Bear Mountain State Park, about 50 miles north of Manhattan, is one of the most popular day trips from New York City. Highlights include the Perkins Memorial Drive and tower with sweeping Hudson River views, the Appalachian Trail, Hessian Lake, the historic Bear Mountain Inn, the Trailside Museums and Zoo, and the Bear Mountain Bridge, which was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1924. It’s roughly an hour’s drive via the Palisades Interstate Parkway.

At a glance
Location Rockland and Orange counties, NY
Drive from Midtown About 60 minutes
Scenic route Palisades Interstate Parkway
Highlights Perkins Memorial Tower, Appalachian Trail, Bear Mountain Bridge, Hessian Lake
Best seasons Fall foliage; spring and summer

Things to do

  • Drive or hike to the summit. Perkins Memorial Drive leads close to the top, where a stone tower offers views across the Hudson Highlands.
  • Walk the Appalachian Trail. Some of the earliest sections of the trail were built here in the 1920s.
  • Circle Hessian Lake on an easy path.
  • Visit the Trailside Museums and Zoo, which features native wildlife.
  • Have lunch at the Bear Mountain Inn, a rustic lodge dating to 1915.

The Bear Mountain Bridge

Opened in 1924, the bridge spans the Hudson between Bear Mountain and Westchester County’s Anthony’s Nose. It was briefly the world’s longest suspension span.

The scenic drive

The Palisades Interstate Parkway from the George Washington Bridge is a beautiful, tree-lined route. Read the Palisades Parkway scenic drive.

Fall weekends

October weekends are extremely busy, with parking lots filling early. A chauffeur can drop you at trailheads and pick you up at another. Read fall foliage drives near NYC.