New York trails · Short Swing Trail
Short Swing Trail
A 5.6-mile network in New York, with 546 ft of climbing. Reaches Horseshoe Pond and other lake destinations.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the first third: 48% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 1.9. It gives back about 819 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Horseshoe Pond (lake)
- Honey Pond (lake)
- Crab Pond (lake)
- Glidden Marsh (lake)
- Lilypad Pond (lake)
- Oxshoe Pond (lake)
Getting there
Short Swing Trail access. About 1 h 27 min drive (70 mi) from Saratoga Springs. 43.87521, -73.61695 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:38 a.m., the sun rises at 7:07 a.m. and sets at 6:12 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:41 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 06 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 5.6-mile route takes roughly 2 h 21 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:28 a.m. — 8 h 44 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Pharaoh Lake Loop Trail + Glidden Marsh To Pharaoh Lake Trail + Short Swing Trail — 14.6 mi loop, 2,469 ft gain
- Glidden Marsh To Pharaoh Lake Trail + Crab Pond Spur Trail + Short Swing Trail — 7.7 mi loop, 396 ft gain
- Short Swing Trail + Haymarsh Trail + Long Swing Trail — 10.8 mi loop, 1,006 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Elk Lake To Dix Mountain Trail — 14.5 mi
- Elk Lake To Marcy Trail — 14.5 mi
- Tongue Mountain Range Trail — 15.4 mi
- Pole Hill Pond Trail — 17.9 mi