Deb and I visited on 6/5/10 and found the bridge wonderful and packed! An obvious victim of it's own sucess (or excess?) the bridge was packed with tourists from buses, idling along Haviland Road on the west side. Cars and trucks filled lots on both sides of the bridge. Spot-a-pots and privy type toliets service the masses... there were many vendors on both sides offering many food and drink choices in what was almost a canival affar..... the veterans were having a drive of some sort... t-shirts and funnel cakes were for sale..well , it was chaotic at best....

the bridge was a wonderful walk.. the views spectacular.. the breeze cool... think sunscreen and hats if you venture onward on a hot day as there is no shade out there save for some trees on the east side and west side approaches..

watch for bikers which are permitted among the walking masses... folks who are really wary of heights should probably pass on this one...

placards along the rails of the bridge tell of it's revival and life and Poughkeepsie's history .. a new stairway is being built on the east side to the surface street below in Poughkeepsie..

I can't believe this will remain 'free" for long... but I'll keep my fingers crossed...

And lastly... definitely go on a off hour before or after the tourist buses....

we are so lucky to have the longest pedestrian-only bridge in the world right in our own backyard, even in the winter they cleared the snow/ice amazingly well, great walk/run/jog/ride if you can get out, parking has gotten better and more organized, wish it had more vendors haha

The Walkway Over The Hudson is a great gift that gives more people the opportunity to view the Hudson River and its scenic shorelines. This region of the USA is a real treasure. Not only does the Walkway preserve a marvel of 19th century engineering and construction, but also encourages everyone who visits it and gazes from it to preserve the Hudson River and the beautiful valley through which it flows.

I was a volunteer photographer for the weekend Grand Opening. I have put a collection of photos on my website for all to enjoy. Please visit www.GreatOutdoorImages.com and click on "Travel & People" to view them. ( or copy/paste this link http://www.photoshelter.com/c/greatoutdoorimages/gallery/Travel-People/G0000AnT8.QUasdU/?_bqH=eJwLMXeryA3OqHK2CPGO9CzXrfI3Cq.KKDaPNPG1MjQ2tjI0MLCyco_3dLF1NwACx7wQC73A0MTilFC1AJComrtnvLujj49rUCQ2RQBEBxun&_bqO=0 )

There are photos of the Friday night lantern lighting and fireworks, followed by the Saturday opening ceremony with Pete Seeger, the parade including all the surrounding towns, and the night circus.

John Aylward
www.GreatOutdoorImages.com

I strongly disagree with the review that said "Not for the squeemish". I have a strong fear of heights but the walkways rock solid feel and its massive railings will make anybody feel comfortable.
Parking is still a problem on weekends. Your best bet is the highland side but be prepared to walk about a half mile unless you get lucky and find an open spot nearer. Hopefully they will get the rail trail connections done soon so bikers can park at the many rail trail parking lots and ride to the walkway. I've been on the walkway four times now and I've walked it every time. I'll probably bike on it once the rail trail connections are made but for now I prefer to walk it and enjoy the view. I give it four stars for now and maybe add another star when the connections are finished.
On opening weekend it was open on Saturday night and the nighttime view was breathtaking. I hope they open it again once in a while on Friday or Saturday nights.

I'VE WALKED OVER THIS AMAZING BRIDGE.YOU CAN WALK,BIKE,ETC THE 1.25 MILES.YOU ARE 212FT HIGH FROM THE RIVER.THE VIEW IS UNBELIEVABLE.NOT FOR THE SQUIMISH.CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK WITH MY BIKE. FYI-ON THE HIGHLAND SIDE THERE ISN'T MUCH PARKING............

We drove up the second Sunday it was open and the crowds were still amazing and amazed. It's wide with mammoth guardrails and views up and down the Hudson. Applause to the volunteers who pulled this together. The link into New Paltz is not finished, but there were lots of cyclists using the local roads to connect. And if you can't wait for the trail completion, it's still a nice walk you can top off with a visit to the college town of New Paltz not far away.

I was there opening day, and it was an amazing experience. It does indeed feel like you are walking on air 210 feet above the Hudson River. There are no trail connections yet on either end of the bridge, so if you are driving some distance to get to the Poughkeepsie area, you may want to wait until the trail connections are made before making the trip, which is projected for 2010, to make a full day of the trip.