Adirondack Sports September 2023

SEPTEMBER 2023 19
KAYAK, CANOE & SUP
Favorite
Paddling
Places
By Alan Mapes
ADK PADDLERS ON
PAPSCANNEE CREEK.
PHOTOS BY ALAN MAPES
One of my greatest joys in paddling is exploring
new paddling waters. We are blessed with many
great places for canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding
around the Greater Capital Region. There are
too many for just one article. For this installment, let’s go
north to south along the Hudson River with my personal
favorites. I’m sure that I’ve left out favorites of some other
paddlers and I hope to hear some suggestions from readers.
I will leave it to your own resourcefulness to look up
specific directions to these launches.
As always, a word of caution is in order. The Hudson
is a big river, with power boats ranging from jet skis to
ocean-going freighters. Winds, waves and currents can
present a challenge, and the tide range of four feet will dry
out paddling areas at times. Always wear your life jacket,
and paddle with some knowledgeable people if you are
not familiar with river conditions.
MORE
PHOTOS @
ADKSPORTS.COM
THE AUTHOR PLAYS
IN FAST WATER AT
THE FALLS NEAR
PEEBLES ISLAND.
Waterford – The Mohawk and Hudson rivers meet
right at the launch on the south end of First Street in
Waterford. Or at least a main channel of the Mohawk
meets there. Poking around this area with paddle in hand,
you will find that the Mohawk splits into three channels
near its end. The Waterford launch sits at the end of the
northern channel, and is the entrance to the Erie Canal.
In fact, one paddling route here is to take your kayak or
canoe through the Waterford Flight of Locks – the eastern
end of the Erie Canal. I’ve done it and it’s interesting, but
it involves a lot of sitting and waiting for locks to fill and
open. Going through five locks in just over a mile, you rise
by 165 feet, the greatest lift for the shortest distance of any
lock system in the world. A landing at Flight Lock Road, just
west of the locks, is a convenient takeout spot for this trip.
From Waterford launch, I like to head south around
the nearby tip of Peebles Island State Park (0.2 miles
away), and into the middle channel of the Mohawk. This
channel winds through calm waters along the steep shore
of the park, and to a pool and waterfall. The brave can play
in the fast water at the base of the falls, if the flow is not
too strong. Back on the Hudson and a mile or so further
south, you will find the southern channel of the Mohawk
and you can take a nice paddle up that one until you run
out of water depth.
Two other routes are fun here – paddling about three
miles north from the launch, you can paddle around
Campbell Island, just below Lock One of the Champlain
Canal. Watch for shallows and fast currents at the north
end of the island. You can also paddle south from the
launch, staying on the main river for about two miles,
where you will come to the Troy Dam and the Federal Lock
that marks the northern end of the tidal Hudson River.
ADK PADDLERS ON
THE HUDSON NEAR
THE BERKSHIRE
SPUR BRIDGE.
Henry Hudson Park – When my wife and I started
kayaking back in 2000, this park was our first go-to paddling
spot. More recently, the state has placed a nice
boat launch at the north end, good for both trailered
power boats and our hand launched boats. The town also
installed a special kayak launch, just inside the mouth of
the Vlomankill stream on the south end of the park. From
the park, you can paddle north on the river to Van Wie’s
Point and the port of Albany, or south to the NYS Thruway
Berkshire Spur bridge, Schodack Island State Park and
Coeymans Landing.
Our favorite is to go straight across the river and paddle
up the Papscanee Creek. The creek and its wetlands
are said to be the largest tidal wetland area on the Hudson
Estuary, and you can paddle nearly two miles up that creek.
Caution: playing the tides here is tricky. To avoid the
old break wall at the entrance to the creek, it’s best to go
See KAYAK, CANOE & SUP 21 ▶