We drove up a short way here last weekend after the Warrior Dash in Morristown NJ. It's a only like an hour drive from there and then back to NYC. Close and convenient. The RedHawk Bear Mountain Pow Wow was taking place at the Anthony Wayne Recreation Area at Harriman State Park so we decided to check it out. The area it was held in looked like an old event fairgrounds with some concrete step seating. The area around it is picturesque and there are plenty of hiking trails and lakes for canoeing and fishing. It's actually a huge park, and worth a day trip up from NYC for a nice day out in the wilderness. Picnic tables and BBQ's are also available, even though they look very old and weather beaten. So do the bathrooms they have on site where we were. Decrepit and in need of a fix up. You can tell NY State does not put any extra money into the park which is a shame as it's a beautiful place. Would definitely go back in the Fall when the leaves change color and to hike a bit. read more

In terms of state park quality, tri-state area definitely can be ranked among top three in the US. Harriman state park was our destination this time and we were looking forward to seeing the foliage. Unfortunately, majority of leaves were still green/light yellow and seemed not yet to reach the best time. Nevertheless, we all enjoyed the trial alongside, which was not too bumpy and perfect for hiking beginners. Wish I could come back when the leaves turn red! read more

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Hard to imagine this nature oasis is only 40 minutes away from me. Last year I came here in the Fall to pick mushrooms with my brother and 88 year-old grandmother. Yesterday I came back to lounge on a huge rock overlooking Silver Mine lake and to get my Vitamin D on. From the direction I take up Seven Lakes Drive, Silver Mine lake is the last stop and also my favorite so far to explore. It's beautiful at 5am when fog hangs over the pines and lakes. It's equally as beautiful on a Sunday afternoon, when the lake provides a much needed cool wind to relieve your skin from a blazing Spring sun. Go enjoy.... and leave it as you found it. read more

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This is an absolutely beautiful and huge park with plenty to do. It's quickly becoming my favorite place to come hike. I've visited Harriman State Park several times now with my boyfriend, mainly for hiking purposes and we love it. If hiking isn't your thing though, no worries. You can BBQ, swim, fish, bike or just bring a blanket, kick back and relax. It's about an hour away from the City but definitely worth the trip. Just keep in mind that there is an $8 parking fee. Caution: although you can BBQ in the immediate area you can not bring food into the beach/lake area. It is not allowed. However, they do have a picnic table right before you enter where you can eat. They also have ice cream and soda vending machines. read more

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Harriman State Park is lovely. The Appalachain Trail runs through here, and is a really pleasant trail to follow. However, if you're not going to pay the $11 for a trail map (I sure wasn't.), be prepared to get distracted and wander off course for a bit. Some of the trail markers can be hard to find. All of that being said, we saw some incredible deer and tiny lizards while on our hike, and really enjoyed swimming in the lake. Even on Memorial Day, the trails were nearly empty and the lake wasn't overcrowded. It was hard to find a grill to use to barbeque, but once we found one, we were set! Everyone at this park, staff and visitors alike, were very helpful and friendly. I'll certainly be returning once the weather cools down! read more

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This IS a five-star park... for the NYC area. Love to hike here in the fall; lots of colors and great views of them from rocky crags. Just went for my first springtime hike and enjoyed the thin foliage letting more light in. A bit gnatty and muddy, but still beautiful. Always takes an hour from the city, to exit 14, not 17, off the PIP. The way back is often compromised by bad GWB traffic... so now we use the Tappan Zee and go down the Saw Mill or hit the Bronx River Pwy and eat on Arthur Ave... pasta after hiking is a perfect day! read more

Great park for a day hike or a weekend camping trip. You'll find many trails along 7 Lakes Drive for hiking and plenty of lakes for kayaking, canoeing, or fishing. Note you'll need a seasonal fishing license to fish in the park though. Many cyclists also ride along 7 lakes drive to head up to bear mountain. For this review its for the day hike or camping up to Pine Meadow Lake. Follow the red trail from reeves parking lot and you'll hit Pine Meadow Lake. Great for swimming and fishing and plenty of spots for camping with camp fire rings. Come in the spring or fall as it can get crowded during the summer if you are looking for a more secluded with nature kind of atmosphere. Would give it 5 stars if it weren't for the heavy foot traffic that within the last few years have caused more litter and garbage as folks havn't been adhering to the Leave No Trace rules. Folks gotta pack out what they pack in. read more

