The Hudson River: Entirely in New York, Not Canada

Despite its name evoking Henry Hudson’s 1609 voyage for the Dutch East India Company—during which he explored the river that now bears his name—the Hudson River never enters Canada.

It rises at Lake Tear of the Clouds on Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks, flows 315 miles (507 km) south through eastern New York State, forms the border between NYC and New Jersey at its lower end, and empties into Upper New York Bay at Manhattan.

Its watershed touches Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey—but the river itself is 100% within New York. The confusion may stem from the St. Lawrence River, which *does* connect the Great Lakes to the Atlantic via Canada, or from Hudson Bay (named for the same explorer), which is in northern Canada.

So: Hudson River = New York only. St. Lawrence = Canada/USA. Hudson Bay = Canada.