Anybody ever paddle up Wappingers Creek from it confluence with the Hudson?
Can you make it under the RR bridge at high-tide?
Anything interesting there to see?
My test paddle
– Last Updated: Aug-10-04 1:22 PM EST –
involved launching from a boat ramp about a mile up from the river in the creek, we went out to the river and back. The bridge would be plenty high enough at high tide to make it underneath (as I remember it, I should say).
Problem this time of year is that most of it is choked off with water chestnut, save for a narrow path down the middle. So you can't get very close to the shoreline. It wouldn't be a total waste of time going in there, but is certainly better in the spring when the entire water surface is open.
It's basically paddling along a wooded shoreline, though not especially remote since there's a road along the southern shoreline, along with the usual trash people like to dump along places like that.
There's some old industry at the other end, and a dam, I didn't get up that way so don't know what there was to see. It goes for about a half mile upriver from the point we launched to the dam.
Mike
On-site update
I was just by there, was hedging on the bridge clearance since I wasn’t sure I was remembering. There are actually two bridges, the highway bridge has plenty of clearance, the railroad bridge, well, there looked to be about 2-3 feet when I went by and it was close to high tide at that time according to the tide table. So probably can get under but might have to bend over a little. To play it safe you’d want to try to avoid that time by an hour either way I guess.
There is the water chestnut I spoke of, with a 20-30 feet wide clear path through it, as far as I could see upstream.
Mike
You may
consider buying the Hudson River Watertrail guide book , it has all the put-in and other places of interest from Albany to Manhatten , as well as camping spots and local lore , charts and conditions to be encountered , go to hrwa.org
Better choices
Seakayaking’s mention of the HRWA guide is well worth the $25. Also there are a number of other, prettier venues within 10 miles of the Wappingers that are worth paddling. Moodna Creek, New Windsor is one. Fishkill Creek/Dennings Point south of Beacon would be another. I have a bunch of destinations listed here: http://www.the-river-connection.com and a paddling club page at http://www.hudsonvalleyadventures.com
See you on the water,
Marshall