s community clustered about the church, the school bell ringing, and hammers clanging in the wagon shop.

Turn right on Rt. 351 and prepare to view two or three memorable miles of unobstructed scenery: Brunswick Hills, Helderbergs, Catskills, and then the Village of Poestenkill.

Side Trips: Bear right at Eagle Mills and drive along the Poestenkill on the Creek Road; Stop at Brunswick Historical Society’s Museum at Moonlawn Rd. Turn north on Moonlawn Rd. to the Brick Church Rd.

Tour #2:

Take Rt. 2 east out of Troy.

At Clum’s Corners (the garage there was preceded by Mr. Clum’s blacksmith shop) bear right at Stewarts, up the hill on Rt. 278. On the left is the Brick School, built about 1830 and restored in 1976. You will pass farms, a milepost from the early turnpike, and the Brunswick Cemetery before you arrive at the landmark Brick Church. The Lutheran congregation was formed in 1742 by Palatine Germans, who were responsible for naming Brunswick, and the present building dates from 1865.

Turn left onto Rt. 7, along one of Brunswick’s principal routes to and from New England. Continue to Center Brunswick and take a sharp right from Rt. 7 at Center Brunswick onto Sweet Milk Creek Rd. to Bald Mountain Rd. When you descend, cross Tr. 142 to Farrell Rd. which takes you to Oakwood Avenue. You will pass Oakwood Cemetery, one of the great 19 th century cemeteries – parks and home of the gravesite of Uncle Sam and open to visitors.