Posted in New York April 24, 2018 by

The Beautiful Bridge Hike In New York That Will Completely Mesmerize You

After an overly extended winter, it would appear (knock on wood) that spring is finally ready to stick around for good. With more beautiful days full of sunshine ahead of us, now is the perfect time to start planning your next outdoor adventure in the Empire State. Taking you across the Hudson River, keep reading to find out why this beautiful bridge trail will leave you in awe.

We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
Also known as the Poughkeepsie Bridge, New York's Walkway Over The Hudson State Historic Park is the world's largest pedestrian bridge over water.
tank1050/TripAdvisor
Taking you 212-feet above the Hudson River, you'll have panoramic views of the water from no matter where you look.
Shinya Suzuki/Flickr
Originally completed back in 1889 as a double track railroad bridge, a devastating fire in 1974 left the structure abandoned for years.
Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park/Facebook
Now 1.28-miles long, the walkway is open all year long and only closes when the area is experiencing unsafe weather like lightning storms or ice.
Shinya Suzuki/Flickr
Equipped with coin-operated binoculars, visitors who hike across the walkway will get the chance to see so many different views of our state.
Kristin Charles-Scaringi/Flickr
The other exciting part about the walkway? At both ends, it connects to other rail trails in our state.
Amy S/TripAdvisor
At the east end of the walkway, visitors can continue hiking along the Dutchess Rail Trail, while at the west end you can also continue hiking along the Hudson Valley Rail Trail for an even bigger adventure.
Estee P/TripAdvisor
Giving you the chance to see our favorite small towns in a whole new way, this easy hike will give you the aerial views that our mountains offer without having to do any strenuous work.
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Throughout the year the walkway makes for the perfect viewing point for some of our favorite local events like local balloon festivals.
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While also being an amazing viewing point to watch Fourth of July fireworks.
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With the walkway's 21-story elevator opening up for the season soon, you'll find that there are plenty of ways to access this amazing trail.
JKScatena/TripAdvisor
That's right! If you don't want to hike to the walkway from one of the rail trails, you can park in Poughkeepsie and simply take an elevator ride to the top. Other exciting news you'll want to know about? This spring marks the opening of the walkway's Ulster Welcome Center at the west entrance. The newly built welcome center will be open soon and will provide bathrooms and covered picnic areas for visitors.

To find out more information about the Walkway Over The Hudson State Historic Park, click here.

Have you ever walked across the Walkway over the Hudson? For more amazing trails to hike, read about This Beautiful Boardwalk Trail In New York Is The Most Unique Hike Around!