The U.S. Military Academy and West Point are located on the Hudson River eight miles south of Newburgh and 49 miles north of The Battery on lower Manhattan Island. George Washington selected the site on which the U.S. Military Academy now stands as the place where he wanted a fortification built to protect the Hudson River in 1778. Twenty four years later in 1802, president Thomas Jefferson signed legislation to create a national military academy on the site. Today, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point graduates approximately 1,000 students each year to serve as officers in the United States Armed Forces.

Use NOAA Chart 12343.

Navigating past the U.S. Military Academy is simple, as landing or tying up at the academy’s docks is prohibited. Heading north, mind flashing green “37” at Duck Island south of Gees Point, and then pick up flashing green “39” and flashing red buoy “40” as you make the turn around Woods End and Magazine Point. Like most of the Hudson, the water is deep to the edges.

Local Notices to Mariners are now exclusively available online from the U.S. Coast Guard.

U.S. Military Academy