Mention the Hudson River in New York, and the west side of Manhattan immediately comes to mind for many people — but this article contains photographs and a short raw video of the famous waterway likely like you have never seen it.
Hudson River in New York. Likely Like You Have Never Seen It.
Named after Henry Hudson who explored the waterway in 1609, the Hudson River originates several miles west of the tallest mountain in the state of New York at Henderson Lake in the town of Newcomb and flows approximately 315 miles or 507 kilometers southward from the Adirondack Mountains through New York Bay to the Atlantic Ocean.
I was driving from Buffalo in New York to Killington in Vermont; and I crossed the Hudson River over The Glen Bridge approximately 47 miles south of the origination of the river near Mount Marcy. Unlike most crossings of the southern third of the Hudson River, no toll is charged to cross The Glen Bridge. The Dunn Memorial Bridge in Albany is the southernmost crossing of the Hudson River through which no toll is charged.
In the following short raw video, I mistakenly said that The Glen Bridge carries New York State Highway 8 across the Hudson River; when in fact The Glen Bridge actually carries New York State Highway 28 across the Hudson River southeast of its junction with New York State Highway 8.
Final Boarding Call
To think that this is the same Hudson River that flows between New York and New Jersey amazes me. No scows or barges ply this section of the river, as it is simply a bucolic scene for a quiet respite.
Moreover, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey does not have the jurisdiction to charge a toll on The Glen Bridge — which is between $14.79 with EZ Pass during off-peak hours and $23.30 for the Tolls by Mail option simply to cross the river from west to east into Manhattan — but The Glen Bridge is too far north of the city of New York to avoid paying a toll at the expense of fuel and time.
The Glen Bridge never closes — except for perhaps during a weather emergency — and although no parking near the river is officially designated, places to safely park a vehicle to walk down to the river and enjoy the views are available.
All photographs ©2026 by Brian Cohen.
