The View

The View. .
The breathtaking view of the Hudson River Valley from Fort Montgomery is an important part of both the Hudson Valley Greenway and the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. The Hudson River was designated an American Heritage River in 1998. Depending on the season and weather conditions, from Fort Montgomery you may be able to see as far north as Sugar Loaf Mountain and as far south as Dunderberg Mountain.

Bear Mountain Bridge
The Bear Mountain Bridge was the first bridge to cross the Hudson River south of Albany. It was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was opened in 1924. The bridge was privately financed by the Harriman family to provide easier access to Bear Mountain State Park from New York City. It was turned over to New York State in 1942.

Iona Island
Archeological evidence suggests that Native Americans occupied Iona Island as early as 3,500 BC. In the mid-19th century, the island was used for grape cultivation, and it is from the Iona grape that the island gets its name. The island became a popular summer resort for day visitors during the last two decades of the 19th century. In 1899, the U.S. Navy acquired the island and used it as an ammunition depot up through the Korean War. The Palisades Interstate Park Commission obtained the land in 1965 for recreational use, allowing it to revert slowly back to a natural state.

Today, Iona Island is part of the 1500-acre Iona Island - Doodletown Bird Conservation Area, which provides important habitats for 165 documented bird species. The area is a critical winter home for bald eagles, which are threatened in New York State.

Sugar Loaf Mountain
Sugar Loaf Mountain is named for its shape, which resembles a sugar loaf - a cone-shaped pile of hardened sugar. The mountain is part of the 650-acre Osborn Preserve, a 1974 gift to New York State Parks. The preserve is part of Hudson Highlands State Park. The mountain provides a spectacular view of West Point and the Hudson River.

Manitou Marsh
Manitou Marsh is one of many tidal wetlands along the Hudson River. When the river's flow is slow, particularly in late summer, the marsh and the surrounding river become somewhat salty. This creates an interesting mix of freshwater and seawater wildlife. Manitou Marsh is the upriver limit for fiddler crabs in the Hudson River, and it is home to blue crabs and grass shrimp. The marsh is also an important nursery for young fish.

Anthony's Nose
Anthony's Nose is a steep promontory that juts into the Hudson River and has been the subject of many landscape paintings. According to Washington Irving, the landmark's namesake was Anthony van Corlear, Henry Hudson's trumpeter. Irving wrote that his nose "was of a very lusty size, strutting boldly from his countenance like a mountain...." Early maps, however, indicate that the mountain was named for St. Anthony. In 1998, the Division of Military and Naval Affairs gave 180 acres on Anthony's Nose to New York State Parks.

Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail which runs about 2,160 miles from Georgia to Maine, crosses the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge and then follows along the Hudson River to the Osborn Preserve in Hudson Highlands State Park. There, the trail leaves the river and continues east. In 1923, the first section of the Appalachian Trail originated just across Popolopen Creek in Bear Mountain State Park and ran to Tuxedo, New York.

Dunderberg Mountain
The rocky promontory you see downriver is Dunderberg Mountain. Dunderberg, which means, "Thunder Mountain," marks the southern entrance to the Hudson Highlands. Several investors, including Thomas Edison, purchased part of the mountain, hoping to discover silver there. Nothing was found, and in 1912, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission acquired 140 acres of the mountain. More parcels were added to the property in the 1930s.

[Captions:]
The View Near Anthony's Nose, 1839, by William H. Bartlett. Courtesy New York State Library.

Courtesy NYS Bridge Authority

Bald Eagle
Courtesy NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Photographer: Peter Nye.