bear mountain state park

Me and my then girlfriend went here on a day trip. We live in CT so we woke up super early to get there. Was beautiful once we got there around 8:30 in the morning. We went straight to the top of the mountain to Perkins tower. (Make sure you bring a camera and jacket) was quite a drive up, you don't realize how high you are. We went into the tower and could see NYC skyline perfectly. Was a clear day and the sky was so blue! But the wind was blowing so we were pretty chilly. We went to the rock overlook from the tower and just looked at the amazing valley. I was gonna propose at this spot but by 9:30 their were 6/9 tourist cars. Anyway we went down the mountain, went into the little zoo they have. I proposed on a deck that looks over the Hudson River. Pretty romantic. I will be back with my Nikon camera and take better pics. Make sure if you go it's a clear day with no clouds. You will see the NYC skyline from top of mountain.

I live Bear Mountain. Great place for the family or couples. I have stayed at 7 Lakes Driving while working at a Summer Camp. Lush green trees, lakes, wildlife, camping, outdoors. Will always hold a special place in my heart. Not much around but it is peaceful with beautiful scenery ideal for photography

I live close to Bear Mountain and my favorite time of year to visit it, is the fall. All thru October you have the Octoberfest going on. Also the zoo is open. But the colors by the Hessian Lake and the mountains are the reason I go. There are plenty of area's to walk or hike. Iona Island is not far, Perkins Peak is about a mile(maybe 2). Lot's of hiking to be done. Doodletown is on the premises hidden in the woods(it's a hike of an old town that was taken my eminent domain). Paddle boats on the lake in the summer. There is also the lodge. Beautiful place.

During my stay in NYC, visited Bear mountain state park situated close to peekskill in New York city in rugged mountains rising from the western bank of Hudson river. It is a wonderful place for a mini picnic and a jogging spot. I also understand it is a good spot for trekking also. The picturic view of the Hudson river from the top of the mountain is a rare sight to see. If interested, we can go early in the evening to see the sun set also which is also wonderful. A best season to visit during July October months. Keep water bottle and also soft drinks handy with some snacks!!

Visited on a cold but sunny day in January. Well worth it as the trails were empty. The views from the top of Bear Mountain over the Hudson River are excellent. Wrap up warm and bring some snacks and water. A word of warning some of the trails are really icy and subsequently dangerous.I caught the Coach USA shortline service from New York port authority. Order your ticket online and collect it on the day from the shortline booth 20mins before the bus leaves (check the online bus schedule). The bus then picked me up from the same drop off point.The bear mountain inn was trading.

I have been visiting Bear Mountain for over 50 years and I'm glad they are doing some sprucing up. It has always been a great place for some fresh air and a hike. For some time the inn and grounds were a bit shabby, but now they are getting some attention. The area has a lot of Early American history. So, it's nice to see it preserved.The park has lodging in two different buildings and some cottages. The main Inn has been renovated recently and is beautiful. The decor is rustic and comfortable.The main floor of the Inn has a quick stop restaurant and gift shop. The second floor has a bar, restaurant and banquet hall.Third floor is the guest rooms.Parking is $8 unless you are staying at the lodge or a senior citizen, then it's free.The park has an ice skating rink in winter and swimming pool in winter. Also, an indoor carousel that is open all year. Don't forget to walk around the picturesque Hessian Lake and visit the zoo. The coyotes recently got a new enclosure and were very entertaining when we were there. The zoo area also has a few indoor exhibits worth seeing. Bring comfortable walking shoes and a camera and you'll have a wonderful visit!

I have thought about visiting Bear Mountain for a while, but it tends to be crowned during weekend, especially when it is warm. On Friday, December 26, my family went to West Point. On our way, we saw the mountain, and decided to stop by. The scenery is beautiful even in winter. We paid $8 to park the car. We went to the café, where the food was reasonably prized. Two sandwiches and one garden salad cost $18. Stepping out of the café, I found the Hessian Lake on the left side. At the foot of a hill, it is not too big or too small. On the right side, the bridge is not far away. We then reversed to see people skating. It was unseasonably warm, and the rink was bit crowded. The inn is made of stones, and looked rather solemn and impressive. Without all those facilities, including a zoo, it would be nice to spend a couple of day vacationing here.

