Photo: Robert Rodriguez, Jr. Photo: Robert Rodriguez, Jr. Photo: John Halpern Photo: John Halpern Photo: John Halpern Photo: John Halpern
Once a vital rail link, now a people-pleasing riverfront destination.
BEACON, Dutchess County (19 acres) — Few traces remain of Long Dock’s hard-working past, a peninsula created in the 1800s as a terminal for ferrying rail cars across the river. More recently, it was home to an oil terminal, salt-storage facility and junkyard. Thanks to a massive cleanup and reimagining, it’s now a super-popular place to launch kayaks, picnic, stroll through rehabilitated wetlands and meadows, drop a fishing line, explore an intriguing sculpture by renowned artist George Trakas, or just sit and admire the river. The park’s restored 19th-century red barn — the only historic holdover — is now Scenic Hudson’s River Center, which hosts arts and environmental-education activities.
Bicycle rentals are available (Thursday-Sunday) from Cold Spring Bike Rental & Tours.
Activities
- Access via train
- Accessible opportunity
- Biking
- Dog walking on leash
- Fishing
- Kayaking & canoeing
- Picnicking
- Walking
- Wildlife watching
- X-country skiing & snowshoeing
- Bike rack
Single Park Map
Get Directions
More to explore
Check out the shops and eateries along Beacon’s vibrant Main Street and Dia:Beacon, a world-class museum featuring late-20th-century art housed in a former factory. Learn more about the remarkable life of Catheryna “Madam” Brett, Beacon’s first European settler, by visiting her 1709 house.