The crisp autumn air sweeps through the swirling leaves, blanketing the trails in hues of amber and gold. With each leaf falling gently to the ground, a new season quietly unfolds. Far from the rush of city streets, Bear Mountain offers a serene escape where nature’s rhythms unfold in a balanced harmony.
Nestled between the Hudson River and West Point, Bear Mountain State Park offers a retreat from New York City’s chaos, only a short drive away. With its breathtaking views and winding trails, the mountain serves as both a sanctuary for hikers looking to escape into nature. Established in 1908 and at roughly 1,300 feet above sea level, the park provides fascinating views of the Hudson Valley. Bear Mountain stands as part of the Hudson Highlands, mountain ranges surrounding the Hudson River, alongside Bald Hill, Beacon Mountain, and Breakneck Ridge. The grand hills, abundance of greenery, peaceful lakes, and towering peaks invite visitors to slow down and marvel at nature’s unfiltered beauty.
Nature seems timeless. However, Bear Mountain’s natural beauty is at risk due to the ongoing climate crisis. Rising temperatures have already begun to alter the environment, affecting native plant and animal species while also increasing the frequency of extreme weather. Conservationists continue working to preserve the mountain’s biodiversity and life from erosion and flooding. It’s a place where the beauty of nature meets the urgency of preservation, and where every step on its trails tells a story of resilience and transformation.
Tackling the Mountain
The first stop on this hiking trip was the Bear Mountain Inn. The large building was held together by a variety of large stones. It looked small from the front, but contained a large venue for events further inside the building.
Upon walking in, I was met with frames of pictures from the past century. They marked significant events that contributed to the formation of Bear Mountain today.
I left the inn, headed straight towards the large mountain in front of me. Split at a crossroad, I had to choose between two trails: Major Welch Trail and Appalachian Trail. I ultimately chose to tackle the steep hill of the Major Welch trail. Traveling further down the path, the pavement began to fade. The designated route was a dirt road and another hill at the end, which was fully covered in leaves and gravel. After slipping on the hill a few times, the hidden staircase came to light. The steps were smoothed out with gravel and were hard to pinpoint. Upon reaching the top of the hidden staircase, we met other hikers and tourists on the Appalachian Trail.
The Appalachian Trail is a 6-mile trail around the mountain that focuses on giving hikers the chance to experience the great scenery of the Hudson River and Lake Brooks. The trail leads to the summit of the mountain, where you are able to see the peaks of the surrounding hills and bright sky.
Alongside the Appalachian Trail, there are many other trails that loop around the mountain. They range from steep staircases to narrow and flat surfaces surrounding the many lakes that Bear Mountain offers. The Hessian Lake loop is a 1.4 mile trail surrounding Hessian Lake. The lake offers pedal boat rentals for visitors to truly experience the lake.
Up north is the Brooks Lake Trail, a 1-mile loop trail around Brooks Lake, near Fort Montgomery. It gives visitors the amazing view of Brooks Lake and also picnic spots for get-togethers. The Brooks Pond Trail is close to Brooks Lake, but offers visitors the chance to hike, run, and fish. Fishing is one of the most popular activities at Brooks Pond.
Top of Bear Mountain
After climbing thousands of steps, I was met with a large tower, marking the top of Bear Mountain. There stood Perkins Memorial Tower, which offered sights of the Hudson Highlands.
Perkins Memorial Tower was built in 1934 in honor of George W. Perkins, the founder of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. One small staircase was full of continuous movement, as people walked up and down to the tower. Graffiti covered the walls, while pictures of animals and advertisements for music were written throughout every floor. Frames of maps and photographs filled the walls with the mountain’s first beginnings, showing the timeline of Bear Mountain.
The tower didn’t impress me as much as the motorcycles and race cars parked nearby. Alongside hikers by the tower, drivers gathered with their vehicles, rearing up for a race. Bear Mountain often hosts bike races, such as the prestigious Bear Mountain Classic, held each May. The 14-mile route passes through the park and Harriman State Park. This isn’t the only race Bear Mountain features throughout the year. In May of 2025, the Gran Fondo NY World Championship Bike Race will pass by Bear Mountain. The route is 85 miles and starts at the George Washington Bridge in New York City. From there, bikers will bike alongside the Hudson River, up to Bear Mountain, and then down to the finish line located in Coytesville, New Jersey.
