Connecting Thomas Cole & Frederic Church

Visit the Hudson River Skywalk, a scenic walkway that connects the major Hudson River School artists Thomas Cole and Frederic Church. The six mile out-and-back pedestrian walkway connects two national historic landmarks, the Thomas Cole Site and Frederic Church’s Olana, via the Rip Van Winkle Bridge.

The artists Thomas Cole and Frederic Church met as teacher and student here in the Hudson River Skywalk Region nearly 200 years ago and started a multi-generational friendship. They drew inspiration from this magnificent landscape that remains remarkably unchanged due to extensive preservation efforts. You’ve seen the landscape paintings in museums, now see the landscapes in nature.

Offering sweeping views of the Hudson River Valley and the Catskill Mountains, the Skywalk brings visitors into the natural landscapes that inspired Cole and Church’s iconic Hudson River School landscape paintings. The Hudson River Skywalk Region includes the City of Hudson and the Village of Catskill, which both offer historic Main Streets with restaurants, shopping and accommodations. The City of Hudson connects to New York City via AMTRAK.