Spent a five day "weekend" in the Hudson River Valley, exploring and enjoying the natural beauty of the region and the art and culture that was inspired by that beauty. The Hudson River flows for about 300 miles / 500 km from northern New York state south through Albany and then on to the mouth at New York City. In the early 1800's, while the American northeast was rapidly becoming industrialized and polluted, a group of artists was captivated by the river valley and the low mountains around it (the Catskills and the Adirondacks). Led especially by Thomas Cole and Frederic Church, these painters tried to capture the magnificence of the area in their art. They hoped to share the beauty with people who couldn't see this area themselves, and they hoped to inspire a movement to preserve and protect wild areas like this. For the better part of a century, they enjoyed considerable success and influence, forming the first real school of American Art, now referred to as the Hudson River School.
While their naturalistic and detailed artistic styles eventually faded in popularity, the school and the art has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years. The whole region has become a tourist destination, with its small river towns and cities, its cultural attractions, and its remarkable beauty.
We started our tour in the northern part of the valley around the towns of Hudson and Catskill, the area next to the Catskill mountains and the home of two of the founders of the art movement. We visited the homes of Thomas Cole and Frederic Church and enjoyed seeing the paintings they created. We also visited some of the places they painted, including Kaaterskill Falls and Clove, the Hudson River itself, and the nearby Catskill Creek
Hudson River School Art
Kaaterskill Falls (1826) by Thomas Cole
Catskill Mountains from the Home of the Artist (1871) by Frederic Church
Autumn - On the Hudson River (1860) by Jasper Cropsey
Sunny Morning on the Hudson River (1827) by Thomas Cole
The Northern Hudson River Valley
We began our visit by exploring the art and nature around the towns of Hudson and Catskill
We hiked up to the Upper Kaaterskill Falls
The Lower Kaaterskill Falls, along Rt 23A
Olana, the home designed by Frederic Church. It houses many paintings by Church and his contemporaries, and was the centerpiece of his landscaped estate. The complex is now a state historic site
The Catskill Creek (1845) by Frederic Church, displayed at Olana
A view of the Hudson River, from the veranda at Olana
The Rip Van Winkle Bridge crosses the Hudson River, connecting the towns of Hudson and Catskill. Olana is high on the hill
Thomas Cole, the primary founder of the Hudson River School, lived in this house in Catskill. The homestead is now part of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site; it contains period furnishings and many paintings by Cole and his contemporaries
A Home in the Catskills (1848) by Jasper Cropsey (Thomas Cole National Historic Site)
Hunters in a Landscape (1825) by Thomas Cole (Thomas Cole National Historic Site)
A Hudson River Cruise
We boarded this tour boat, the Rip Van Winkle II, for a river cruise from Kingston to Esopus and back. Very nice views, and fun people on the boat.
The Kingston - Rhinecliff bridge crosses the Hudson River between Kingston and Rhinecliff, NY
Sunset over the Hudson
Our cruise destination: The Esopus Lighthouse
The Southern Hudson River Valley
Then we moved south to Peeksville, a good base from where we could explore the rugged beauty of the southern river valley. We went as far south as Yonkers, where the Hudson River Museum is located, and spent time riding the rails between Yonkers and Hudson, soaking up the riverside scenery all along the way. We wrapped up the weekend with visits to the Storm King Art Center and nearby Bear Mountain.
Our farthest point south was Yonkers, where we began our Hudson River Train ride. Before we left, we spent a few hours at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers
The museum is home to a very nice collection of art, like this painting called "The Hudson River from the Tappan Zee (1871) by Julian Davidson
"October on the Hudson" (1873) by Francis Silva (Hudson River Museum, Yonkers)
"Sunet on the Hudson" (1918) by Louis Aston Knight (Hudson River Museum, Yonkers)
Then we rode a train like this, very close to the east shore of the river, with awesome views!
The NYC skyline, from the Yonkers Train Station
The Palisades, a twenty mile long line of 500 foot columnar cliffs that define the west shore of the Hudson between Jersey City, NJ and Nyack, NY
The Mario Cuomo Bridge, a beautiful cable-stayed suspension bridge over the Tappan Zee section of the Hudson
Storm King, the largest mountain along the river, near Peekskill. First Nations people noticed that storm clouds seemed to gather around this mountain, hence the name
Danskamer Point Power Plant
Storm King and Bear Mountain
The Bear Mountain Bridge, near Peekskill, on our way to Storm King and Bear Mountain
"Figulo" (2005) by Mark di Suvero, one of over 100 large sculptures at the Storm King Art Center
Storm King Art Center is a 500 acre outdoor park that features large sculptures like these
"The Arch" (1975) by Alexander Calder (Storm King, NY)
"Reclining Connecting Forms" (1969) by Henry Moore (Storm King)
Bear Mountain State Park is supposed to be one of the best, most scenic parks along the Hudson. It has fabulous views of the river from the top. The Appalachian Trail crosses the top of the mountain here
The NYC skyline from the top of Bear Mountain
The Hudson River from the top of Bear Mountain. The West Point Military Academy is in the distance on the left side of the river
As usual with trips like this, we found that there was way more to see and do in the area than we had time for! But we loved the places we visited, and highly recommend them for people who love rivers, art, eastern mountains, and river town culture. A future visit will likely include more time in and around Albany, Saugerties and Kingston, and more time floating down the scenic Hudson River.
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