Pastimes

A park that sits 212 feet directly above the waters of the Hudson River is one of the newest additions to the New York State Parks system. While it is a short drive outside Putnam County, it is the type of unique attraction that you would want to take out-of-town visitors to. To give those visitors a taste of what makes the Hudson River Valley so grand, take them for a stroll across the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park in Poughkeepsie.

To get there, take rout 84 to the Taconic and head north on the Taconic Parkway for 9.9 miles. Take the exit for Route 55 West toward Poughkeepsie and follow Route 55 for 8.1 miles. Turn right onto Garden Street and go about a half-mile to the end. Make a left onto Parker Avenue and then a quick right into the entrance to the parking area for Walkway Over the Hudson. There is a good amount of parking – 80 spaces – but even on a cold February weekend the lot was more than half full. It was great to see so many people enjoying the outdoors.

This is a nice walk for people of all ages and skill levels. A paved path leading to a concrete walkway makes for easy walking or pushing a stroller. There are only slight variations in grade, and the bridge is about 1.25 miles each way. If you are a runner, this is an inspiring place to run. Bring your iPod – some classical music or maybe the theme from Rocky would fit well. Dogs (on a leash) and bikes are also welcome.

The walk begins on a tree-lined old rail bed. A few remnants from the old railroad days line the path. As the bridge approaches the water, the Victor C. Waryas waterfront park sits far below and just south of the span.

The section over the water is a straight run across the Hudson. Along the way, there are storyboards that explain the history of the bridge and surrounding area. Complimenting the illustrations is a creative feature called the Talkway Over the Walkway - many of the storyboards have a phone number or text number you can call to listen to an audio history lesson that expand upon the info on the sign.

The views from the center of the bridge are absolutely spectacular – the expanse of the river glistening below, the Mid-Hudson Bridge about a halfmile to the south, and the backdrop of the mountains on a cold, sunny day are a sight to behold.

According to www.walkway.org, the railroad bridge was built between 1873 and 1888. When it was completed, it was the longest bridge in the world at the time. A fire in 1974 marked the end of its use and it sat idle for many years. In 1992, a movement started to provide public access to the bridge and nearby trails. In 2007 fundraising to build the park began in earnest, and the groundbreaking for repairs and conversion to a pedestrian bridge was in May 2008. It opened as a public park in October 2009.

While the park is open dawn to dusk, if they ever open the park for an evening event, I think it would be an amazing spot to view the lights from the city of Poughkeepsie.

The Walkway is the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world. For more info on Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, visit www. walkway.org or http://nysparks.state. ny.us. Governor David Paterson opened the park, but he is now proposing closure of many state parks to cure state budgetary woes. Unfortunately, the Walkway may be affected. If the proposal goes through, it will close in the winter and be open only 5 days a week during the rest of the year.

Steven Mattson has been a resident of Brewster for over 10 years. He is on the board of the Putnam County Land Trust, and is currently writing a book about family-oriented things to do in and around Putnam County. He can be reached at stvnmattson@ yahoo.com.