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Walk over the Hudson River
History Close at Hand
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| | | The spectacular view of the Poughkeepsie area and the Hudson River from the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, looking north.
Photo by Beverly Tyler (click for larger version) | |
October 29, 2009 | 09:31 AM
A few weeks ago my wife and I traveled to the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie to walk the recently opened Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park. The walkway is on the north side of downtown Poughkeepsie and the parking lot is on the same level as the walkway, which begins a few hundred yards from the river on both ends. This is touted as the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world. The round trip distance from the parking lot at Poughkeepsie to the parking lot at the hamlet of Highland on the west side of the Hudson and back is over two miles.
As we started the walk across this former railroad bridge, the Hudson River came into view. The walkway is over 200 feet above the river and the vista from the walkway is spectacular. Even though it was cloudy we could see at least 20 miles up and down the Hudson River.
This is a wonderful season to take a walk across the Hudson. The fall colors along the river range from dark green to bright red. On the east side of the walkway we strolled above the rails where Amtrak stops at the Poughkeepsie station. On the west side the rails carry freight along the Hudson and as we strolled along the walkway we saw over 100 freight cars below heading north or south about every 20 minutes.
Opened in 1889, the Poughkeepsie Highland Railroad Bridge was once the longest cantilevered truss span in the world. It was then also the only crossing of the Hudson River between New York City and Albany. Freight trains crossed the bridge carrying raw materials from the heart of America to the manufacturing centers of the northeast. By the 1970s, when fire damaged the bridge, it was no longer an important connection for freight.
The Walkway Over the Hudson Bridge is also part of the new Walkway Loop Trail. Walkway travelers can walk from the parking lot at either end of the walkway to the Mid-Hudson Bridge. A pedestrian walkway on the Mid-Hudson Bridge takes walkers back across the Hudson. It is then just a short walk back to the point of beginning.
Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Road, Setauket; 751-3730 and www.tvhs.org.
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