Best Hudson River Views?

[MattC]

I have a friend who is interested in shooting some excellent Hudson River views. Please let me know some of your favorite Hudson vistas from the Catskill Escarpment, other places in the Catskills, Hudson Highlands, etc. Even lowland views might be of use, but he is especially interested in views from on high.

Matt

 

[AOC-1]

Here's an obvious one, the view from Olana across the Rip Van Winkle Bridge.

 

[bignslow]

There are some pretty good views from inside Harriman State Park; either from the top of bear mountain, or another peak in the SE corner of the park (I can't remember the name right now).

 

[MichaelJ]

Breakneck Ridge.

The Wikipedia page has a great photo of the ridge itself as well as a panorama from on the ridge. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any photos from when I was on the ridge.

Also, across the river on top of Storm King:

 

[una_dogger]

There are some very nice views at Poet's Walk, Rhinecliff, NY.

I've also always felt the large American Flag that is suspended from the Mid Hudson Bridge is a great Hudson River Valley View, looking up at the large flag waving below the structural girders of the bridge is awesome.

The views of the NYC skyline from the West Mntn Shelter on the AT in Harriman are pretty special at sunset, as the colors of the sky reflect off the buildings.

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

I was going to say Breakneck as well. There are multiple views from this area that are nice. I also like the view from Sugarloaf.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Ferncliff Fire Tower near Rhinebeck has great views of the river and the Mountains.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

I agree with all of the many good views in the Hudson Highlands that have already been mentioned in this thread and the one at AdkHighPeak. I will just add a few more: The "Pitching Point" on the Howell Trail on the north ridge of the Crow's Nest. The other Sugarloaf Hill south of Garrison. And a few lowland views at the Little Stony Point below Bull Hill (Mt Taurus), the Bear Mountain Bridge walkway, Manitou Point, and the lawn at Boscobel.

Trophy Point at West Point also offers a great view. The visitation rules at West Point are far more stringent in recent years, and I am not up on all of the specifics.

This is a rather long gallery from the recently opened Walkway over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie. The walkway on the Mid Hudson Bridge also offers good views. There is a good view down onto the bridge from the adjacent Franny Reese State Park. That view has been greatly cleared and improved since I took the several photos that appears in this gallery. The trails throughout the Franny Reese park were similarly improved since my last visit, and perhaps they have reopened some of the former Hudson River views along the carriage roads of the Cedar Glen estate of Dr. Charles H. Roberts.

In Staatsburg the hiking trail along the Hudson River between the Mills Mansion and the camping/cabin area at Norrie Point. There is an excellent view of the Mount St. Alphonsus monastery from the cabin area along the trail that is well worth finding. I tagged that photo onto a photo gallery from the Vanderbilt Mansion historic site in Hyde Park where there are several views of the Hudson such as this one which also features the Mount St. Alphonsus monastery.

I agree with Tom's suggestion of the Ferncliff fire tower where the view is awesome. I also agree with the the previously mentioned views at Poet's Walk and Olana (both the south lawn and the viewpoint over the Rip Van Winkle Bridge along a carriage road). There are also similar views at the Montgomery Place and Clermont historic sites.

Saugerties Lighthouse Trail. It is worth checking the tide tables at the start of the trail or via their website. Those tide tables are also good for the trail to Cruger Island where there are also views on the Hudson, access from a Tivoli Bays parking area which is down the hill from Bard College. The Hudson River tides have been rather low during this relatively dry summer of 2010 and not much of an issue (of course YMMV depending on the phase of the moon and rainfall).

In addition to Overlook some of my favorite Hudson views from the Catskills are from the Palenville Overlook, Huckleberry Point, the many views from Boulder Rock to North Point at the North Lake State Park (all are good), and Milt's Lookout north of Stoppel Point.

 

[alistair]

Can't beat the view from up Anthony's Nose (above Bear Mountain Bridge).

 

[DougPaul]

Can't beat the view from up Anthony's Nose (above Bear Mountain Bridge).

Achoo!

(The mountain is rumored to sneeze whenever a train passes through the tunnel. At least that is what my Grandfather claimed...)

Doug