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Hudson River The Hudson offers an incredible range of cruising possibilities, with seemingly endless changes of scene. Described as an estuary, fjord, or drowned river, the Hudson, with one of the world’s largest metropolitan areas located at its mouth, extends through great scenic beauty passing historic sites made famous by nearly four centuries of exploration, settlement, commerce, and industry. Today the river is the center of great recreational and commercial activity. The Hudson is 325 miles long from its source on the slopes of Mt. Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains to the Verrazano Narrows, which separate New York City’s upper and lower bays. It drains an area of over 13,000 square miles, a relatively small area when compared to other North American rivers. The Hudson’s underwater canyon extends an additional 569 miles offshore into the Atlantic Ocean. Ocean tides extend upriver as far as the falls and Federal Lock at Troy (157 miles). Salt water typically extends as far north as Newburgh, with brackish water found as far north as Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park. This salt line moves up or down stream depending upon the amount of freshwater run-off. In years of heavy spring rains, with a lot of run-off from snow in the mountains, fresh water has extended as far south as New York City’s Battery. The saltwater wedge, due to salt water’s greater density, extends northward beneath the fresh water. The river’s greatest depths, over 200 feet, are found in the vicinity of West Point where the river narrows to .3 of a mile. Great depths are also found at Bear Mountain Bridge (165 feet) and Crum Elbow (139 feet) between Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park. As the cruiser travels from the sea to the mountains, the river takes on many different characteristics. Separated by the Narrows, the Lower and Upper Bays, which form New York Harbor, are broad, busy — sometimes to the point of being chaotic — and have good depths. North from the harbor, the river narrows between the Skyscrapers of New York City and the Palisades of New Jersey. In the Tappan Zee it widens to over 2 miles, followed by the even wider (3 miles) but shallower Haverstraw Bay. At the northern end of Haverstraw Bay, the river narrows to .3 miles as it flows through the Highlands, defined by Bear and Storm King Mountains, each rising to over 1300 feet on the western shore. In Newburgh Bay the river first widens to over a mile and then narrows to .5 mile with generally good depths continuing to Rondout Creek, the first of three larger tributaries that enter from the west. From Rondout north, there are increasing numbers of sandbars, islands, and marshes. The channel, often dredged, must be followed closely. The Port of Albany begins five miles south of Albany, with a noticeably industrial flavor. Between Albany and Troy the river is closely confined between narrow banks and clearance is limited by numerous bridges.
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