Is Poughkeepsie’s Walkway Elevator Ever Actually Open?

The glass-enclosed elevator at the Walkway Over the Hudson on the Poughkeepsie side is a bit of a mystery.

The 21-story lift is meant to offer a convenient, scenic ride from the Hudson River waterfront to the Walkway itself. Still, its reliability is about as certain as predicting New York weather.

A RARRITY!

In theory, it operates daily from 9 a.m. until 90 minutes before the park closes, connecting visitors to one of the Hudson Valley's most popular attractions.

In reality? Let’s just say it seems to be more “in maintenance” than in motion.

If you browse the reviews on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Facebook, you’ll quickly spot a trend.

Comments about the elevator not working are practically as common as compliments on the breathtaking views.

Visitors share tales of arriving full of excitement, only to be met with closed doors.

 

"I love this but it’s only been operational one in ten times I’ve crossed the bridge. The operator said that its unique design often requires custom parts to be fabricated for its repair."

The usual culprits?

Maintenance, inclement weather, or high winds. Some frustrated reviewers even joked that spotting the elevator in action is rarer than finding George Clooney strolling along the bridge.

For visitors who rely on the elevator for accessibility, it’s a major inconvenience. Without it, they have to use one of the longer, ground-level access points to reach the Walkway. While these paths are flat, they can be a significant detour for those expecting a quicker trip down to the river.

"We went 2 weeks ago, we used to get down and when we tried to take it back to going up after 10 minutes, it was broken

we had to walk almost an hour to go the stairs to cross the bridge, my daughters were so tired and I was recovering from a really bad track infection that I couldn’t walk as fast I should. Never again!!!"

The bottom line is that if you’re planning to use the elevator, it’s worth calling ahead at 845-834-3641 to check its status.

Otherwise, be ready for a longer walk, a bit of disappointment, and maybe a story about the “legendary elevator that never was.”

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