TIVOLI BAYS, HUDSON RIVER paddling & hiking.
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Nov 9, 2015 - NORTH TIVOLI BAY canoeing. Did not have enough time a week ago to really explore this marshy area so had to revisit. Launched from DEC car-top boat launch at the E side of the WMA over an hour before high tide for Tivoli - this allowed for plenty of water to explore the channels & creeks. One has to carry one's boat down 66 steps to get to the floating dock - not a problem with a lightweight Swift canoe. View of the Catskills. Some duck blinds but no-one duck hunting today. Wandered about the cattails for 3+ hours. Gb herons, hawk, mergansers & other ducks, mosquito. Hiked blue trail S to the South Bay
Nov 2 - HUDSON RIVER from Diana St in Tivoli, a gravel beach across from the rr tracks. 60F & negligible wind; started ~2 hours before low tide. Crossed to the W side of the river, rocky steep shores. Stopped at the old wharf at Turkey Point SF, where we camped 2 years ago. Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. Charles Rider Park for lunch. Crossed to E side - barge went by & sent some surfable waves. Headed upstream passing Edgewater, a Greek Revival mansion (white pillars). Under rr bridge (good flood tide current) into shallow Tivoli South Bay - mute swans (4 adults, 2 juveniles), Saw Kill waterfall (20'). Back to the river under another rr bridge & around Cruger Island (not an island any more). Into Tivoli North Bay - marshy creeks (so different from the South Bay), lost one of the group. Out under another rr bridge by Magdalen Island. Great sunset to end a great day! Female long-tailed duck in winter plumage, ruddy duck, American coot. 17.2 miles, 6.5 hours.
Oct 28, 2012 - HUDSON RIVER - TIVOLI BAYS from Tivoli. Launched over 3 hours before high tide. Waves over 1' with wind opposing the current. Don't expect to get under the railroad bridges when going from the river into the bays at high tide; at mid-tide the current under the bridges can be fairly strong. Marshy North Bay - explored many channels - look at a satellite photo to view, most maps do not show some that are passable near high tide. Late lunch on Cruger Island. Crossed the open (non-marshy) South Bay to the 50' waterfall on the Saw Kill. Eagle nest, wood ducks, loon, merganser, red-tailed hawks, 14 mute swans. Views W to the Catskills. A very scenic area. Foliage past peak but still some good color on oaks & the occasional maple. 12 miles, 7 hours. Dagger Alchemy 14, a 14' touring kayak.
Oct 21, 2012 - TIVOLI BAYS & POETS' WALK ROMANTIC LANDSCAPE PARK hikes. Leaf-peeping (& romance?) in the Hudson Valley. TIVOLI BAYS. From canoe launch area walked S on blue trail never far from the bays. At the junction with the red trail is a lookout with good view of the Catskills across the marshy North Bay & the Hudson River. Good view of the open South Bay from a small point. Turned around at Bard College. Not long into the hike I had to pull a tick off my arm. White goose, gulls, garter snakes. 2.4 hours.
Nov 1, 2010 - TIVOLI BAYS & CRUGER ISLAND hike. From Kidd Lane. Hiked the figure 8 loops described in the book & more. Lots of nice views along the way, fair amount of ups & downs. Still some fall color. The old road to Cruger Island was very muddy for a while about 2.5 hours after high tide (under water at high tide) - a sign says access to Cruger only allowed October thru December. Followed a path (unmarked) to N end of "island" then along W side with views across the Hudson River. Found a nice rocky spot at S end for a break in the sun but out of the wind - the Hudson did not look too friendly today. Bushwhacked further E but woods not as open, took me a few minutes to find the start of path back to the mainland. Blue trail S to point that juts out into South Bay. I didn't find what I was looking for but I had a great time doing it. 5 hours.
Oct 24, 2010 - HUDSON RIVER TIVOLI BAYS from concrete ramp boat launch at Glasco Mini Park (S of Saugerties). Crossing the Hudson 3 hours before high tide after a tug-pulled barge went by was a bit bumpy. Around rocky Magdalen Island & under railroad bridge into North Bay, a tidal marsh. Explored some of the channels, Stony Creek, a DEC dock for canoes/kayaks (lunch with great view of Catskill Mountains: North Point, Kaaterskil High Peak, Plattekill & firetower on Overlook Mtn.) & a very narrow passage (could call this a bushwhack) at the bay's N end. Out to the river & around Cruger Island (not an island) passing a bald eagle in a tree. Not much room to get under southern bridge into North Bay at high tide. Into South Bay via northernmost rr bridge. Summer sees a lot of water chestnut but it was mostly gone by this time of year; mud flats at low tide. Channel to Cruger Island Rd (under water near high tide) - great egrets & gb herons. Back into bay - 8 mute swans. Got out & got a close-up look at 50' waterfall on the Saw Kill between Blithewood & Montgomery Place estates. Small, rocky Skillpot (Dutch for turtle) Island. Out under southernmost of 3 bridges. Crossed river to cliffs of Turkey Point. Back to launch against the current. Fall colors excellent - wide range of colors in maples & oaks . 11+ miles, 5.5 hours. Trail map. Can't wait to go back.
