Malta: Nature Trails and History

Malta brings together trails and landscapes with historic sites from different eras. For a stay, you can focus on two distinct interests: nature and trails, or history from the earliest burials to rocket technology.

Trails and Landscape

The paved trail in Shenantaha Creek Park is part of the Zim Smith Trail. The trail is also paved, 11.5 miles long, and designed for multiple uses. It runs through Ballston, Malta, and Clifton Park, as well as the Village of Round Lake and Mechanicville. The total length refers to the Zim Smith Trail, not specifically to the section in Shenantaha Creek Park. This distinction is useful when considering trail options for your stay: the park trail is part of a longer route that passes through several communities.

In Malta Community Park, a nature trail follows the valley of a small stream. Here, the landscape is defined by the stream valley; by contrast, the Zim Smith Trail is notable for its paved surface, multiple uses, and route through several communities. This makes the two trail options easy to distinguish when planning your trip: a nature trail shaped by a stream valley and a longer trail passing through several named communities.

At the Town of Malta level, two water features can be distinguished: the Town borders Saratoga Lake, while Round Lake Preserve is next to Round Lake and Anthony Kill. Also within the Town of Malta, Round Lake Preserve covers 90 acres, includes wetlands and wooded areas, and offers accessible trails and a boardwalk. At the Town of Malta level, Round Lake Preserve offers a different perspective from the nature trail, with a focus on varied habitats as well as trails and a boardwalk.

Buildings and Local History

Malta’s historic sites can also be placed in chronological context. The Dunning Street Cemetery, also called Dunning Street Rural Cemetery, was first used for burials in the 1770s. The Wiggins-Collamer House was built by George Wiggins around 1835. The Ruhle Road Bridge is a historic lenticular truss bridge dating from 1888. The comparison in time spans from the cemetery in the 18th century to two structures from the 19th century. For the house, the builder and approximate year of construction are named; for the bridge, the year and its description as a lenticular truss bridge provide specific architectural points of reference. Thus, burial history, house construction, and bridge engineering represent three distinct historical themes.

The Malta Rocket Test Station is part of the Town of Malta’s technological history. In the 1940s and 1950s, the Malta Rocket Test Station was located in this area of the Town of Malta. Rocket engines that took America to the Moon were first tested there. This extends the historical arc beyond burial and building history to 20th-century rocket technology. The focus here is on the early testing of rocket engines, a different period and theme from the cemetery, house, and bridge.

Discover more destinations: Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa, Waterford, Mechanicville, Clifton Park, Northumberland

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