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River

Hudson River

492 km from source to mouth · United States.

United StatesUnited StatesFlows into Upper New York Bay

Follow the riverMonth by month

SourceMouth
The river and every tributary in its basin, drawn from RiverATLAS (CC BY 4.0).

In numbers

Length

492km

Average flow

210m³/s

Basin

34,600km²

Drop

570m

from 526 m to -44 m

Country

1

The journey

From source to mouth

492 km of river and 68 stops on the way: 34 towns and cities on its banks, dams, bridges and the tributaries that feed it.

526 m-44 m
Sourceat 526 m0 km
Mink Pond0.5 km²40 km
Great Sacandaga Lake98 km²120 km
Lake Luzerne0.4 km²122 km
Troy51,401 people236 km
Albany99,224 people247 km
Esopus Creektributary318 km
Poughkeepsie31,577 people360 km
Newburgh28,856 people385 km
Yonkers201,116 people455 km
Upper New York Bayat -44 m492 km
0100200300400492 km
  1. 0 kmSourceat 526 m
  2. 6 kmBeaver Flow0.3 km²
  3. 6 kmPerch Pond0.5 km²
  4. 17 kmHarris Lake1.1 km²
  5. 21 kmOrd Falls
  6. 25 kmGoodnow Flowage1.5 km²
  7. 30 kmSplit Rock Pond0.4 km²
  8. 40 kmMink Pond0.5 km²
  9. 99 kmSchroon Rivertributary
  10. 120 kmGreat Sacandaga Lake98 km²
  11. 122 kmLake Luzerne0.4 km²
  12. 128 kmSacandaga Rivertributary
  13. 140 kmSpier Falls
  14. 141 kmMoreau Lake0.5 km²
  15. 164 kmBakers Falls
  16. 187 kmBatten Killtributary
  17. 209 kmHoosic Rivertributary
  18. 232 kmMohawk Rivertributary
  19. 236 kmTroy51,401 people
  20. 237 kmWatervliet10,375 people
  21. 237 kmPoesten Killtributary
  22. 246 kmRensselaer9,210 people
  23. 247 kmAlbany99,224 people
  24. 290 kmSleepy Hollow Lake1.0 km²
  25. 293 kmHudson5,894 people
  26. 318 kmEsopus Creektributary
  27. 324 kmSaw Killtributary
  28. 335 kmRondout Creektributary
  29. 359 kmMaritje Killtributary
  30. 360 kmPoughkeepsie31,577 people
  31. 372 kmCasperkilltributary
  32. 374 kmWappinger Creektributary
  33. 380 kmSprout Creektributary
  34. 385 kmNewburgh28,856 people
  35. 386 kmQuassaick Creektributary
  36. 388 kmFishkill Creektributary
  37. 390 kmMoodna Creektributary
  38. 412 kmPeekskill25,431 people
  39. 412 kmCortlandt42,545 people
  40. 417 kmStony Point14,813 people
  41. 430 kmCroton Rivertributary
  42. 431 kmBriarcliff Manor7,569 people
  43. 434 kmSaw Mill Rivertributary
  44. 437 kmNyack7,265 people
  45. 438 kmPocantico Rivertributary
  46. 443 kmSparkill Creektributary
  47. 455 kmYonkers201,116 people
  48. 461 kmKings Bridge75,132 people
  49. 463 kmThe Bronx1,472,654 people
  50. 464 kmMorris Heights40,982 people
  51. 464 kmWashington Heights152,613 people
  52. 465 kmGeorge Washington Bridge
  53. 466 kmFort Lee40,191 people
  54. 470 kmHarlem116,345 people
  55. 470 kmMorningside Heights55,929 people
  56. 470 kmEast Harlem115,921 people
  57. 472 kmNorth Bergen63,484 people
  58. 472 kmUpper West Side226,989 people
  59. 474 kmWest New York53,366 people
  60. 475 kmUnion City69,156 people
  61. 475 kmHell's Kitchen45,884 people
  62. 476 kmWeehawken17,197 people
  63. 478 kmHoboken60,419 people
  64. 479 kmNew York City8,804,190 people
  65. 479 kmManhattan1,694,251 people
  66. 479 kmJersey City292,449 people
  67. 479 kmChinatown90,000 people
  68. 479 kmEast Village62,832 people
  69. 479 kmFinancial District60,976 people
  70. 492 kmUpper New York Bayat -44 m

Water level along the river (RiverATLAS; the height is exaggerated). Towns: GeoNames and Wikidata; bridges, dams and tributaries: Wikidata.

