Stockport Flats is a 1,544-acre protected nature sanctuary located along the eastern shore of the Hudson River in the towns of Stockport and Stuyvesant in Columbia County, just north of the city of Hudson.
The area is where Stockport Creek empties into the Hudson, and features a freshwater marsh complex and tidal wetlands, with access points like the Station Road Boat Launch. It’s the northernmost site of the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve.
On September 17, 1609, Henry Hudson stopped near the mouth of Stockport Creek in territory controlled by the Mohican. Tradition says they encountered many local children, inspiring the name Kinderhook (“children’s corner”).
In about 1660 the first European settler Abraham Staats built a house nearby. It still stands as one of the oldest buildings in Columbia County.
The Town of Stockport was established in 1833 from parts of Stuyvesant, Ghent, and Hudson, named after Stockport, England, the hometown of prominent local resident James Wild.
Visitors can hike along the wetlands to see the historic ruins and interpretive panels of the R&W Scott Ice Company ice house, which operated between 1885 and 1923.
A Wildlife Haven
Although it connects directly to the tidal estuary of the river, the water at Stockport Flats is entirely fresh, creating a rare and fragile five-mile mosaic of tidal marshes, freshwater wetlands, intertidal shores, forested uplands, and old fields that support a diverse range of flora and fauna.
Designated as an Important Bird Area, the Flats are home to rare and unusual birds, including marsh-dwelling birds, like the Least Bittern, Pied-billed Grebe, Virginia Rail, Marsh Wrens, raptors such as Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers, and Ospreys, and various waterfowl.
The tidal waters provide critical spawning and nursery habitats for rare or vulnerable migratory river species, including the shortnose sturgeon, American shad, striped bass, and blueback herring.
Beaver, river otter, muskrat, mink, and various other wildlife also use the forests, marshes, fields, and tributary streams.
The Flats are open year-round with no entrance fee. Learn more about visiting here.
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