Kayaking in the Hudson Valley

words + videos by niki@hvny.info

There’s nothing quite like seeing the Hudson River Valley from the river itself. It’s bigger down there, grand but peaceful, though it can pull you as it flows, like it’s native name suggests – the Mahicantuck – in both directions. It’s tides can create easy glides in and out of a boat launch, and also offer access to low tide-only beaches.

On Sunday afternoon, tired of chores around the house, we loaded up our kayaks and headed down to the marina at Norrie Point in Staatsburg. The tide was low, but that didn’t affect us or two the Great Blue Herons that were wading nearby. Or the kingfisher. Or the…I don’t know what it was but it was something small and furry, in a cute way.

We made our way north on the Hudson by skirting the shoreline, taking our time, watching the jet skiiers, motor boaters and one large barge turn the river’s ripples into light waves. We pulled off for a snack at a beach that would be otherwise underwater during a higher tide. We searched for the perfect skipping stone, and other washed-up treasures, and wondered what it was like to live here before all the big machines and the motor-noise.

As the warm summer sun began to drop behind the Catskills, I nagged for ten more minutes northward, just beyond that cove, I pleaded. And it was worth it: a bald eagle was perched high atop a pine, perhaps watching us long before we realized. We flowed without motion underneath until it launched – soared! – with wings and talons tipping onto the river’s surface to hunt for an evening snack. We gawked until the eagle crossed onto the other side of the river, silhouetted by the setting sun, and then promptly spotted another bald eagle overlooking it all from another perch downriver.

But there’s not just the Hudson where you can see our landscapes, and it’s flora and fauna, from another perspective: Glacial lakes, ponds and even creeks that lead right back to the river.

If you’re new, want to try it out, or need some guidance, kayak tours are offered throughout the Hudson Valley, with Atlantic Kayak Tours operating out of the Norrie Point Marina, Storm King Adventure Tours around Bannerman Island and many others in the area you’re looking to explore.

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

• 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 tides and locations before you head out. And make sure you have the proper gear, PFDs, lights, and let someone on land know you’re going.

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