Gunkholing in Annsville Creek
One of my favorite things to do on the Hudson is to find little creeks and streams and go up them as far as I can go. I used to call it exploring, but now, thanks to fellow paddler Davis Janowski, it has a great name: gunkholing. I can’t think of a better reason to go out on the river. But the funny thing is that I actually don’t have to go far to gunkhole. There’s some excellent exploring to be done right next door to me.
Annsville Creek is Jan Peek’s kill, the creek named after Jan Peek, the first European explorer of this area (kill being the Dutch name for creek). It is one of many natural waterways on the Hudson scarred by a hundred or more years of industry. The banks are filled with concrete and stone and industrial slag that are remnants of this the is perime when the waterway – like the Hudson itself — was just looked at for its economic value.
With the factories at the Peekskill waterfront long gone, Annsville Creek has had a chance to recover. Parts of its shore is permanently given up to artificiality. The stone banks are built to keep the water from damaging the structures on the other side. This makes sense from a human point of view, but it also takes away natural environment. Fortunately there’s still some natural shoreline left, and that’s where the creek gets the most interesting.
You enter Annsville Creek either paddling from Peekskill waterfront or from Annsville Creek Preserve Park right at Annsville Circle. (Hudson River Expeditions has a concession there.) It’s important to enter when the tide is on the high side because some areas can get very shallow when it’s low, so shallow that a paddleboard’s fin won’t be able to clear the bottom. (A kayak or canoe would do better.) If you’re entering from the Hudson River side, go under the little rail bridge. The water direction at the bridge will tell you what the tide is doing — flowing into Annsville Creek means it’s coming in, and flowing out into the river means it’s going out.
When you enter the little Bay, you can see the Route 9/6 overpass plus the launch at Annsville Creek Preserve. (You can also park and launch here.) You can explore the bay to the north, paddling towards the industrial tanks at Roa Hook. There’s a very low underpass that goes to some salt marshes on Camp Smith property, which is on the other side of Route 6. This is a nice area for paddling, but the most interesting part of the creek is straight ahead underneath the highway.
On the other side of the overpass you’ll see a mix of industrial remnants along the shores with some of the old marshy growth reasserting itself. The deeper channel is on the north side of the creek (left as you’re going upstream), but if the tide is high enough, check out the south bank. There you’ll see a more natural riverbank with reeds and and other plant growth covering up what humans once built there. There’s a lot of life in the shallows too. Look for large carp scurrying away, schools of smaller fish, and even snapping turtles! (I saw one go under my board.) On this trip I even encountered deer wading in the shallows, looking for food.
Once you go a couple of hundred yards up, you will pass the island of reeds pictured above. This island is left dry when the tide is low, so keep to the north (left) of it to stay in the channel. There the creek will fork, and then the north fork will fork again. As far as I’ve discovered, neither of the north forks are really navigable, but you can take the south fork under North Division Street into a much smaller creek.
Once under the bridge, you will pass by some industrial buildings including 2nd Nature Skateboarding. (A great local spot for taking lessons and using their ramps.) Look for more carp and small fish. The deep part of the creek tends to be on the left again as you go upstream, but this can change. I haven’t paddled more than about 100 yards upstream without my fin getting caught, but a kayak should be able to get a bit farther. If anybody does, I’d be interested in finding out!
I turned around and because of the receding tide my way back was more treacherous. There were more narrow spots to catch my fin, and the channel was harder to find. Near the reed island I saw another large turtle, but this was most likely a painted turtle. (I used this DEC chart. If you have a better ID, let me know.) The turtle was surprisingly peaceful, letting me paddle above it for a couple of minutes.
Returning to the open Hudson, I felt glad I had poked my way into the creek. There are many waterways into the Hudson which are scarred by industrialization. Annsville Creek is no exception, but it’s very encouraging to see nature claw its way back. While this creek isn’t as spectacular as Constitution Marsh near Cold Spring, it’s a short paddle from my home. While there are moments when it seems like Annsville Creek is wrecked by industry (take that north fork and see for yourself) It’s clearly a vibrant, living ecosystem worth studying and protecting. As a Peekskill paddler, I’m glad to have this piece of marshland just minutes from my home launch.
