Bear Mountain State Park — Attraction in Town of Stony Point

This is a nice park, but the close proximity to NYC means it can get quite crowded on weekends when the weather is nice. Expect to hit traffic when you are still a good distance from the park if you are visiting under these conditions. There is also a $10 parking fee, although subsequent to paying that, I did discover a possible way to visit the park and avoid it. More about that later.

A friend and I met at the park for the purpose of walking over the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge. I had previously walked over the Hudson with this same friend at the officially named "Walkway Over the Hudson" State Park (rated 5). That walkway goes over the Mid-Hudson Bridge between Highland and Poughkeepsie. The two river crossings are very different.

The WOTH is designed to be highly amenable to people crossing the river, either on foot or by bike, skating, etc. It is amply wide, has several rest areas with benches, historic markers, and info graphs describing the scenic views. The BMB crossing is part of the Appalachian trail, and perhaps in adherence to the notion of being sparse and rugged in the midst of wilderness, it is notably less amenable.

It is narrow enough so that, if you pass people coming in the other direction, will you need to squeeze past each other. There are benches on either side of the bridge, but none on the bridge itself. The narrowness of the trail makes them unfeasible. The other kinds of tourist enhancements found on WOTH are also lacking. The scenery around BMB is more natural wilderness, and the walk is also shorter. This is a particularly narrow part of the lower Hudson, so it will take less time to make a full crossing and return.

Regarding the potential free parking: Both going over the bridge and coming back, we saw what appeared to be free public parking spaces in a pullover area just before the bridge on the south side of Route 202. There were no signs indicating limitations or restrictions; it appeared that anyone could park there. There aren't a lot of these spaces, but there were some available both times we went by. If you are coming to the park specifically to walk across the river, definitely see if you can park here before going into the park. These spots would also be fine for anyone who wanted to do other things in the park--it's an easy walk from there, which does make one wonder why more people weren't using them.

Although the 3 rating I give the park is strictly based on my objective experience with it, there was something else happening that day that was a hindrance to any sort of pleasure: It was the last day that radio station WCBS news radio 880 was broadcasting. My friend and I both felt a sense of loss, and we talked about it during our time together. The station had been a touchstone in both of our lives for a long time (starting in 1970 for me), and while listening to the station driving both to and from the park, I had several powerfully emotional moments. After arriving home I listened on the livestream for the last several hours, up until the final sign-off just after midnight.

I will always associate that event with my visit here, but it definitely did not "spoil" the visit. I suggest going at an off-peak time for a more enjoyable experience, and do see if you can park in one of those free spots...

Highlights: -Gorgeous views -Scenic walks through the woods -A small zoo and outdoor museum -Concession stand with food and drinks for purchase -Unacceptable restrooms

Bear Mountain State Park on a 73 degree day in August was beautiful. We took our teenagers here to see the zoo and museum, and although it was very busy in the park (Labor Day weekend), we were able to find parking relatively easy. Vehicle entry is $10, and it's important to note that you will need to walk a considerable distance to access the Trailside Zoo and Museum, if that's what you're specifically coming for.

She was correct. We didn't see the bobcat or a few other animals, and the reptile exhuvut was closed when we walked through-however, this isn't the kind of zoo where you should expect the animals to be paraded about. This place houses mostly injured animals that can't live in the wild on their own, and allows the animals to choose when they want to be seen. This seems like a much better arrangement for the animals, so although we were hoping to see some of them, we understood.

It took us a few hours to walk through the Trailside Zoo and Museum.

It took us about 10 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the zoo entrance, where we were greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable staff member. She advised us that the bobcat was indeed IN the enclosure, but she's shy, and we may not see her.

It took us about 2 hours to slowly walk through the entire Trailside path system. As a person who doesn't regularly hike and wore the wrong sneakers and a heavy pair of jeans, I was still comfortable navigating the well maintained, paved pathways, although there are many spots that are quite steep. However, there was a lot to see and placards along the way explained the natural attributes surrounding us.

Unfortunately, there were two cons to this visit.

First, the food. We paid $84 (this included a $14 tip) for two grilled chicken sandwiches, a grilled ham and cheese, two orders of fries, canned soda and mozz sticks. It took almost 30 minutes for the food to come out, which was fine, but as we stood there we watched as the woman working the counter was repeatedly rude to people coming up to get their order. The food itself was okay, definitely not worth the price on any capacity, especially not the simple grilled ham and cheese which was burned.

The real issue? The bathrooms. These were DISGUSTING. We stopped at the one next to the carousel and the one near the concession stand. Both had feces on the toilet seats and floor. The floor was also covered in wet toilet paper and puddles of water, even though it wasn't raining and hadn't rained in quite some time. We had to use the toilets because there was no where else to go. It was unsanitary and unacceptable for a state park.

Overall, if you want an outdoor adventure, this place is full of revolutionary war history, animals and beautiful views. Just bring your own food and use the bathroom at...

Gorgeous place to spend the day breathing in fresh air and taking in the beautiful mountain landscape. I had a fantastic little hike here with my 10 month old dog the other day. Up top the views of the Hudson are incredible and I just couldn't keep my camera in my pocket. Took more pictures than I can count 😊. If you are starting your hike somewhere near the Inn around Hessian Lake and you are wanting to reach the top I would highly recommend taking the Appalachian Trail up and down. The Appalachian Trail has a man made Trail with coping stones keeping you safe on the steep ledges and stairs going up the entire way. Depending on your condition and hiking capabilities you could take the Major Welch Trail up (which I took with my 10 month old Staffy puppy) which also provides beautiful jaw dropping views but the hike up is definitely for experts so be prepared to take quite a few breaks to catch your breath as you are walking up a fairly wild trail filled with steep inclines and boulders to hike up compared to the Appalachian Trail which is an Intermediate hike made to be a bit more user friendly. If you do decide the Major Welch Trail is for you then I would highly recommend taking this Trail up and then the Appalachian Trail back down as you will end up in the same spot at the bottom and the Appalachian Trail in my opinion is much safer of a hike on the way back down especially. I would highly recommend this spot to anyone looking to spend a beautiful day hiking outdoors. Also up top there are vending machines with cold drinks and snacks and there are restrooms so you don't have to bring so much water and snacks up with you in your pack. But bring plenty of water if you are planning this hike on a hot summer day as it does require quite a bit of work to peak. Stay hydrated out there, have fun, respect mother nature, respect the mountain forest, and please don't leave any trash along the trail (there are trash cans and recycling bins up top). Enjoy your hiking...