Cohotate Preserve

Head to the water’s edge at the Cohotate Preserve, a nature preserve on the west bank of the Hudson River just north of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. Interpretive signs along the trails introduce the birds, wildlife, and forest habitats around you. Several observation platforms give you a quiet place to watch for bald eagles and great blue herons.

At the river’s edge, the remains of an old ice house foundation make a picnic spot with a view. The preserve is open year-round, so you can hike the trails, snowshoe them in winter, and look for plants and wildlife in every season.

Cohotate is also home to the Hudson River Environmental Field Station, a lab, classroom, and research center that Columbia-Greene Community College uses for environmental education.