Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Grotte de Glace
Sinquerim Beach Bastion
Port Tobacco Schoolhouse
Barracks / munitions storage.
Vloethemveld
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è Pasta... E Pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Green-Wood Cemetery, overlooking New York Harbor.
Where Our Team Looked for Joy During Pandemic Lockdowns
The 2,653-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail spans the entire West Coast from Canada to Mexico.
Meet the Volunteers Who Keep Thru-Hikers Moving
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House building on the U.S.-Canadian border.
Could New Border Restrictions Literally Tear the Haskell Free Library Apart?
A woman peering into the cave of Sarah Bishop c. 1900.
The Curious History of New England’s Hermit Tourism

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New York State New York City Staatsburg Esopus Island

Esopus Island

An unassuming island in the middle of the Hudson that hosts campers, including Aleister Crowley.

Staatsburg, New York

Added By
Molly McBride Jacobson
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The southern tip of Esopus Island.   Map data ©2016 Google
Esopus Island viewed by boat.   Map data ©2016 Google
A sketch of the Hudson River from Esopus Island by Thomas Pownall, circa 1760.   NYPL/Public Domain
An aerial view of Esopus Island.   Map data ©2016 Google.
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In 1918, Crowley undertook a Jesus Christ-style hermitic retreat of 40 days and nights. He canoed out to tiny Esopus Island in the middle of the Hudson River to spend his mystical vacation.

The purpose of the island retreat was to translate the Tao Te Ching, a 4th century Chinese philosophical text. He hadn't brought much food but had packed plenty of red paint, and also put himself to work painting Thelemic graffiti on the island's rocks. Curious families watching the bald, robed man on the island from the banks of the Hudson began bringing him rations. He was also visited by fans and artists, who brought him food, drugs, and company. Much later Crowley reported experiencing visions of his past lives during his stay on Esopus Island, all of which were somehow very influential figures. His former selves included legendary Taoist Ge Xuan, Renaissance Pope Alexander VI, alchemist Alessandro Cagliostro, and the magician Eliphas Levi. 

Today, the island is open to the public so long as they can reach it by boat. There are even camping amenities for those who wish to follow in the footsteps of the infamous occultist. Crowley's graffiti is long gone, but the memory of his weird jaunt on Esopus Island lives on.

Related Tags

Islands Island Castaways Aleister Crowley Occult Black Magic

Community Contributors

Added By

Molly McBride Jacobson

Published

September 21, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching
  • http://upstater.com/destinations-mysterious-esopus-island/
  • http://users.bestweb.net/~kali93/esopus.htm
Esopus Island
Esopus Island
Hudson River
Staatsburg, New York
United States
41.825979, -73.947386
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Hyde Park Vanderbilt Mansion

Hyde Park, New York

miles away

Slabsides

Highland, New York

miles away

Wyndcliffe Mansion

Rhinebeck, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New York State

New York State

United States

Places 807
Stories 45

Nearby Places

The Hyde Park Vanderbilt Mansion

Hyde Park, New York

miles away

Slabsides

Highland, New York

miles away

Wyndcliffe Mansion

Rhinebeck, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New York State

New York State

United States

Places 807
Stories 45

Related Stories and Lists

6 Dark Places Aleister Crowley Performed His Particular Brand of Magick

black magic

By Molly McBride Jacobson

Related Places

  • 36 Blythe Road, the former site of the London Order of the Golden Dawn Temple.

    London, England

    36 Blythe Road

    Where Aleister Crowley attempted to seize the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in a mask and a kilt.

  • Boleskine House, photographed in 1912.

    Foyers, Scotland

    Boleskine House

    A Scottish manor with a history of mysterious fires, magic, and eccentric tales

  • Anatahan.

    Northern Mariana Islands

    Anatahan

    The island where one woman reigned as a "queen" over 30-odd Japanese soldiers who refused to believe that WWII had ended.

  • San Nicolas Island

    Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California

    San Nicolas Island

    A stranded woman lived alone on this remote island for 18 years, inspiring the great children's novel "Island of the Blue Dolphins."

  • Anchorage Island, at the north tip of the atoll.

    Cook Islands

    Suwarrow Atoll

    A desert island with both a buried treasure and a famous castaway.

  • New Hampshire site of Aleister Crowley’s magickal retirement.

    Hebron, New Hampshire

    Aleister Crowley's Magickal Retirement

    The New England cabin where an infamous British occultist conducted experiments in "magick".

  • 2020-10-28

    Cefalù, Italy

    Aleister Crowley's Abbey of Thelema

    Where Aleister Crowley taught magick in "La Chambre Des Cauchemars," his "Chamber of Nightmares."

  • The island is sometimes accessible on foot at low tide.

    Kamakura, Japan

    Wakae Island Ruins

    The ruins of the oldest artificial island in Japan, still used for mooring today at 800 years old.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.