Bear Mountain

Bear Mountain State Park is located in a valley between mountains overlooking the Hudson River. The park has a lodge, lake, swimming pool, and Trailside Museum and Zoo and numerous hiking, biking and cross-country ski trails.  There are over 50 official trails covering 235 miles in the Park. The first section of the Appalachian Trail running from Bear Mountain south to the Delaware Water Gap opened here on October 7, 1923 and served as a pattern for the development of other sections of the Trail.

Hiking around Bear Mountain offers a range of options for all skill levels, from easy walks to challenging climbs. The most popular route is the strenuous loop combining the Major Welch Trail and the Appalachian Trail, which ascends to the summit for sweeping Hudson River views near Perkins Memorial Tower. For a more relaxed outing, the flat loop around Hessian Lake provides scenic lakeside walking, while longer or quieter hikes can be found on connecting trails into the surrounding highlands, including routes toward Popolopen Torne. On this hike, I started near the Bear Mountain Inn and walked the Appalachian Trail through the park to the Trailside Zoo. The Appalachian Trail passes through the Zoo which is the lowest elevation on the entire ~2,200-mile trail. If you plan to visit the Zoo during your walk through the park – make sure to arrive by mid-afternoon. It closes at 5pm during the summer and an hour earlier during the winter.