ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Improvements to the walking trail at the Tivoli Lake Preserve started Monday to connect the Livingston Avenue Preserve entrance to the newly day-lit Patroon Creek.

The Livingston Avenue entrance will be closed through September 2020, but the project will also include upgraded lighting and accessibility in the parking lot there. Instead, visitors can enter through North Manning Boulevard, off of Northern Boulevard.

The nearly one-mile-long, accessible trail is highly anticipated, having been identified in 2014’s Tivoli Lake Preserve Visioning as a priority.

“I am excited for these improvements to the Tivoli Lake Preserve which will provide residents and visitors with enhanced access to this important outdoor recreation area located in the heart of the West Hill Neighborhood,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan.

The preserve is an area landmark, with over 70 acres of forest, fields, and wetlands. The recently upgraded Patroon Creek, a long Hudson River tributary that was buried underground for decades, borders the preserve to the north.

Funding comes from a five-year, $1.25 million grant from the Department of Environmental Conservation to develop the trail, manage invasive species, and support the Tivoli Lake Preserve and Farm.

Research shows that spending time in nature—like on trails in a preserve—can provide powerful relief for certain mental health issues, such as depression.