Hudson visitors and residents can now more safely access the Empire State Trail from downtown, thanks to a new trail.
The Columbia Land Conservancy will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of this project on October 30 at 10:00 a.m. at Charles Williams Park.
CLC partnered with Tahawus Trails LP, a professional trail design and construction company, to create the new trail, which connects North Third Street to Mill Street and beyond to the Empire State Trail.
“Completing this connector trail is the first step toward making North Bay, Greenport, and the adjacent natural areas more accessible from the City of Hudson.” says Patrick Knapp, Director of Public Lands.
The new trail includes stone steps, crushed stone landings, and a trail that gradually switchbacks between destinations, making it easier and safer to access the thousands of acres of conserved land and public trails close to Hudson. Building this trail was the first phase of this project. Next spring, Phase II, revitalizing Charles Williams Park, will commence, which is expected to continue until 2028. The final phase will begin after the park improvements are completed, and involve creating a trail to CLC’s Greenport property from Charles Williams Park.
“Nature is Hudson’s neighbor and this trail makes accessing that green space so much easier,” said Hudson Mayor Joseph Ferris. “The Connector Trail opens up opportunities for our community to the public trails in our city. With the installation of stone steps, crushed stone landings, and switchbacks, it promises to be a community resource that can be utilized by the entire community. Today’s ribbon cutting represents an important first in Columbia Land Conservancy’s (CLC) vision for connecting Hudson to our area’s greenspace. We will build on this momentum with next year’s groundbreaking for a revitalized Charles Williams Park. I applaud the CLC for dedication to our community and look forward to our continued partnership.”
Catalytic funding was provided by Eutopia, a venture fund and foundation pulling forward a positive vision of the future through initiatives in Hudson, NY. “We’re thrilled to see the Hudson Connector Trail become a reality. This trail will make Hudson a better place by creating the opportunity for families, neighbors, and visitors to more easily access parks and nature in our community,” says Eutopia co-founder Gigi Danziger.
“This project was identified as a high-priority action in The Plan to Conserve Columbia County,” says President Troy Weldy. “These trails and park improvements make it possible for more people to access nature close to home much more easily.”
To learn more about the project, visit ColumbiaLand.org/progress.
