And various festivals and craft shows are held throughout the year. Picnic areas and playgrounds are scattered throughout the park. Cost is $3.50 per person, per hour and a $20 refundable deposit is required. Paddle boats as well as rowboats are available to rent beginning June 21, weather permitting, at Hessian Lake. A snack bar at the pool site is convenient for hungry bathers and a bath house offers restrooms and stalls for changing. Then beginning June 21, the pool will open seven days a week, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The pool is open Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. And as the summer's heat and humidity approaches, why not cool off while enjoying the great view at Bear Mountain's large outdoor swimming pool. Parking is $7, but the hiking trails and many special events are free. The Inn boasts a sit-down restaurant as well as a snack bar for quick burgers and sandwiches. And Overlook Lodge, a modern hotel obscured from sight by the trees but nestled above Hessian Lake, is also available for overnight stays.Īnd if being outdoors brings on an appetite, no problem. Lakeside lodges also are available for those who seek a more rustic atmosphere and a little more privacy. The Bear Mountain Inn, built in 1915, offers visitors all of the comforts of home with nature as a backdrop. Hiking, boating, picnicking, swimming, cross-country skiing, sledding, ice skating as well as a zoo and trailside museums, continue to draw families to the park. Camping became popular here, with the average stay logged at eight days, and it was a favorite for Boy Scouts.īear Mountain remains popular today, welcoming more visitors every year than Yellowstone National Park. By 1914, estimates showed more than a million people a year coming to the park. Bear Mountain-Harriman State Park became a reality in 1910. Harriman, a group of wealthy and influential businessman donated land as well as large sums of money for the purchase of other properties in the area. Led by Union Pacific railroad president E.W. It was then that some of the wealthy businessmen who had made homes in the area went to work. All of these, however, were unsuccessful until the state of New York tried to relocate Sing Sing Prison to Bear Mountain. Numerous efforts were made at the turn of the century to turn much of the Hudson Highlands, the area along the Hudson River from about Peekskill to Newburgh, to a forest preserve. Now part of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, the area was saved in the early 1900s as development along the river began to destroy much of the area's natural beauty. Rail commuters can take Metro-North to the Peekskill station and take a taxi across the river to the park. The park is located about 50 miles north of New York City at the intersection of the Palisades Parkway and Route 9W and is best accessed by personal car. There are also admission fees to the outdoor ice skating rink during the winter months. Cost for the zoo and trailside museums is $1 for ages 13 and over, while children 6-12 are 50 cents. Admission to the pool is $2 for adults, $1 for children 6-12. Also, see the official Bear Mountain State Park website. For more information, call the park office at (845) 786-2701. The pool is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day and the outdoor ice rink is open from November through March. Nestled along the Hudson River, Bear Mountain was so-named because the profile of the mountain resembles a bear lying down.īear Mountain is open 365 days a year from 8 a.m. From miles of hiking trails to an inn with all the comforts of home, the park offers nature in all of its glory for both the avid outdoorsman as well as those just out for a scenic Sunday stroll. Most people would go out of their way to avoid a snoozing bear by the water's edge, but there's one such spot in the Hudson Valley that should be on everyone's must-see list.īear Mountain State Park in Bear Mountain, N.Y., has something for everyone. Experience the beauty of the Hudson Valley
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