We went to visit Bear Mountain during the day in December for a day out of the city - would say its well worth it, if its a nice day its a fantastic view once you get to the top! Really peaceful during the winter months I imagine in Summer it is rammed.We booked through Take Tours, and just one word of warning, although its good value all the info is very vaguely explained on the email they send you. We almost missed the bus trying to find where to pick up the tickets - its the COACH USA booth you want on the second floor, try to come with the email printed if you can (though they will print it for you there if you can email it to them right there - cost me my 3G though! £6 a MB, ouch). The driver literally won't wait for anyone, one poor girl was waving from the forecourt as we had just pulled away but we sailed off - so leave plenty of time. Also it doesn't give you any information about the times of the return buses, and there is no easily accessible information once you get there there - we asked our driver luckily as the last bus was only at 3.19pm. But worth the visit - just takes a bit of planning ahead!

We were just there in September for the start of Oktoberfest. We try to get up to Bear Mountain once or twice a year. It is beautiful and clean. We especially love going for Oktoberfest, which runs every weekend for about a few weeks in the fall. Highly recommend getting there before the festival even opens, otherwise traffic and parking can be a nightmare. We usually arrive between 10-11 a.m. and never have any problems with that. They have an indoor merry-go-round, hiking, picnic tables and barbeques. There is also a small zoo that is free but excepts donations. They have an outdoor ice skating rink which is lots of fun. The food at Oktoberfest is so delicious. There is a small lake that you can rent row boats or paddle boats. Spending a family day outdoors is perfect at Bear Mountain. We look forward to our next outing there!

The vista from the top of the summit is gorgeous, especially in the fall. Perkins Tower at the summit gives you a view of four states - New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut as well as the Manhattan skyscrapers, 40 miles to the south.

My family visited New York during Thanksgiving week and spent Black Friday afternoon ice skating at Bear Mountain. A wonderful experience to be skating outside with the beautiful outdoors around you. Lovely view all around. I would definitely do this again. We had a great time throwing snowballs as well. Be sure to take a ride on the Indoor Carousel too. It's only a $1 per ride.

