Walkway Over the Hudson River: Poughkeepsie, New York

The weather is about to drop drastically in New England so I am trying to soak up every last bit of rays I can. This past weekend was my boyfriend’s mother’s birthday so we decided to call go to Poughkeepsie, New York to celebrate. In Poughkeepsie there is a beautiful 4.4-mile walk, called Walkway Over the Hudson, that takes you across two bridges over the Hudson River. The walk is very easy and gives you an opportunity to see all of the fall foliage.

What you should bring: comfy walking shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen, a bottle of water, and camera/phone to take pictures with. For people who are walking, you don’t necessarily need to wear heavy duty sneakers. I was fine in my slip-on shoes. If you’re running or biking you may want to plan a differently.

Poughkeepsie Waterfront

There are a series of four different paths you can go on which include the Walkway Loop Trail, Waterfront Trail, Ranson Road Extension, and HV Rail Trail/Highland Extension loop. We ended up doing the Walkway Loop Trail so that we could go on both bridges. We also ate at River Station which next to the Waterfront Trail. There you can get an incredible view of both bridges while you eat outside.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge

The Mid-Hudson Bridge is a suspension bridge that was built in 1930. When it opened, Franklin D. Roosevelt cut the ribbon and 12,000 automobiles and 30,000 pedestrians crossed the bridge.

My favorite part about this bridge is that you can play music at two parts of the bridge. In 2009, Joseph Bertolozzi realized that he could use mallets on the bridge’s surfaces to make music. The sounds come from hitting the guardrails, spindles, grinders, and suspension ropes. The outcome? 12 unique songs made entirely from bridge sounds. You can play the 12 songs from April 1^st through October 31^st.

Walkway Over the Hudson River

The bridge across from the Mid-Hudson bridge is called the Walkway Over the Hudson River. This pedestrian bridge can be used for biking, rollerblading, walking your dog, or just simply walking with a view. Every few steps on the bridge you can see quick signs that explain how the bridge was built and scientific facts about building the bridge.

Once you walk on the Mid-Hudson bridge you can walk up a slight hill to the Walkway Over the Hudson River. This pedestrian bridge was built in 1889 to originally be a path for freight trains and passenger trains. In 1974, a fire destroyed the tracks which were never repaired. The bridge re-opened in October 2009 and hosts over 500,000 visitors every year.

Check out the 360° areal video of the Walkway Loop Trail.

What is the best view you’ve ever seen? What is your favorite pedestrian bridge? Has fall peaked around you? Let me know in the comments down below. 

As always,

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