Nov 9, 2015 - NORTH TIVOLI BAY canoeing. Did not have enough time a week ago to really explore this marshy area so had to revisit. Launched from DEC car-top boat launch at the E side of the WMA over an hour before high tide for Tivoli - this allowed for plenty of water to explore the channels & creeks. One has to carry one's boat down 66 steps to get to the floating dock - not a problem with a lightweight Swift canoe. View of the Catskills. Some duck blinds but no-one duck hunting today. Wandered about the cattails for 3+ hours. Gb herons, hawk, mergansers & other ducks, mosquito. Hiked blue trail S to the South Bay
Nov 2 - HUDSON RIVER from Diana St in Tivoli, a gravel beach across from the rr tracks. 60F & negligible wind; started ~2 hours before low tide. Crossed to the W side of the river, rocky steep shores. Stopped at the old wharf at Turkey Point SF, where we camped 2 years ago. Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. Charles Rider Park for lunch. Crossed to E side - barge went by & sent some surfable waves. Headed upstream passing Edgewater, a Greek Revival mansion (white pillars). Under rr bridge (good flood tide current) into shallow Tivoli South Bay - mute swans (4 adults, 2 juveniles), Saw Kill waterfall (20'). Back to the river under another rr bridge & around Cruger Island (not an island any more). Into Tivoli North Bay - marshy creeks (so different from the South Bay), lost one of the group. Out under another rr bridge by Magdalen Island. Great sunset to end a great day! Female long-tailed duck in winter plumage, ruddy duck, American coot. 17.2 miles, 6.5 hours.
Oct 28, 2012 - HUDSON RIVER - TIVOLI BAYS from Tivoli. Launched over 3 hours before high tide. Waves over 1' with wind opposing the current. Don't expect to get under the railroad bridges when going from the river into the bays at high tide; at mid-tide the current under the bridges can be fairly strong. Marshy North Bay - explored many channels - look at a satellite photo to view, most maps do not show some that are passable near high tide. Late lunch on Cruger Island. Crossed the open (non-marshy) South Bay to the 50' waterfall on the Saw Kill. Eagle nest, wood ducks, loon, merganser, red-tailed hawks, 14 mute swans. Views W to the Catskills. A very scenic area. Foliage past peak but still some good color on oaks & the occasional maple. 12 miles, 7 hours. Dagger Alchemy 14, a 14' touring kayak.
Oct 21, 2012 - TIVOLI BAYS & POETS' WALK ROMANTIC LANDSCAPE PARK hikes. Leaf-peeping (& romance?) in the Hudson Valley. TIVOLI BAYS. From canoe launch area walked S on blue trail never far from the bays. At the junction with the red trail is a lookout with good view of the Catskills across the marshy North Bay & the Hudson River. Good view of the open South Bay from a small point. Turned around at Bard College. Not long into the hike I had to pull a tick off my arm. White goose, gulls, garter snakes. 2.4 hours.
Nov 1, 2010 - TIVOLI BAYS & CRUGER ISLAND hike. From Kidd Lane. Hiked the figure 8 loops described in the book & more. Lots of nice views along the way, fair amount of ups & downs. Still some fall color. The old road to Cruger Island was very muddy for a while about 2.5 hours after high tide (under water at high tide) - a sign says access to Cruger only allowed October thru December. Followed a path (unmarked) to N end of "island" then along W side with views across the Hudson River. Found a nice rocky spot at S end for a break in the sun but out of the wind - the Hudson did not look too friendly today. Bushwhacked further E but woods not as open, took me a few minutes to find the start of path back to the mainland. Blue trail S to point that juts out into South Bay. I didn't find what I was looking for but I had a great time doing it. 5 hours.
Oct 24, 2010 - HUDSON RIVER TIVOLI BAYS from concrete ramp boat launch at Glasco Mini Park (S of Saugerties). Crossing the Hudson 3 hours before high tide after a tug-pulled barge went by was a bit bumpy. Around rocky Magdalen Island & under railroad bridge into North Bay, a tidal marsh. Explored some of the channels, Stony Creek, a DEC dock for canoes/kayaks (lunch with great view of Catskill Mountains: North Point, Kaaterskil High Peak, Plattekill & firetower on Overlook Mtn.) & a very narrow passage (could call this a bushwhack) at the bay's N end. Out to the river & around Cruger Island (not an island) passing a bald eagle in a tree. Not much room to get under southern bridge into North Bay at high tide. Into South Bay via northernmost rr bridge. Summer sees a lot of water chestnut but it was mostly gone by this time of year; mud flats at low tide. Channel to Cruger Island Rd (under water near high tide) - great egrets & gb herons. Back into bay - 8 mute swans. Got out & got a close-up look at 50' waterfall on the Saw Kill between Blithewood & Montgomery Place estates. Small, rocky Skillpot (Dutch for turtle) Island. Out under southernmost of 3 bridges. Crossed river to cliffs of Turkey Point. Back to launch against the current. Fall colors excellent - wide range of colors in maples & oaks . 11+ miles, 5.5 hours. Trail map. Can't wait to go back.
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