Shenantaha Creek Park facts for kids
Shenantaha Creek Park is a cool place to explore in the town of Malta, which is in Saratoga County, New York. It's a big park where you can have fun outdoors and learn about nature and history.
Contents
How Shenantaha Creek Park Started
Planning the Park
Back in 1993, the leaders of Malta town wanted to create a new park. They asked a group called the Ruhle Road Park Committee to help plan it. The park would be on a large piece of land, about 56 acres, next to Ballston Creek and an old railroad track.
Getting Ready to Open
The land chosen for the park was a bit tricky because cars couldn't easily get to it. So, in 1995, the town bought a little more land, about 5 acres, just to make sure people could easily get in and out of the park.
When the Park Opened
Finally, in 1997, Shenantaha Creek Park officially opened its doors!
What Can You Do at Shenantaha Creek Park?
Exploring the Zim Smith Trail
A special path called the Zim Smith Trail goes right through the park. This trail is perfect for many activities. You can go:
- hiking
- bicycling
- rollerblading
- horseback riding
- snowmobiling (in winter!)
Discovering Nature
The park is home to many different kinds of trees. You'll find:
The Mystery of the Rock Bowls
There's an interesting part of the park called a moraine. A moraine is a hill or ridge made of rocks and dirt left behind by a glacier. In this area, some rocks have bowl-shaped hollows.
People have two main ideas about how these bowls were formed:
- Some believe Native Americans used them as mortars to grind food.
- Others think they were made by glaciers scraping and shaping the rocks a long, long time ago.
Traces of the Past
In the park, you can also find the remains of an old mill. This mill used to press flax seeds to make oil. It's a cool reminder of what the area was like many years ago!
