Earlier this year we walked across the new Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge (which replaced the now demolished Tappan Zee Bridge) across New York’s Hudson River. We just added to our Hudson crossing collection with the Hamilton Fish Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.
There is pedestrian parking on the western (Newburgh) side, but since we live on the eastern side we ended up parking on local streets. The walkway is slightly difficult to find, but there are signs.
Like the Mario Cuomo, this bridge is really a pair. The eastbound bridge (towards Beacon) has a walkway, and the westbound (towards Newburgh) does not. The views are therefore south-facing, and north is pretty much obstructed by the superstructure of the bridge itself.
I have a fear of heights, usually mild. It triggers when I walk on a surface that vibrates or feels less than solid, combined with being able to see that there is a significant drop below it. The walkway on this bridge is a series of metal plates that were added on afterwards (or so it seems to me), rather than supported by the main bracing for the vehicular portion. So it made me uncomfortable, and I had to stop and gather myself during the first crossing. Marcy had no such difficulty, and she helped me along.
By the time I had crossed it once, I felt much better. There is a very substantial rail on the water side. No way of accidentally ending up in the water, unless the walkway itself falls off. Historically that hasn’t happened.
I was more myself on the way back to Beacon. Some of my improved mood may have been the expectation of a nice beer at the excellent 2 Way Brewing Company (named for the Hudson River, which is tidal and flows two ways).
The Newburgh-Beacon bridge walkway is also used by bicyclists, but there were very few of them and there weren’t many pedestrians either. We were by ourselves for a lot of the four-mile roundtrip walk. Hudson river views are good. My favorite for views is still the Bear Mountain Bridge.
Daring Dayhikes 