The trails at Harriman State Park are well-marked and beautiful. The ride was only about an hour outside of Manhattan - it makes for an amazing day trip. Think of all the Instagram shots that you'll be able to take! I took no less than 10 that were Facebook worthy. read more

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Great place for hiking. An hour's drive from NYC. There are a good number of hiking trails. The trail offers decent amount of elevation, some rocky patches. We went in early April, so it was all brown/dry. It will be much more beautiful when the leaves turn green. We found some shafts for iron mines down here. Tips: Beware of the gnats/bugs; they are very annoying :-). And get a trail map for sure! read more

Harriman State Park - Lake Skenonto - Parks Near Me - southfields, New York

Update with linky for NYNJTC page on Harriman/Bear Mountain SPs. You don't have to be a member or register to view it and it contains lots of info, including directions. http://www.nynjtc.org/park/bear-mountain read more

One of my favorite place to hike. 1) This is a giant park (est. 192.3 miles of trails). It has tons of things to do. So please, choose wisely. This park has the best spots on the plant, and like any state park, parts which are dry. So do your research before you visit. 2) My recommendation is Lemon Squeezer to Lichen Trail and Claudius Smith Den. 3) Be careful, there are areas where you can get lost, as mentioned above, do your research. read more

The state park is really big and there are a lot of different paths to hike on. The trail is well-marked and it's a pretty good place for seeing fall colors. I went on a 10-mile hike but t was mostly flat. We did get to see one of the lakes though, and it was quite pretty. There are parking lots around the park too and it's free! Would recommend; there are hikes suitable for all ages and levels! read more

Harriman State Park is my favorite place to hike in New York. The drive from the city isn't too bad either. It's just an exit or two before Woodbury Commons. Take I-87 North and exit 15A. Our hike on Sunday was pretty fun. There was snow and a lot of fallen trees. When the weather clears up, all the fallen trees that are blocking some of the trails will be cleared up immediately. Pack your own lunch and make sure to bring enough water for the hike. There's not much outside of Harriman State Park but if you take a short drive on Seven Lakes Drive, you will reach a town that sells plenty of antiques. read more

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Anyone in the general area, with even the slightest interest in just being outdoors... going for a climb to clear out your head, find some quiet and get a fun work out - should go! Right now! 1. completely accessible without a car (for people like me, this is key) - you can take metronorth to a few different spots for the various trails they have 2. tons of options for difficulty level, what kind of sights you want to see, where you want to start/end 3. get a map. seriously... get a map. Me and my friend thought that markers and smart phone access would be enough, but no... we ended up 2 miles from where we needed to be and attempted walking back. Eventually had to call a cab to the middle of nowhere because major roads/highways started appearing... fail. Regardless, it was a great time, had great sights, and the trail changes up a lot so you're never bored. There are plenty of areas to sit down and relax, and it isn't a crowded park with chatter all around. It's quite empty for the most part. I can't wait to go back! This time, I will purchase a map... read more

Definitely the premiere place for an epic hike in lower NYS. The vistas you see when you climb above the surroundings are gorgeous. You really appreciate what the Hudson Valley is when you bag a peak here. read more

Harriman State Park - Parks Near Me - southfields, New York

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Great place to hike with 200 miles of trails. Super-easy access from the city. There's also some really nice lakes. Dogs must be on a leash.

Harriman is a beautiful park and is only about 40 miles from NYC area! I came here this past weekend for some late fall hiking, and the trails were still pretty well marked and laid out. It was really foggy the day I was there and it added to how beautiful the forest looked. When you arrive at the Seven Lakes Dr. visitor center which is just one mile from Rt. 17, there is a small lot. Here, you can begin your hike and there are so many different trails you can take. I recommend you visit NY-NJ Trail Conference website where it lists several different hiking options by distance and how hard it will be. http://www.nynjtc.org/view/hike (just scroll down to where it lists the trails for Harriman-Bear State Park). I did a 5.4 mile hike taking you all around the Raccoon Brook. It took about 4 hours and there was definitely some really steep climbs and descents. But it is well worth it for what could have been great views (but for the fog). I would 100% recommend to coming to this park. If not here, visit Bear Mountain just further north or Sterling Forest which is to the west of the park. Really great hiking. read more

