Activities: hiking, picnicking, geocaching
Location: 195 Bateman Road, Laurens, NY
Difficulty: easy to intermediate
Distance: 3.69 mile loop
Fee: Free
THIS TRAIL IS CLOSED DURING HUNTING SEASON, through late January 2024
The Glenn Waffle Memorial Nature Trail (GWT) features easy to intermediate multi-use trails through interesting and varied upstate New York woods. The north trail which features a picturesque stream, many varieties of fungi, and old growth trees is very different from the south trail which features a younger forest and fishing area. This trail has a total ascent of 265.29 feet and has a maximum elevation of 1,766.44 feet and loops around the Colonial Ridge Golf Course.
When Peg from Otsego Outdoors hiked the trail on January 8, 2023, she started at the blank trailhead sign down the road and across the street from the clubhouse. The south trail goes up and around the golf course and back to Bateman Road where you can continue the trail across the street. There is a small waterfall there, though the trail is damaged due to logging. Walk along the golf course if it is too rough. Join up with the trail at the northeast corner of the driving range, and loop around that side of the golf course. That trail ends in the backyard of a home, look for the trail sign on the shed, and walk down the driveway back to Bateman Road. The clubhouse will be to your left.
Once they finish rerouting trails due to damage from logging trucks, they will make a new map and put it on the trailhead sign. You can stop in at the Clubhouse and ask for directions to the trail if you like.
Cross-country skiing on the trail and the Colonial Ridge cart paths is welcomed, but trails are not groomed.
Picnic areas and kiosk are featured near the 11th green. There are twoÂ
geocaches available on the trail. Restrooms are available at the
Colonial Ridge Golf club house (but hours are limited in winter).
Park in the lot for the Colonial Ridge Golf, 195 Bateman Road, Laurens, NY. Trail users are asked to be considerate of and quiet around golfers when the trail moves past greens, tee boxes, and fairways on the golf course. Trail is closed at dark, and during deer hunting season in the fall. Leashed dogs are welcome. Please clean up after your pet.
The trail was established and is maintained by Glenn Waffle’s family to memorialize him and his love of the outdoors. It realized his hope and the Waffle family’s hope of giving back to the community. The trail had its first soft opening in the fall of 2015. The trail as worked on by many local volunteers and adopted by Scouts, Robert Child and Lincoln Waffle. Grants from the Otsego County Community Grant program and the Otsego County Conservation Grant Program helped make this trail possible as well. Upgrades are continuing.
Please follow all Leave No Trace Rules.
What’s Nearby?
What Octet-ers are saying
1/15/23 “Made our latest hike despite the cold – craziest frozen ground I’ve ever come across. We found a geocache for the first time which was pretty neat and ran across family which was awesome also.”
1/12/23 “Trail was hard to find but we enjoyed walking on the golf course until we found the trail. Beautiful drive out.”
