Iona Island and Marsh offer some of the best birding in the Hudson Valley.  Iona Marsh is brackish.  The Hudson here is still salty and the area receives fresh water from Doodletown Brook.  At 270 acres, Iona is one of the largest undeveloped tidal wetlands on the Hudson River.  These important areas serve as nurseries for many species of fish.  They are also home to shellfish and many species of birds.  These wetlands also feed swarms of migrating birds in the spring and fall.  Iona and any other marsh you paddle through are the lifeblood of the ecosystem, so PLEASE treat them with care.  

Click here for a panorama of the area.

PUT-INs: There is a put-in near Iona Marsh at the pier in Bear Mountain.  You will have to carry your boat a good distance down a winding path to reach the water, but once there, you can put-in without difficulty.  If you want more direct access to the water, try Annsville Paddlesport Center a short distance away.

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ROUTES: Trips here can take you south towards Annsville and Haverstraw or north towards Cold Spring and Constitution Marsh.  Popolopen Creek, just north of the Bear Mountain Bridge, is also a nice destination for a picnic lunch.  The section on the Hudson Highlands also has important information about paddling in this unique area.

IMPORTANT:  If you choose to paddle in this or any other marsh channels, remember they can and do empty out at low tide.  Take care not to get stuck.  The mud in these channels is often too deep to walk through.