Love the Hudson River? Us too. That’s why HVNY is proud to sponsor the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater’s 2025 Paddle for Our Hudson, a virtual summer fundraiser that turns miles on the river into support for the Pete Seeger-founded educational organization that is helping steward the next generation of river advocates.
What is the Paddle for Our Hudson?
The Paddle for Our Hudson is the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater’s virtual summer fundraiser to support the non-profit organization’s educational, advocacy and community programming for current and future stewards of the Hudson River.
Starting Memorial Day, May 26 through Labor Day, September 1, 2025, participants will paddle via canoe, kayak, rowboat or stand up paddle board, and choose to traverse 20-, 60-, or 100-miles on the river (or any body of water). Paddlers will keep track and log their miles throughout the summer, and help raise money per mile through donations from fellow river-lovers (no matter whether on land or sea).
Not only will participants help raise funds for Clearwater’s education and community programming, but there’s also the chance for paddlers to take home top honors for spending the most days out on the river, paddling the greatest distance, and more at the end of Paddle Folk Picnic on September 6, 2025.
Don’t have access to a kayak or proper paddling vessle? No problem! Clearwater has teamed up with outfitters across the Hudson Valley to help those who need gear to participate: Participating Kayak and Canoe Rental Partners.
“If you haven’t been on the river, it’s exceptional – there’s nothing like it.”
- Meg Mayo, Clearwater
Places we’ve Paddled:
Summer thunderstorms and weekends full of graduation celebrations have made the time spent on the water that much more precious. So far this summer, we’ve logged miles and launched from one of our longtime favorite spots (seriously, from childhood!): Norrie Point State Park in Staatsburg – in the Hudson and under the tunnel of…the state park road; and recently landed at the accessible-by-boat-only state park with a sandy beach, right in the middle of the river! (The Hudson River Islands State Park in Coxsackie.)
Places to kayak, as recommended by HVNY community members:*
The Hudson River: launching from Quiet Cove Park in Poughkeepsie, Norrie Point in Staatsburg, the Rhinecliff boat launch, and the Hudson River Islands State Park (accessible by boat-only, launching from Stockport)
Lake Taghkanic State Park
Wappingers Creek
Stissing Pond, Pine Plains
Rondout Creek, putting in at Sleightsburg Park
Croton-on-Hudson
Croton River
Bear Mountain
Fahnestock Park
North/South Lake
Copake Lake
Tivoli Bays
*please note this is a list generated by HVNY readers. Always check the weather forecast, tides and locations before you head out. And make sure you have the proper gear, PFDs, lights, and let someone on land know where you’re going, and when you expect to be back.
Pictured: Tivoli Bays kayak launch site. Photo: niki@hvny.info
Wouldn’t it be nice to be ‘down by the riverside’ (without trash, sewage)?
The Hudson River still needs our help: After years of PCB clean-up, our “Great Connector” is still not clean enough to swim in most areas, especially after heavy rains. There are several fish species in there that no one should eat, if caught. We pick up so much trash every time we kayak (background photo as proof).
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a healthy, clean river to swim in? Multiple public beaches to hang out ‘down by the riverside,’ just like Pete Seeger would sing of?
“It’s important for the local community to be vigilant,” Meg Mayo of Clearwater said. Plus, she added: “Sewage overflow something you become very conscious of while in the river…”
Even if you don’t kayak/paddle/SUP – you can still make a difference! Don’t litter; clean-up wherever you go and if you need a little push with peer-support, join a Riverkeeper Sweep near you in the spring.
Your donation will help the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater steward an intergenerational Hudson River community through education, advocacy, sailing, and music. Every mile paddled and dollar raised supports clean and healthy Hudson River ecosystems and communities.
HVNY is a proud media sponsor of the 2025 Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Paddle for Our Hudson.
"Sailing down my dirty stream, still I love it and I'll keep the dream that someday, though maybe not this year, my Hudson River will once again run clear."
— Pete Seeger