We are planning on traveling from DC to Albany in May and are looking for some suggestions on good recreational paddling locations along the route. Where are some good senic paddling locations?
For Hudson River trips
check out Atlantic Kayak Tours. Their “Beginners Tour” page lists a lot of places on the Hudson. I really liked the Hudson Highlands trips near West Point. Tivioli Bays was a nice paddle also. I paddled on my own without taking their tours. Check the “Intermediate” page also. It may have one or two different Hudson areas but mostly I think the intermediate tours just cover larger distances over the same basic areas. Intermediate page does have more trips outside the Hudson River.
http://www.atlantickayaktours.com/pages/tours/Beginner.shtml
Mark
Bringing boats?
– Last Updated: Mar-25-08 8:17 AM EST –
If you are bringing boats, one of the better references is one of the paddling route books from the Adirondack Mountain Club. NYS Dept of Conservation has a good web site for launches. Biggest caution is to be aware about barges and check the tide information to make for a more stress-free paddle. The tide is still at least 3 ft even as far up as the first dam in Troy, about 140 miles north of Manhattan.
If you aren't bringing boats, check out the above (AKT) or Marshall at The River Connection in Hyde Park. (http://www.the-river-connection.com)
Hudson River Reference
Whenever paddlers ask me info about the where & when on the Hudson River the best reference book is the Hudson River Watertrail Assoc. Watertrail Guide. Has nav. charts, mile by mile descriptions of what you’re looking at on the east and west banks, where to put in, what to look out for, etc. I always keep a bunch of copies on hand. Best $25 in figuring out what sort of exploration you want to undertake for the day(s).
and yes, I have more info on www.the-river-connection.com under Paddler Resources.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
books and places
You don’t say what your abilities are, or what amount of time you’re looking to spend paddling, or how far off the direct route you are willing to travel.
Books: Ed Gertler’s books on MD, DE, PA, and NJ paddling locations are inspiring, if somewhat out of date. The titles are something like “Maryland and Delaware Canoe Trails,” “Keystone Canoeing,” and “Garden State Canoeing.” The Appalachian Mountain Club has a book called something like “Quietwater Canoeing New York.”
Places:
The New Jersey Pine Barrens are not to be missed: tiny, tiny rivers winding through wetlands and sandy pine uplands. Get the book by Parnes or call Adams Canoe Rental or the Wharton State Forest office at Atsion for info.
jsska.org has a lot of sea-kayak-oriented information.
If you have some skills, New York Harbor is an amazing place to paddle, might or might not be what you mean by “scenic.” There are various clubs that will put you in a boat for free, if you’re coming through late enough in May. Mine, InwoodCanoeClub.org, is easy to get to from the George Washington Bridge. DowntownBoathouse.org has many more harbor-oriented trips. Red Hook Boaters and Long Island City Community Boathouse are other possibilities, though a little further out of your way.
There are many places up the Hudson from New York City where you can launch and land; others have mentioned some, and I repeat the endorsement of hrwa.org.
If you’re willing to travel beyond Albany (and deal with the cold water), you have Lake George and the Adirondacks available to you.
If you give more details about what you want, you will probably get more answers. There are too many possibilities for anybody to write them all down here.
– Mark
Experience and have kayaks
We will be traveling with our Current Designs Whistlers. I’m an experienced solo canoe ww paddler and my wife is a novice kayaker (up to light class III WW).
Because we will only have on vehicle we will need to be able to do round trips or arrange a shuttle.
Thanks for the references and suggestions so far!
Bruce