Our family had the pleasure of enjoying a 2 hour sunset cruise over Labor Day weekend 2020. There…read morewere 4 adults in our group and the captain and one crew member, but the boat could have easily handled another 2 adults. The views of the Hudson were beautiful and Dan, the Captain, was a trove of information about the area and the other boats. The boat is spotless and the Hudson very calm. Best of all, it was a safe, fun, relaxing experience during a pandemic. We are hoping to make this a regular summer event!

Good follow up letter I feel is very worthy of mentioning these things. Happy Kayaking!…read more "Atlantic Kayak Tours has been running kayak tours and instructional programs for 25 years. Our prices are lower than most other outfitters, while our equipment is the best available and our staff are highly trained. We offer programs starting at $20. Full day programs are about $100 and the equipment used on these programs range from $1,500 to $4,000 per client. We offer the boat ramp for free and are happy to have the paddling community use it. There is not a yearly park launch permit needed for car top boats (only for trailered boats). Safety policies are needed as kayaking now has the highest number of accidents of all boat types (according to the Coast Guard). Just this week a power boat hit a rowing shell just south of Norrie. We are proud to be the winners of the Sea Kayaker Magazine award for "Best Tour Operator in the Northeast", voted by the Readers. We continue to work hard to be the best outfitter in our area. " -Bill, Atlantic Kayak Tours

Our group of eight shelled out nearly $500 for the Norrie Short Tour at noon. I did the booking for…read morethe majority of us, and expected a confirmation email with all the pre-tour "need-to-knows." Whether their email never showed up in my inbox or it did and I accidentally deleted it, I'll never know. But lacking a proper confirmation, I emailed AKT explaining that I have not seen/read any confirmation info from them and would like one re-sent, to which Janice replied with a simple, "No worries, you're good!" and "We'll see you soon!" with no other details of what to expect. When we showed up at the scheduled time of 12:00PM, Janice greeted us with a reprimand "You should've been here at 11:30AM!" ...Why didn't she mention this in her email the previous day when I expressed concern over not knowing the specifics? "I ASSUMED someone in your group got the email" she said over and over. So we were inadvertently late. OK, all experienced kayakers, our group just wanted to get out on the water. Knowing there were eight of us, AKT should've had eight kayaks out and ready to go. Nope! We had to wait for Janice to count the kayaks...slowly... "one...two...three...four..." (gets distracted, starts over) "one...two...three...four...five...six...seven." Then count us: "one...two...three..." This goes on for a while, despite our plea "we just need one more boat!" Next comes a quick paddling lesson on the lawn and eventually, we launch. What's the plan? No one knows. Were any of us given options or shown a map? Nope! We don't know where we're going or if the two older gentleman who've been waiting in the water are also guides or if they're paying customers like us. To what should we be paddling towards? Can Janice offer some guidance or communication, please? A little history lesson would be nice, too... we ask about the mansion on the hill, she mumbles something about a German family owning it and then yells that there's a barge upriver and that we should avoid it. Well a-doyyy! We head towards Esopus Island. All are paddling well, with the exception of one of our friends who was given a kayak different from the rest of ours, ill-fitting to his 6'3" frame. Janice suggests he pull ashore the island to swap out with a smaller feller. We see what they're doing and all pull into the cove, too. "Don't get out here! Don't get out here!" she hollers. OK but are we gonna explore this island? "Paddle up the west side!" she insists without gesturing which way is west. Our group gets more and more spread out. Janice gets more and more panicked. We wondered if she was a substitute for a real instructor, or if this was her first day, or if she was on drugs. At one point she pushed off from shore but forgot her paddle. All this confusion lead to a mini-revolt among my friends. Without any kind of communication about the plan, the tall dude took off to another cove. Janice ordered a couple of us girls to stay put in a different cove. More confusion and micromanagement without communication. We would've been much, much happier had AKT simply rented us the gear and left the planning to us, but that option wasn't available. Instead, they charged us $60 a head to babysit us on a "tour" and for Janice to make excuses for poor planning and communication. I've met other guides at this company and they all seemed chill and eager to share their knowledge of kayaking and the history of the area. Janice however really missed the mark and left us all pretty disappointed with what was supposed to be the focus of the whole weekend and reason we camped at the adjoining state park in the first place. https://paddling.com/learn/10-tips-for-kayaking-with-a-group/

Very cozy, quiet spot by the river. Nice for a walks or observing the boats on a sunny day.read more

A fairly new looking, well kept local park on the Hudson River. A dock allows boats to tie up and…read morevisit a few local restaurants across the street and next door. We happened upon the park while driving through after seeing a sign for a local lighthouse. A nice sailboat was docked for the evening. And the local ferry which travels between Athens and Hudson Riverfront Park was running. There were metal park benches lining the walkway for people to sit and watch boats on the river but no picnic tables that I could see.

