Ulster Welcome Center Opens At Walkway Over The Hudson

HIGHLAND, NY — The $5.4 million Ulster Welcome Center at the western gateway to Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park officially opened Friday. The multipurpose facility is part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s NY Parks 2020 initiative, a multi-year commitment of $900 million in private and public funding through 2020.

Cuomo said the walkway is one of the state’s great treasures, offering sweeping views of the Hudson River and beyond.

“The new Ulster Welcome Center will be the gateway for the thousands of visitors arriving at the wester end of the walkway, and will serve as a major focal point o the Empire State Trail,” he said. “I encourage everyone to visit this park and experience this unique and unrivaled view for themselves.”

The 3,500-square-foot visitor center and plaza features:

• New plaza and amphitheater seating for special events and programs for hundreds of people
• Covered 1,400-square-foot patio
• Improved visitor circulation, including new and improved signage, enhanced landscaping, bus drop-off location to provide easier access and upgraded and environmentally friendly pathways that will improve connections for those entering and exiting the park
• Concession stand and public restrooms

The new facility utilizes the latest energy efficient measures, including LED lighting, insulated building shells and modern heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment, powered by solar panels.

Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park stands 212 feet above the river's surface and is more than 6,700 feet (1.28 miles) long, making it the longest, elevated pedestrian bridge in the world. The park attracts 500,000 visitors annually, providing access to the Hudson River's breathtaking landscape for pedestrians, hikers, joggers, bicyclists and people with disabilities. The walkway is open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset.

Next spring, a second welcome center, the Dutchess Welcome Center on the eastern approach of the walkway, is slated to open in time for the park's 10th anniversary celebration in 2019. Both projects are part of Gov. Cuomo's efforts to enhance and increase access to outdoor recreation. The governor's NY Parks 2020 is a multi-year commitment to leverage $900 million in private and public funding through 2020.

The project complements Gov. Cuomo's Empire State Trail initiative, a planned 750-mile bicycle and walking path linking new and existing regional trails from New York City to Canada and from Albany to Buffalo. The walkway is a major link in the Empire State Trail, connecting the Hudson Valley Rail Trail with the Dutchess Rail Trail. The Town of Lloyd and Ulster County are extending the Hudson Valley Rail Trail another 2 miles further west. This project, which is currently under construction and will be completed by this fall, will result in the trail terminating on Route 299. The state plans to break ground this fall another 2 miles of trail along Route 299 to New Paltz along with an additional 2 miles of on-road improvements to link to pathway to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail in downtown New Paltz. In addition, new Empire State Trail wayfinding signage has been installed on the Walkway.

To complete the Empire Trail by 2020, approximately 350 miles of new/improved trails will be built. Ultimately, 70 percent of the 750-mile trail will be off road.

Photo credit: Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.