Past the Tower, I saw crowds of people sitting on benches and observing the view from the top of the mountain. There were telescopes installed around the area, and even photographers taking pictures. The area was busy, yet it still maintained its serenity.
Activities at Bear Mountain
During the summer, Bear Mountain is open with bustling activities and hikers. The State Park Pool opens in the middle of June, where families and friends can spend a hot summer day. There is an open children’s playground and a Merry-go-round Pavilion to make memories that last a lifetime. Storm King Art Center welcomes visitors starting in May to celebrate a variety of sculptures by acclaimed artists. Bear Mountain even offers a cruise through the Hudson River aboard the Pride of the Hudson. In the 2 hour tour, you can enjoy the scenic views of the Hudson Highlands as well as enjoy the spacious sundeck on board. The cruises are available from May 1st to October 31st, hosting everything from school trips and to even weddings. During the winter, Bear Mountain’s infamous outdoor Ice Rink is open for the public. Don’t worry if you don’t own a pair of skates, because the rink offers rentals and even a chance to see Santa! Open all-year-round is the Trailside Museums and Zoo, which was my next destination.
Zoo and Museums at Bear Mountain
When I think of a zoo, I think of a large protected area filled with enclosed animals for public display. Upon entering, I could tell that this was not your typical zoo filled with tons of animals. Rather than placing an emphasis on the amount of animals they have displayed, the zoo is set up so each animal can show off their unique characteristics and charm.
The Trailside Museums and Zoo first started as a nature museum at Lake Kanawauke. It served as the Boy Scout summer camp in 1920. Over time, nature museums arose close to groups of summer camps situated around the lakes in Harriman State Park. Officially founded in 1927, Trailside Museums and Zoo was the nation’s first self-guided nature trail. It welcomed visitors to follow trails that told local natural stories of the past. Upon entering the zoo, you are confronted with a sign that states:
“How many of us are able, unaided, to read the signs of nature? Let the guiding labels take the place of a naturalist friend who has an interesting story to tell you as you follow the trail.”
The self-guiding trail not only encourages self-exploration and curiosity, it enables visitors to further connect with nature, through the park’s landscape and wildlife.
“I want to connect people with the natural world surrounding us. All of the animals found in the zoo are native to this area. If we want people to care about this place, they must know what lives here,” saidKerry Gallagher, the Park Supervisor of Trailside Museums and Zoo.
Walt Whitman at Bear Mountain
Exploring beyond the zoo, I stumbled upon a statue. Looking closer, I discovered that it was of Walt Whitman, sculpted by Jo Davidson. The large statue depicts Whitman in the middle of his walk as he clutches his hat and stares at the skies above him. The statue made its debut at the World’s Fair in 1939 and became permanently installed at Bear Mountain in 1940.
Who is Walt Whitman? Whitman is a legendary American poet and writer who was a crucial figure in leading American literature to what it is today. His poems escaped the traditional themes focused on in Europe and reflected more on the individual, mind, and nation. Often called the ‘Father of Free Verse,’ he invented a new form of American free verse poetry that allowed him to enhance connection and emotion through the poem. Whitman’s most famous poetry collection is Leaves of Grass, which he published in 1855.
Alongside sculpting the statue, Jo Davidson cut out the verses of Whitman’s ‘Song of the Open Road’ on the large stone next to the sculpture to remind hikers and tourists of the great world that nature has to offer.
Here are the lines of the poem that were on display on the image above:
Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.
Camerado, I give you my hand!
I give you my love more precious than money,
I give you myself before preaching or law;
Will you give me yourself? Will you come travel with me?
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?
Though almost reaching 100 years, the statue remains as energetic and lively as the natural landscape around it. Louis Simpson wrote a poem entitled ‘Walt Whitman at Bear Mountain’ to note the changing landscape of America and the disconnection of nature in our lives.
Here is an excerpt from ‘Walt Whitman at Bear Mountain’:
Neither on horseback nor seated,
But like himself, squarely on two feet,
The poet of death and lilacs
Loafs by the footpath. Even the bronze looks alive
Where it is folded like cloth. And he seems friendly.
“Where is the Mississippi panorama
And the girl who played the piano?
Where are you, Walt?
The Open Road goes to the used-car lot.
“Where is the nation you promised?
These houses built of wood sustain Colossal snows,
And the light above the street is sick to death.
