Grant Cottage Unveils Accessible Trail

If a visitor wanted to get a good overview of Saratoga County and beyond, then Grant Cottage State Historic Site might be a good place to start. 

Standing at the Eastern Overlook, visitors can look out and see the entire region laid out before them. To the east lay the Green Mountains and Bennington Monument of Vermont, the Hudson River, and the battlefields of Saratoga in Stillwater. To the south lay the forests of Saratoga County, the Catskills and the Corning Tower in Albany. 

The spot was once home to the first carriage road that connected the mountain with Saratoga Springs and where former President Ulyssess S. Grant took in one last view three days before his death. 

While the historic site is known for its stunning views, there was one problem. For years, people couldn’t get down to the site. While there were trails to get down there, those with mobility issues couldn’t easily reach it, according to Grant Cottage Operations Manager Ben Kemp. 

Kemp said there were times that he would see people waiting at the top of the trailhead for their families to return from going to the overlook. 

“The [path] that still existed when I first got here about 13 years ago was very narrow,” Kemp said. It was paved, but incredibly narrow and incredibly steep. So, it wasn’t built for accessibility in mind, and we had to shut that down years ago because of safety issues. And we opened a dirt trail, which again was a little bit safer, but it still was not accessible.” 

However, that reality has changed. A new trail was opened on Sept. 8, allowing visitors of all abilities to access the famed vantage point. 

Kemp said the trail was a six-year process. It was completed at a cost of $376,000, $300,000 of which came from funding from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation as part of a program administered by Parks and Trails New York. The funding went to the Friends of Grant Cottage, a volunteer group that supports the historic site.

 “Strong partners like Parks & Trails New York and the Friends of Grant Cottage help us create the extraordinary experiences New Yorkers enjoy every day at our parks and historic sites,” OPRHP Commissioner Kathy Moser said. “This new pathway is a wonderful example of what those partnerships can accomplish. Together, we have opened an awe-inspiring and historically significant view to visitors of all abilities. More than 140 years after President Grant asked to see this landscape one final time, everyone who visits Grant Cottage can now more easily follow in his footsteps and experience that same remarkable view.”

Grant Cottage is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:30am – 4:00pm. Visitors are free to walk the grounds for free with tours of the cottage available for a fee.