Special Sub-Topic: The Beautiful and Fascinating Hudson River Click Here To Play: The Beautiful and Fascinating Hudson River

The Hudson River Valley was formed 20,000 to 15,000 years ago as a result of what geological process?

Glaciation. In the last Ice Age, a huge glacier carved out what is now the Hudson River Valley. Valleys carved by glaciers have a characteristic "U" shape.

The lower half of the Hudson River is not really a river at all. What type of geographical feature most accurately describes this portion of the Hudson?

Estuary. An estuary is an arm of the ocean that cuts into the land. Salt water is not uncommon in the lower portions of the Hudson.

Which of these rivers is a major tributary of the Hudson River?

The Mohawk River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson just north of Albany. Albany is New York state's capital.

You are in a kayak in the middle of the Hudson River, just north of Manhattan Island, as the sun begins to set. You stop paddling and realize that the river is carrying you toward its source rather than the ocean. How is this possible?

The lower Hudson is a tidal estuary, subject to the incoming ocean tide.. Because the lower Hudson River is a tidal estuary, it is subject to tidal forces. As the ocean tide comes in, the river rises, pushing your kayak upstream.

From its source at Lake Tear of the Clouds to its end in Upper New York Bay, approximately how long is the Hudson River?

315 miles. The Hudson River is very short, relative to its commercial and historical significance. It is 315 miles (or 507 kilometers) in length.

The steep cliffs that form a portion of the western shore of the lower Hudson River are known as what?

The Palisades. The Palisades stretch for approximately 20 miles. They rise over 250' above the river.

From which mountain range might you find awe-inspiring views of the Hudson River?

The Catskills. The Catskill Mountains are located west of the river. They offer many panoramic vistas of the Hudson Valley.

Englishman Henry Hudson is credited as being the first European to explore the Hudson River. In whose name did he explore the Hudson River?

The Dutch East India Company. The Dutch were the first European settlers in the Hudson Valley. Hudson lent his name to the river.

What was the name of Henry Hudson's ship that he used to explore the Hudson River?

The Half Moon. Built in 1608, the Half Moon was destroyed in 1618 during a battle with British naval forces near what is now Jakarta, Indonesia.

The lower portion of the Hudson forms the border between what two US states?

New York and New Jersey. The entire length of the Hudson River has at least one shore in New York State. Its mouth is in Upper New York Bay.