I took the Shortline to and fro the Harriman Metro-North train station stop. NOTE, the bus drops you off not actually at the station, but in the middle of the road, by the street that goes down into the station. It is darn beautiful here. Just darn beautiful. I'm so happy to have found a place where I can escape the hustle bustle of the city and get one with my Twilight inner-self. When you feel the need to leave the city, give this place a try. I saw a stag here! Camping here is a bit odd. There are two camping sites, one for cabins & the other for tents. The one for tents is set up so that you're all pretty close to each other & your tent is placed on a raised wooden platform. I call that cheating. On my hike, I saw someone set up a tent on a non-camping site. I'd like to try that next time. read more

Harriman is probably the best place to hike in this area of the state. The park is huge with lots of trails to explore. The many lakes are beautiful and clean. There is no longer any boat rentals sadly. read more

My family went hiking this past summer and the views are beautiful. There are different hiking paths for beginners to pros. read more

Harriman State Park - Parks Near Me - southfields, New York

Great sights. Multiple trails/lakes to explore. Deer have walked right up to me to say hello. Other wildlife you can find are turkeys, bears, snakes, and maybe a bug or two =P I would list my favorite spots, but I think I'll keep them a secret =) I recommend purchasing a trail map from nearby outdoor stores such as Campmor or Ramsey Outdoor. It can definitely save your ass if you get lost. Please remember to bring a garbage bag with you if you intend on cooking or bringing packaged goods. Above all else, take out what you take in. read more

Very nice place to have barbecue. Kids can ran around and enjoy the lake. I'm not sure if You can bring your canoe here and go fishing. But I saw people fishing in the lake using that blue pedaled water thingy-sorry I don't know what it's called. There's a small play ground so if you don't want to hike the small kids can play by this play ground. Nice picnic place to be at. Just $10 for the parking and you can go to the zoo that's free and the merry go round. read more

Harriman State Park - Parks Near Me - southfields, New York

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Came here over the weekend with 5 dogs and 6 friends. The directions that I found via google were excellent. The parking lot is not well advertised. You can easily drive past it. They need a big sign saying this is the parking lot or parking lot in x miles or feet. One main problem is that the parking lot is not big enough and if you come late, you will end up parking on the side of the road. When we finished our hike around 2pm, there were TONS of cars parked up and down the side of the road. They should expand the parking lot. The trail we started on was the red square on white square. if you are facing directly at the soda machines, the trail is exactly 180 degrees behind you. You'll see a little small brown plastic post with the trail marker. It can be easily missed if cars are parked in front of it. We started there and journeyed our way on this path, then went onto the orange trail, then went to some woods path and ended up walking by somebody's backyard. We were really close to the houses. We thought we were lost but luckily we were able to find our way back to the orange trail. If you end up here, the houses will be on your right hand side and if you keep walking, you'll see a huge lake/pond to your right, immediately after the 2 houses. At that point, you should see a trail to your left and you should walk on that trail (away from the lake) and that will lead you back to the orange trail. Then you'll hike up and down steep hills and may have to "climb" rocks at certain points. This is all part of the orange trail and you need to climb a little to reach to the top to see the fantastic view of the valley. The dogs needed a little help in 2 sections of the ascent. Other than that, no issues. We then went from the orange trail to the black trail then to the white trail back to the parking lot. Another "photo" opportunity would be on the white trail, there are 2 very small waterfalls that you can photograph. The orange trail could be marked a little better. The black trail needs bigger trail markers. The color black is kind of hard to find because it sort of blends into the trees. Another complaint is that this place has lots of trails and they all intersect with one another so you can easily get lost or extend or shorten your hike than expected. Caution: Our dogs had some ticks crawl on them but they were easily picked off. We originally intended a certain trail but because we got side tracked, it was still a fun and enjoyable hike. I would definitely come back to this place and can't wait to see what this place is like during the winter times. I would recommend this place to others. Bonus: My phone survived the hike so here are the GPS info for our hike: http://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/534677882 http://alltrails.com/tracks/harriman-state-park-hike http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=2736460 https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0Vvnvsyv9LRcU5IM3ltM20xeHc read more

