Take a Selfie With the Mid Hudson Bridge

Another weekend has come and gone, which means another Hudson Valley hiking adventure for me.

Last week I took a little trip to Bash Bish Falls by Copake and that was absolutely breathtaking. Who knew we had such beautiful falls in the Hudson Valley? This week I did a hike a little more local. I'm from the Poughkeepsie area and have seen a few of my friends post pictures where they look out over the Hudson River parallel to the Mid-Hudson Bridge.

You'll park on the Highland side of the Mid-Hudson Bridge at the Johnson-lorio Park and then take stairs down to underneath the bridge to Franny Reese State Park. I didn't know those stairs existed, so already Franny Reese  is blowing my mind. We take the trail up, pass several small water falls on the way and make it to the markers. The blue marker will take you to the scenic route while the white and yellow markers will take you in the loop around the park. We decided to take the blue trail and quickly came across the most perfect photo opportunity:

And naturally, a selfie had to be taken:

I don't know the full history of Franny Reese State Park, but there are several different brick building ruins throughout the hike. They're blocked off by fences but still are fun to come across. I surely didn't expect it.

The website Hike the Hudson Valley puts this at a 3/10 when it comes to difficulty. Personally, I'd give it a five and the two guys who were with me (who were also acting like divas...I digress) also said they thought it was a bit more difficult than a 3. Be prepared for some steep hills and rocky terrain, but also get your camera ready for some fantastic Hudson Valley scenic views.