Appalachian Trail #3 (Bear Mountain Bridge to Graymoor Friary)
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
799 West Washington Street
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
(304) 535-6331
This section is a short day hike between the Bear Mountain Bridge and the Graymoor Friary near the Palisades Interstate Parkway. The Friary opened its doors for over twenty years to long distance hikers, and I stayed with them during my thru-hike in 1994. Graymoor had a dorm style room, hot showers, and an AYCE breakfast and lunch available for a donation to the Friary. It was one of the best stays I had on the Appalachian Trail in the Mid-Atlantic States.
The Trail crosses the Bear Mountain Bridge and climbs to the Graymoor Friary with some decent views of the Hudson River and the Iona Island, particularly from Anthony’s Nose. The nose is actually a rock outcropping at the northern end of the bridge. From here, the A.T continues up to an old carriage road then crosses a blue-blazed side trail after five miles that has more views of both the bridge and the river. The Graymoor Friary is only a few miles north of this scenic overlook past NY 403, but in 1995 the monastery ended its service to long distance hikers.
- click to see photos from this hike to the Graymoor Monastery: April 19, 1996
- click to view a detailed trip report of this hike along the Appalachian Trail: April 19, 1996 (password required)
- click for a Daytimer report from this hike in Southeastern New York: April 19, 1996 (password required)
- click for a map of the A.T. from New York to New Hampshire (password required)
- click for a map of the A.T. from Bear Mountain to the Graymoor Friary (password required)
- click for a park and trail map of more hikes in Bear Mountain State Park
- click to see a video slideshow of my 1994 hike on the A.T. (short film produced 2019 ~ 5 min)
- click to watch a movie with commentary on BirdShooter’s 1994 Appalachian Trail thru-hike (long film produced 1996 ~39 min)
- click to see some of my favorite photos from the Appalachian Trail
- click to view a day-by-day summary of BirdShooter’s 1994 Appalachian Trail thru-hike
- click for specific sections of the Appalachian Trail (with photos from each state)
- click for more hikes at Bear Mountain State Park in March 2005, November 2022 and April 2023
- click for a map of the entire Appalachian Trail
- click for a summary of the 2000+ mile Appalachian Trail
- click for recommended books, videos and games about the Appalachian Trail