The Lake Mansfield Recreation Area boasts two main attractions directly across a narrow road from…read moreeach other. First is the lake itself -a gorgeous 29-acre pond with a strip of sandy beach front, grassy shaded picnic area, benches and swings. On the other side of the road is a forest with a network of forest trail walks. The trail is mostly flat and made of crushed stone. We parked by the main entrance at the beach and headed north on the well marked Main Trail before we peeled off to the right to walk the Loop Trail which eventually rejoined the Main Trail and took us back to our car. It was peaceful and tranquil today as the only other soul we saw was a young lady jogging along to her music. It was gorgeous out there- the trees were bare of leaves in preparation of the inevitable harsh winter and we agreed it was one of the better hikes we'd had in a while. One cool thing we saw on the Loop Trail was a humongous boulder off on the side of the trail. It appears on the trail map as (you guessed it) "Boulder".

Wonderful neighborhood beach fit for all ages and activities. Unlike most other Berkshire lakes,…read morethere are lifeguards on duty daily. Great for swimming, kayaking and lounging.

It was great while John and Linda Cutten operated it. He sold it in the early 2000's. The new guys…read moregave it a go. Did they resell? Don't know but, the Teal was likely intentionally sunk by new owners off the coast of North Carolina. No loss of life but a sad day for everyone whoever had the pleasure of riding, working or performing on the Teal. Thanks for the memories, John!

Being in the Kingston area got me stopping here. There's a lot of parking spaces to park in a…read morecouple of sections, and we parked on the big gravel on the south side. Picnic tables are accompanied along here and the other section on the northern side with many more. Grills are provided for a plus near the picnic tables. Boat docks are used in this park for anyone's pleasure, and there's plenty of room for it to be done right. The view of the Hudson River is an incredible closeup, seeing the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge as the highlight and also viewing the east side of northern Dutchess County. In the distance on that side, you'll get a glimpse of the train tracks of Amtrak and occasionally CSX trains passing by. We happen to see an Amtrak heading north as we were leaving. Looking even further, especially if it's a clear day, you'll see the town of Rhinecliff to the south. It's a great place to have a get-together and to take in nature at this location!

There's an almost Zen feel here. It's fairly quiet, almost cozy. The picnic tables are spaced…read moreprobably 25 to 30 feet apart, with grills between some. But you may want to bring your own lawn chairs if you want to sit on something other than a picnic table. There's plenty of parking space. You're right along the river, and there's a deck area where folks lounge and fish. You have quite a view of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. If you're there when the Rhinebeck Aerodrome is open, you'll occasionally see one of their planes fly over the river to about the same latitude as the park, which is evidently their turn-around point. You'll have some very nice views of foliage during leaf-peeping time.

Kid friendly and fun very to go to the beach to cool off it's a awesome summer spot.read more

The view is beautiful from a distance. When I got close to the water, there were animals feces…read morepiled up on one side of the sand. And the water smells horrible. I just moved to hudson and I'm never ever swimming in that water. I was so disappointed, hudson can keep that

Boats creeks and…read moreplaques T.R, Gallo Park was developed in 1984 and renovated and expanded in the years since then. Not a very large park but it is connected to a river walk so it's possible to walk for several miles along the water. The park is located on Roundout Creek and has nice views of the water and boats at the marina. You can even see a couple of very cool lighthouses if you really try. The park has a nice gazebo, picnic tables, benches and a memorial to all those brave souls that have been lost at sea. Lots of events are held at the park in the warm months and there is even a little place to launch kayaks and other small craft. Not a large park but one in a great location. A great use of the open space down by the marina and water.

When you factor in just the nearest park setting, this park tends to be a little small - with few…read morebenches. But when you factor in the expansive area just outside the park - this waterfront park can be huge. It's centerpiece is it's monument dedicated to kingston members of the armed forces who've risked their lives and died - found at the corner nearest the waterfront bathrooms near the Rip Van Winkle boat. I myself have found the ability to feed the birds and ducks that go by here often. It can be so serene and these poultry know it. You can often find electric fish coming up from the water below to catch food floating on the water's surface. Then you add in the few benches that exist, and you will get a park. It's gotten worse over the years. Many years ago, there used to be live bands playing on the stages, but it seems like they've all be told to find other gigs elsewhere. A person who sits on the benches, will sometimes hear the soundtrack from what's inuse at Mariners Harbor nearby, but this isn't even the best. There's little - if any - parking existing for this park that is free. You either have to pay for sidewalk-like parking, or you can go into the lot (which often is full of cars from the Landing added to the cars from the nearby businesses), or if you see a non-handicap spot nearest the Rip Van Winkle boat (isn't often), you can take one there. Your best bet is to park somewhere else in Kingston and Uber-down to the park (or Uber to Mariners Harbor and walk). I don't come down here that often, if it isn't for some peace and quiet in busy times, but it can be a necessary place at times.