River in New York State, United States

At the mouth it carries 210 m³/s on average: an Olympic pool every 12 seconds. It drops from 526 m to -44 m, 1.2 m per kilometre on average. Its basin covers 34,600 km², about the size of MD. 3.9 million people live in it. Highest water: from April to May; lowest: from January to February. Dams and reservoirs hold back a large share of its water (15% of a year's flow).

Read more on Wikipedia

Where to start

  • New York CityLargest city on its banks · 8,804,190 people
  • LaGuardia Airport (LGA)Nearest airport with scheduled flights, 13 km from the cityCar hire at LGA airport (New York)Discover Cars · Affiliate link
  • On the water202 ferry piers, marinas, boat rentals and boat ramps along the river (OpenStreetMap)
  • Kayak and canoe17 put-ins and rapids mapped (OpenStreetMap)
  • From May to SeptemberThe best months to visit

Hudson River, month by month

Highest water: from April to May

Lowest water: from January to February. Freezing months (average below −4 °C): January. Best months to visit: from May to September.

650
-5°74 mmJan
420
-4°67 mmFeb
1,500
2°84 mmMar
1,800
8°90 mmApr
1,800
14°101 mmMay
1,100
19°94 mmJun
960
22°94 mmJul
940
21°100 mmAug
970
16°92 mmSep
1,000
10°84 mmOct
1,100
4°95 mmNov
870
-2°85 mmDec
Water (estimated flow)Air (average) Rain (mm)Best months

From about 420 m³/s in the lowest month to 1,800 m³/s in the highest. An estimate: the monthly flow is modelled from the lowest and highest months of WaterGAP (RiverATLAS, 1971–2000) and the rain and snow along the river (WorldClim). Dams change the real rhythm. The chip is the average air temperature; below it, the month's rain.

Plan the trip

Plan the trip: boat trips, a bed by the river, a car

Car hire at LGA airport (New York)Discover CarsSee 

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

The basin

Hudson River: the basin in numbers

34,791 km² of land send their water to this river. This is what lives on it.

Heavily regulatedReservoirs can hold 15% of a year's flow: dams shape its seasons.
  • 3.9millionpeople live in the basin
  • 118/km²people per km²
  • 330maverage altitude of the basin
  • 1,118mmof rain a year (basin average)
  • 7.2°Caverage air temperature
  • 16%protected areas
  • 1.5%covered by lakes
  • 3.5km³held in reservoirs

What covers the basin

  • 90% Forest
  • 9% Cropland
  • 3% Pasture
  • 6% Towns and cities

RiverATLAS (HydroATLAS v1.0, CC BY 4.0): land cover, people, protected areas, glaciers and dams over the whole basin upstream of the mouth.

Along the river

Hudson River: what you find on the way

  • 79DamsGoodnow Flowage Dam, Gore Mountain Reservoir Dam, Warren Curtis Dam and 76 more
  • 39WeirsWarrensburg Dam, Lake Luzerne Dam, Victory Mills Dam and 36 more
  • 84LocksChamplain Canal, Lock C7, Crocker’s Reef Guard Gate and 81 more
  • 86WaterfallsOK Slip Falls, Dunkley Falls, Bear Slide and 83 more
  • 3RapidsMouse Rapids, Perry Ehlers Rapids
  • 14Canoe put-insWarren County Canoe Access Site, Access 7 and 12 more
  • 127Boat rampsWayside Beach Boat Launch, Spier Falls Upstream Launch, Sherman Island Boat Launch and 124 more
  • 15Ferry piersAthens, Hudson, Beacon and 12 more
  • 45MarinasUpper Hudson River Boat Launch, Fort Edward Yacht Basin, Schuyler Yacht Basin and 42 more
  • 15Boat rentalsSchuyler Yacht Basin Kayak Rentals, I Paddle New York LLC, Manhattan Community Boathouse and 12 more
  • 33River beachesGrunblatt Memorial Beach, Morey Stein Beach, Wayside Beach and 30 more

From OpenStreetMap, within 2.1 km of the river. Not mapped is not the same as not there.

Cross-checked with our atlases

Hudson River in our other atlases

What our sister atlases know about the waterfalls on this river, the lakes it flows through, the beaches at its mouth, the mountains where it rises and the islands off its mouth.

