People Plan to Swim From Newburgh to Beacon, NY

Growing up in the Hudson Valley I rarely heard about anyone swimming across the Hudson River. As a matter of fact, growing up in Cornwall I always heard how people had attempted to swim across the Hudson River who did not make it because they had not planned for the current.

Tales during my youth were filled with stories of people who had attempted to swim across the river to Bannerman's Island but they never ended well. There were also stories of people who didn't even make the cross in a canoe or kayak. Now I find out that for the last 18 years there has been a swim held that goes from Newburgh to Beacon, New York via the Hudson River.

Annual Swim the Hudson River Between Newburgh and Beacon, NY

The 18th Annual Great Newburgh to Beacon Swim returns on July 30th, 2022. People had been traversing the river between Newburgh and Beacon for the last 18 years in an organized swim, I don't know how that got past me. Coordinated by the River Pool at Beacon, the swim is an annual community event that benefits stewardship efforts to improve the Hudson River.

According to the Facebook event post, the event puts the importance of community involvement at the forefront to encourage ongoing access to our waterways and act as a proactive response to protecting resources like the Hudson River. Cleaner than it was when I was a kid, it is wonderful to know that it has been cleaned up enough to welcome swimmers.

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Register to Swim Across the Hudson River from Newburgh to Beacon, NY

To register for the swim go to the River Pool at Beacon. You can also be a Kayak escort but you need to take a 1-hour safety course before you can be part of the event on Wednesday, July 27th at 7 PM.  This swim is not an easy one so you may consider just cheering from shore.

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