We drove up to Bear Mountain State Park and from Perkins Memorial Drive to Observatory Tower. We spend couple of hours on top of mountain to get a 360 degree view of the beautiful foliage and fall colors. We got there right in time for sunset and it was awesome view. There are tons of hiking trails and small picnic area. If you are visiting the Bear Mountain area in the Hudson Highlands of New York, you should take an hour or two to drive up Bear Mountain via Perkins Memorial Drive and take in the view from the tower on top of the mountain. From the tower you have a 360-degree of the region and on a clear day, can see the skyscrapers of Manhattan to the south and the peaks of the Catskill Mountains to the north.From Perkins Memorial Drive you can access a number of hiking trails on Bear Mountain including the Appalachian Trail, which has recently been reconstructed by trail crews and volunteers from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. There is even a section of the Appalachian Trail near the summit of the mountain, accessible from the road, which is handicapped accessible and goes out to a wonderful viewpoint.Find Perkins Memorial Drive and TowerPerkins Memorial Drive climbs Bear Mountain after it leaves Seven Lakes Drive, which runs between Route 9W/202 and the Palisades Parkway. There is a small sign at the intersection directing you up Perkins Memorial Drive to the summit of Bear Mountain.There are no fees associated with this auto-road, though parking may be limited at the top depending on how busy it is.How is driving Perkins Memorial Drive?The road climbs at a reasonable pace and remains a two-lane road all the way to the summit. This is not a challenging road to drive, though some who don't like heights, may have some trouble where the road runs along steep, open areas.As the road climbs, you come across several different views, including ones that allow you to look right down at the Hudson River and the Bear Mountain Bridge below. As you reach the top, the road forks - one fork goes down the mountain slightly to a small parking area that gives you access to different trails and to a view. The main road continues to the summit, where the Tower is along with a large amount of parking.What's there to do at the top of Bear Mountain?The Perkins Memorial Tower sits on the top of Bear Mountain and offers you 360-degree views of the surrounding Hudson Highland area. The tower is probably the single biggest ‘attraction' to visit at the top of the mountain, the trails, including the Appalachian Trail, are a close second.The tower is open daily between April and November from 8:30 in the morning to 5 in the evening. There's no fee for the tower, but you do have to climb several flights of stairs to get to the top of the tower. There are landings on the way up if you want to take a break and windows are located on each level, so you can see the view change as you climb higher and higher.A nice thing about the top of the tower is the park has installed detailed photo/murals from each direction, which allows you to identify all of the mountains, lakes and features that are surrounding Bear Mountain. I found myself up there for a while just taking it all in.Besides the tower, there is a view on the eastern edge of the summit that overlooks the Bear Mountain Bridge. From there you can look across the Hudson River to the Highlands in the eastern Hudson Valley.One very cool thing, in the case of the view from the tower and from the eastern portion of summit is that on a clear day, you can see the skyline of Manhattan to the south and the Catskill Mountains and the Taconic Mountains to the east. For those who have sturdy hiking shoes, you can also tackle some of the trails that make their way around Bear Mountain. These trails offer a different look at the moment with plenty of hidden views along the way. You should invest in a copy of the Trail Conference's Bear Mountain/Harriman Hike Trail Map Set if you really want to explore though. This area is criss-crossed by trails and it can be very easy to get confused at intersections and end up in a completely different area than where you started. The simple brochures you can get at the Park Headquarters are good enough to tackle the trails right around the summit, but anything more, get that map set.There is also a small pavilion and picnic area just down the hill from the summit that is accessible from the road. You can bring up a picnic lunch and enjoy the top of the mountain.ExperiencesHaving grown up on the eastern side of the Hudson not far from Bear Mountain, I have made many trips here. Whenever I have friends or family over that hasn't been to Bear Mountain, I always take them over on a clear day. The drive is fun, exciting for those who've never been on it, and the views from the top are amazing. It gives you a great idea of the layout of southern New York from the metro area up to the Catskill region. I've also used the road to explore some of the trails along the top of Bear Mountain.Final ThoughtsIf you are visiting the region and looking for a half-day long trip that won't cost very much money and will give you some great views of southern New York, consider driving up Perkins Memorial Drive and visiting the Tower on the summit of Bear Mountain. This free mountain drive is exciting and there are one of a kind views almost around every corner as you get higher up on the mountain.Bear Mountain State Park is a beautiful area and the Perkins Memorial Drive and Tower are a great introduction to the Park and to Bear Mountain itself. I don't think anyone would be disappointed after driving up and visiting the area.

This is truly one of the best places to visit always something to do. Although prices have changed from the old days its still a great fun filled day and brings back many fond memories!

We took a day trip to Bear Mountain for the Oktoberfest near Hessian Lake and fall colors, it was our first time going there and we found out that we should've been there earlier because traffic was crawling. It took us 2 hours to travel 3 miles, after that parking was full so we had to circle around a bit to park a little bit closer, so yeah, get there earlier when there's an event. If you like peace & quiet, I guess Oktoberfest is not a good time to go there, but you can definitely find a secluded spot if you want. The place near the lake was nice, and there's a trail that goes around the lake. Aside from the event & lake, there's an inn and some more stuff to do down south (ice rink, carousel etc). There are some trails to the east of the lake where you can see Bear Mt. bridge and the Hudson.

We took a drive up from NYC and had a great time exploring the park on a crisp Fall day. We really enjoyed the lookout tower and had wonderful views of the surrounding mountains and Hudson River. We had binoculars with us which really broadened our horizons.Travelers Beware: Temporary toilets in the area have not been cleaned recently and many are overflowing.It was a great day -- few tourists around and quite relaxing and peaceful!