The Hudson Valley Blog

I’ve had the idea of kayaking around Esopus Island stuck in my head all summer. I first became aware of it when I was perusing a map, looking for new spots to paddle. It sits in the Hudson River, near Hyde Park, very close to easy launch spots on either side of the river, at Mills Norrie State Park and Esopus Meadows Preserve.

I read up on the history of the place. The number of articles online surprised me a little. I found all the normal historical stuff typical of the Hudson Valley. It was presumed to be used by the Lenape Indians before white settlement of the area. The British anchored their fleet there before attacking Kingston during the Revolutionary War. Called Pell Island, it was part of a large estate owned by a wealthy guy named Pell.

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Piermont is a cool little town. It sits on the southwestern edge of the Tappan Zee, the wide spot on the Hudson River that forms a sort of a quasi-lake near the NY/NJ border.

It has cool restaurants and shops, a bunch of expensive new condos and marinas full of fancy boats. But it also has neighborhoods filled with charming little houses and people who have lived there since long before the hipsters arrived.

The pier that gives the town its name is now a park where people can walk out and enjoy the views up and down the Hudson. It’s location and ambiance makes it a destination for road bikers from the city on summer weekends. People love Piermont; pretty much all people.

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