This tour will guide you through the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, the world's longest elevated pedestrian bridge at 1.28 miles from gate to gate. he Walkway spans the majestic Hudson River between Poughkeepsie and Highland, New York, in the heart of the beautiful, historic Hudson Valley.
On this tour you will hear about this region's environment, Native Americans, European settlers, unusual endangered fish, impressive early engineering feats, and much more.
The Walkway is open seven days a week, 365 days per year from sunrise to sunset -- and occasionally after dark for special events. Walkway Over the Hudson is one of the most accessible parks in the world for visitors with mobility challenges because it is flat, paved, and stair-less. For more information about the Walkway, visit walkway.org.
Sample Stories
For more content, click the "Explore this Tour Remotely" button below.
Fall Kill Creek
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In 1609 Henry Hudson, an Englishman sailing for Holland's East India Company, captained a Dutch ship up this river in search of the fabled Northwest Passage, a sea route connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. He referred to the river as the "Manhatees." Dutch colonists who followed named it "River of the Prince Mauritius" and "North River." Hudson's name wasn't attached to the river until 1664, when England tried to justify its takeover of the region. The English argued that since the explorer was a subject of their king, Hudson's river belonged to them, not to the Dutch.
Of course, native tribes had named the river long before Hudson's arrival. One of their names, Mahicantuck, means "great waters in constant motion" or, more loosely, "river that flows two ways." It highlights the fact that this waterway is more than a river; it is a tidal estuary, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean where salty sea water meets fresh water running off the land.
One of the Hudson's many tributaries, the Fall Kill, is visible from this spot when you look south toward the Mid-Hudson Bridge. Just short of that bridge, on the Poughkeepsie side of the river, you may notice what looks like a a discolored spot in the water. That's where the Fall Kill meets the Hudson. That difference in color is not pollution from the creek, but rather clear stream water mixing with the turbid Hudson River. The Fall Kill enters the river after passing over a small yet romantically dramatic waterfall. The creek's name comes from the Dutch word "kill," which means "stream" or "brook."
Poughkeepsie's strong manufacturing sector grew up along the Fall Kill. The creek drained water from the north and northeast into that first settlement's farmlands. Settlers dammed it in small ponds for water power to drive the mills along its banks. Poughkeepsie mills ground corn and wheat, sawed timber, and produced felted and woolen cloth throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Subsequent manufacturing in the area diversified to different kinds of production, such as a brewery, a dye wood mill, and a carpet factory.
Long neglected, the Fall Kill is now a central part of Poughkeepsie's revitalization plans, with new development taking place along its banks, including residential buildings, public outdoor recreation areas, and walkable paths and trails leading to the Hudson Riverfront and the pathway you're standing on now, the Walkway Over the Hudson.
Dutchess Welcome Center
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You're standing in front of the Dutchess Welcome Center, completed in 2019. This sustainably constructed, green building features indoor restrooms, picnic tables, a bike rack, a dog- and human-friendly water fountain, and an information booth.
Make sure you stop to take in the landscape here at the Welcome Center. Park management takes great pride in maintaining these areas, showcasing the local flora and fauna native to the Hudson Valley.
Note the details in the fence surrounding the picnic area. Those tall iron posts you see are part of the original Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge, which opened in 1889. In fact, artifacts and callbacks to the Walkway's history as a railroad bridge are scattered throughout this area. Down the staircase from here, heading toward Orchard Place, you'll encounter original sections of railroad track. Along the trail heading toward the gates is an original railway signal light from the days when more than 3,000 train cars per day passed this way. The signal light is still functioning, and occasionally is lit during special nighttime events.
