Bear Mountain State Park, NY: 9/30/12

I've been to Bear Mountain State Park in the Hudson Highlands countless times since I was a little kid, but somehow I've always passed up Bear Mountain for the hike across Bear Mountain Bridge to the mountain across the river with a view overlooking Bear Mountain. I've been doing this hike for as long as I can remember and remember fond trips over the years we had a house in the area growing up. This year, since I've been trying new hikes as much as possible, we stuck to the Bear Mountain side of the river and hiked the AT Southbound from the park to the top of Bear Mountain, then took the Major Welch Trail (red on white) down back to the Inn. We learned the hard way that most people do the loop the opposite way...


A good portion of the first part of the hike climbs a set of large stone stairs and winds up the mountain.


There's a waterfall a little ways up that offers a great stopping point to catch your breath.


And more stairs..


Although the AT side of the hike crosses over the road to the monument several times, it offers some amazing views of the Hudson River. There is in fact a road that provides easy access to the tower at the top, but you'll soon see what it does to the crowds...

You follow the AT up all the way as it directly crosses the top of the mountain and leads to the Bear Mountain Tower that was constructed in the 1930s. Despite the crowds, the history is really amazing.


Trying to crop out the hoards of people from the view at the very top. If only I had time later this month to come up here to see the colors..



The view from the tower. Although the crowds look horrible, most of them got there by car, so the trails aren't too horribly crowded.



The inside of the tower has several levels and each one has a lot of history to read through about the Tower, the Inn, and the park itself.

From the top (here's where I did all the work for you), follow the signs that say "Major Welch Trail to Bear Mountain Inn & Parking). If you're not in the mood to do some climbing, I suggest taking the same way you came up back down.


The climb up or down the Major Welch Trail is very technical but a ton of fun and offers some amazing views of the river.







That mountain across the river is the one I usually climb. It's a fairly short hike with a very rewarding view. We usually park at BMSP and follow the AT across the river, up the mountain, till it splits and make a right to the summit.




Can't imagine doing this without some good hiking shoes..


The trail eventually levels off after climbing down about 1000', and if you're there at the end of September or through October, you can treat yourself to some good German food and beer at the annual Oktoberfest Bear Mountain hosts each year!! If you're going at this time of year, note that parking is $8 and get there EARLY because the Oktoberfest gets crowded and the parking can be a pain.


Hessian Lake


BEER!!!

Overall, Bear Mountain State Park will always be a favorite of mine. It's only about 1 hour and 15 minutes from me in Northern Jersey, so it makes for a great fall day trip. Sometimes we'll end our day in Cold Spring, NY just over the bridge and up the river for some great antiquing. For history buffs, the Inn that was built in 1915 was recently renovated after being abandon for as long as I can remember. The park also has a kiddy zoo and an historic merry-go-round that the kids can enjoy. It really wouldn't be a fall for me without a trip up there...

Terrific trip report, Jim.  That Major Welch trail looks really cool.  Your photos are a great reminder that the Hudson Valley has some nice hiking and some great scenery.

the MW Trail is a blast! And although most people hike up it, hiking down meant watching the view the entire time..