“As for the people—see how they neglect you!
Only a poet paused to read the inscription.”
Bear Mountain holds not only a natural landmark but is also a place to immerse in a grander culture beyond the green landscape it offers.
Rough Around the Edges
Throughout the hike, leaves covered the entirety of the mountain; only the trails and stairs remained clear. Branches and leaves all over is normal for such terrain. However, I realized something about Bear Mountain as we continued down the trail. Every second of the hike, I saw at least two broken trees. They had either fallen down with their roots ripped out of the ground or were completely cut in half, in order to make way for the trail. Dozens and dozens of fallen trees and large rocks laid around the premises of the mountain.
This was the result of a catastrophic tropical storm in July of 2023, which caused dozens of uprooted trees, cracking rocks, and the trails disappearing from existence. The storm critically wounded the mountain and brought approximately 10 inches of rain onto the mountain. The majority of the staircases built for tourists were destroyed or covered with debris. This heavily impacted the park’s infrastructure, water supply, and trail systems, causing the park to close for 2 months to recover its lost glow and rebuild trails. Almost every trail of the park’s 42-mile trail system was somewhat damaged. Even though the park reopened within a few months, it took longer for the Appalachian Trail, roughly 10 months. The New York State office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the New York State Office of General Services, and the Palisades Interstate Park commission spent approximately $40 million to restore the park’s roads, bridges, water power, and sewers to reopen it for 2024. Bear Mountain, still vulnerable, opened again for tourists.
Climate Disaster
The rainstorm hitting Bear Mountain in the middle of summer is in Mother Nature’s hands. However, this is not the only severe natural disaster that has hit the mountain in the past year. From October to December of 2024, New York State underwent a crippling drought. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) declared a drought watch for over 15 New York counties in November 2024 due to a shortage of precipitation and groundwater. New Yorkers were responsible for conserving water in everyday activities, such as implementing shorter showers and reusing collected rain-water for plants. Dry and windy conditions, as a result of the drought, created the perfect habitat for thriving wildfires. Bush fires arose in New York City and a large wildfire raged in Orange and Ulster counties across the New Jersey State line.
“Many don’t truly understand what climate is. Climate is not weather. Rather, it is different from weather, which is constantly changing everyday. Climate change is a permanent change, not just a rainy day in the middle of summer,” said Kerry.
The rising of global temperatures has significantly transformed the mountain. “The mountain used to operate a ski jump during winter with an abundance of snow on the mountain range. However, nowadays, there is barely an inch of snow that comes to New York. It’s impossible to recreate that memory,” said Ryan Gerbehy, the Environmental Educator and Regional Museums Coordinator. Bear Mountain was once a landscape resistant to changes, but now is evolving every year.
Resilience and Preservation
As climate change continues to cause destruction across the globe, Bear Mountain stands as a testament to resilience in the face of adversity. From a tropical summer storm to the ongoing droughts, the mountain faces a deeper problem against climate change that we often neglect. After the historic storm in 2023, conservation efforts have been at its peak. The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPIC), established in 1900, manages Bear Mountain State Park and is dedicated to protecting its diverse ecosystems and wildlife. Regular meets are held to strategize conservation initiatives and methods to combat the evolving climate crisis.
In addition to the PIPIC, the Trailside Museums and Zoo and the Natural Resource Management Program offers a variety of research and conservation programs in the Palisades Region. Some programs currently offered are Iona Marsh Restoration, Citizen Science, and Habitat Restoration for Declining Species. These programs encourage research to combat specific problems in the environment and wildlife of the park, such as protecting the Eastern Box Turtle and Golden-winged Warbler who thrive in the Palisades habitat, or observing plant and insect associations.
It’s an emergency. Conservation is necessary for the survival of the native species in Palisades and the aged terrain. There is no time to waste, and we had better start to work on restoring the glory of the nature around us. Let’s start with the very park that provided us with a direct pathway to nature.
Nature is changing right in front of our eyes. In the face of these obstacles, Bear Mountain tells a tale of unwavering resilience and perseverance, reminding us of the imminent need for the protection and conservation of the natural world around us.
Conservationists continue working to preserve the mountain’s biodiversity and life from erosion and flooding. It’s a place where the beauty of nature meets the urgency of preservation, and where every step on its trails tells a story of resilience and transformation.