  • 3waterfalls on the riverCascadyas
  • 10lakes on its wayLakeyas
  • 12beaches at the mouth and on the banksCoastya
  • 84mountains at the sourcePeakyas
  • 28islands off the mouthIslandyas

Waterfalls (3)

On the river, by Cascadyas

  1. Ord Fallskm 21
  2. Spier Fallskm 137
  3. Bakers Fallskm 160

Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗

Lakes and reservoirs (10)

Lakes it flows through, by Lakeyas

  1. Beaver Flowkm 60.3km²
  2. Perch Pondkm 60.5km²
  3. Harris Lakekm 171.1km²
  4. Goodnow Flowagekm 241.5km²
  5. Great Sacandaga Lakekm 11898km²
  6. Lake Luzernekm 1190.4km²
  7. Moreau Lakekm 1390.5km²
  8. Sleepy Hollow Lakekm 2841.0km²

2 more on LakeyasLakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗

Beaches (12)

At the mouth (25 km) and on the banks, by Coastya

  1. Buono Beach14 km away23.1°C
  2. Orchard Beach24 km away23.1°C
  3. Hazard Beachkm 45623.1°C
  4. Bloomer Beachkm 45223.1°C
  5. Undercliff Beachkm 45223.1°C
  6. Midland Beach18 km away23.1°C
  7. New Dorp Beach21 km away23.1°C
  8. Oakwood Beach22 km away23.1°C

4 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗

Mountains at the source (84)

Within 15 km of the source, by Peakyas

  1. Mount Marcy1.2 km away · prominence 1,498 m1,629m
  2. Algonquin Peak5.8 km away · prominence 640 m1,559m
  3. Mount Haystack2.8 km away · prominence 256 m1,512m
  4. Mount Skylight0.9 km away · prominence 176 m1,501m
  5. Dix Mountain12 km away · prominence 863 m1,475m
  6. Iroquois Peak6.0 km away · prominence 46 m1,476m
  7. Mount Colden3.0 km away · prominence 267 m1,437m
  8. Gothics6.7 km away · prominence 213 m1,443m

76 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗

Islands off the mouth (28)

Within 30 km of the mouth, by Islandyas

  1. Manhattan7.6 km away59km²
  2. Staten Island20 km away140km²
  3. Ellis Island4.5 km away0.1km²
  4. Liberty Island5.6 km away0.1km²
  5. Rikers Island13 km away1.7km²
  6. Governors Island5.1 km away0.7km²
  7. U Thant Island4.4 km away0.0km²
  8. Hart Island24 km away0.5km²

20 more on IslandyasIslandyas is coming soonOpen Islandyas ↗

From space

The source and the mouth, seen from orbit

Hudson River: satellite view of the source
The source14 km across
Hudson River: satellite view of the mouth
The mouth25 km across

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016), CC BY 4.0. The glowing line is the river as drawn by RiverATLAS.

Photos

Hudson River in pictures

Hudson river sailboat
Dan DeLuca · CC BY 2.0
Cheney bldg Hudson River State Hospital NY1
Acroterion · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cheney bldg Hudson River State Hospital NY2
Acroterion · CC BY-SA 4.0
Clinton Cove at Hudson River Park 01
Kritzolina · CC BY-SA 4.0

Tributaries

Where it flows, and what flows into it

Tributaries (96)

Mohawk RiverUnited StatesUnited States240 km220 m³/sjoins at km 228

Also: Hoosic River, Rondout Creek, Croton River, Esopus Creek, Fishkill Creek, Batten Kill, Cross River, East Branch Croton River, Normans Kill, Papakating Creek, Saw Mill River, Schroon River, Middle Branch Croton River, West Branch Croton River, Casperkill, Catskill Creek, Cedar River, Coeymans Creek, Moodna Creek, Poesten Kill, Quassaick Creek, Sacandaga River, Saw Kill, Sparkill Creek

Nearby

Rivers nearby

Connecticut RiverUnited StatesUnited States660 km520 m³/s154 km awayDelaware RiverUnited StatesUnited States579 km220 m³/s171 km awaySusquehanna RiverUnited StatesUnited States715 km1,100 m³/s219 km awayMohawk RiverUnited StatesUnited States240 km220 m³/s227 km awayCharles RiverUnited StatesUnited States129 km9.0 m³/s307 km awayRappahannock RiverUnited StatesUnited States296 km47 m³/s331 km awayMerrimack RiverUnited StatesUnited States177 km210 m³/s353 km awayShenandoah RiverUnited StatesUnited States241 km85 m³/s353 km away

Where these numbers come from

Name, length, placesWikidata (Q3140) · CC0
Course, profile, basinRiverATLAS v1.0 (HydroATLAS, Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 — followed from the source to the mouth given by Wikidata
FlowWaterGAP (RiverATLAS), 1971–2000 · CC BY 4.0
Climate along the riverWorldClim (RiverATLAS), 1970–2000 · CC BY 4.0
Towns, bridges, damsWikidata · CC0; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0
Along the river© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Our other atlasesCascadyas, Lakeyas, Coastya, Peakyas, Islandyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; HydroLAKES · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST

Every source and licence is on the data sources page.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit
waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Coming soonVisit
riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.You are here
canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit