Friday, June 24, 2016

Scenic Hudson, NY - Beacon Trails


ABOUT THE PARKS:
Madam Brett Park - Scenic Hudson
Long Dock Park - Scenic Hudson
Dennings Point - Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.48900, -73.97426
Parking at Madam Brett Park

TRAIL MAP:
Healthy Communities Trail Map Series - Dutchess County, NY
Madam Brett Park Trail Map - Scenic Hudson
Long Dock Park Trail Map - Scenic Hudson


HIKE DISTANCE:  5.9 miles

THE HIKE:
Starting from the Madam Brett Park parking lot, to the left from the kiosk...
... a short trail leads to Tioronda Falls.
Retracing back to the parking lot.
Continuing past the parking lot between Fishkill Creek and the 1879 Tioronda Hat Works factory ruins.
The current Tioronda Hat Works residents.
Continuing on the white trial to ...
... the red trail along ...
... Fishkill Marsh.
Fishkill Marsh overlook deck.  (My mother, just having turned 81 a few days ago, still hikes and was in town for my son's wedding.)
After the red trail, the white trail leads to the only short paved trail section, the David Miller Connector Trail.
This trail heads straight towards the live railroad tracks....
... then along the tracks ...
... then ending where a left turn leads to ...
... a bridge over the railroad tracks and the Denning's Point Trail straight ahead.
Crossing the railroad tracks.
A female wood duck in a pond on the right.
A blue jay ...
... mooning us.
A left turn on the Denning's Point Trail leads to a kiosk with a view on the left and the continuation of the trail to the right.
Bannerman Castle and two Great Blue Herons from the view to the left of the kiosk.
On the Denning's Point Trail.
Those herons are so used to trains going by it doesn't even bother them.
Mount Beacon Fire Tower across the way.
A side trail goes down to a beach area with views of the Hudson River.
After the Dennings Point Trail, left on the Klara Sauer Trail heading north to Long Dock Park.
The trail is both a gravel trail and filled in abandoned tracks.
Common Grackle
Momma Duck with baby ducklings.
Too cute so lots of duckling pictures.
Wood Thrush (?)
Zoom into Newburgh, NY across the Hudson River.
These pictures were all taken from a break spot we found off a side trail to the Hudson.
Baltimore Oriole
The Klara Sauer Trail splits. The left fork leads to a footpath not on the map that runs along the Hudson and would be the most scenic route.
I believe these are juvenile starlings.
More babies!
Coming up on Long Dock Park.
Newburgh-Beacon Bridge
A Fish Crow and I only know this because of the "Uh-Uh" call, otherwise identical to the American Crow.
Heading back on the Klara Sauer Trail.
Red-winged Blackbird
Tree Swallow
Mourning Doves
Back at the intersection where Denning's Point is to the right, the bridge over the railroad tracks to the left.
Flowers and ferns growing out of cracks in the stone wall along the tracks.