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Decided to switch it up and go hiking, hence I ended up at Harriman State Park for a day of roughing it. I came here with a group and we did a 4 mile hike through out various trails in the park. Fist or all, you instantly forget that you're only 45 minutes outside of Manhattan. The park itself is beautiful and provides some pretty amazing views. There were points I felt I was in a completely different part of the country. If you haven't seen this part of NY, I highly recommend getting out of the city for a day and coming up here. There are so many hidden areas a long the park where you can sit and admire the scenery. There was a section a few hundred feet high that provided some amazing views as well as a place to sit/lay down and relax. There are also some very steep areas, so if you're a big hiker, I would imagine this would be a great place for you (says the amateur). I really thought this place was awesome. It's clean, easy to explore and physically challenging in some areas. As I slowly get into hiking more, I definitely will be coming back to do this again. Truly a awesome experience at a sick place. read more

Beautiful park. Just beware that if you hike the Jackie Jones Fire Tower trail, which is considered easy, there is a hornet nest near the top of the Fire Tower. My son got stung along with a couple of people who climbed up before us. read more

I pretty much don't have to write a review after the other that is already on here, I agree with everything the other review has said. Harriman is one of the largest state parks in the state, in encompasses Bear Mountain (which is also a place to ski in the winter), campgrounds, beaches, and a system of trails that are wonderfully maintained and marked (two different trail maps are available in the visitors center). Some of the trails can get busy during peak times but unless you're going on the stretch of the Appalachian Trail that goes through the park you won't bump into too many people. The park in general is extremely clean and is very easy to get to from NYC making it the best refuge for those living in the concrete jungle. read more

This area is absolutely beautiful. Beaches on lakes, areas to picnic and BBQ, hiking trails or just a wonderful car ride through scenic country. Our family comes here as often as possible in the spring, summer and fall. We recharge our batteries and pull out the cheap charcoal grill we bought two years ago. For a more isolated spot find "silver mine lake". No beach, but an incredible view, incredibly large field on a hillside for the kids to run and play and plenty of picnic tables to set up your grill and enjoy time with family and friends. Oh, get your fishing license and relax if that is your thing. These lakes are stocked and you can see the trout from the small bridge looking down. read more

It's a wonderful park for everyone who's into outdoors. Check out the info here too: http://www.nynjtc.org/park/harriman-bear-mountain-state-park try to get a map, this place is huge! read more

A gorgeous park with an endless amount of trails. Seriously, you could hike a different trail every weekend and still not get through every one. There's a huge variety of well cut easy trails and less cut difficult trails. Pretty much everywhere you go will have a great view. There are some great gems you can find like an aqua blue cave, a great peninsula on a lake to camp, lemon squeeze and so many other places. And it's so close to the thruway that it's hard to believe such a pristine park is as near to civilization as it is. Go check out some old mines, coach trails or just the wilderness itself. The red dot trail is favorite of mine. And for camping, there are so many great shelters built in there and campsites. read more

Hard to find out. Huge mountain. What I supposed to go. I just can see big mountain. No specific address. Not NY state homepage also. I came here twice Just go back to home. We need specific each address. For hiking,for swimming, They need put that in. read more

We went to visit Lake Sebago in Hariman state Park during fall 2016..A very beautiful place with very less tourist..A free place to visit..no parking fees, no entry fees.People were also doing kayaking. A perfect place for photography.Fall colors look superb. just carry food n water as no restaurants near by. perfect spot for half day trip.. read more

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Just an amazing place love Harriman! So many new places to go an explore people are friendly. Recently I have noticed an influx in garbage left behind that is very upsetting. Also I watched people release their pets into one of the lakes. I tried to say something but they pretended to not speak English. read more

Harriman State Park - Parks Near Me - southfields, New York

Great views, beautiful water. Mountainbiking trails are above average, hiking trails are ok. Excellent for canoes, kayaks & fishing. Great beaches too w/plenty of BBQ pits (open coal). read more

Harriman State Park - Hidden beaches everywhere. - Parks Near Me - southfields, New York

A great park with tons of variety in trails. The walk around the lake went from an easy flat walk to a strenuous hike over rocks and boulders. The scenery is quite nice and includes close ups of the lakes and views over the area. Take a trail map ahead of time though as it is quite expansive and some trails are fairly difficult. Go past the huge lines of cars near the entrances and find a spot easily a little further in. Great walk with a family or four legged friend. read more

Harriman State Park - Lake view - Parks Near Me - southfields, New York

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Sebago Cabins. We were faced with Hurricane Joaquin's rain, but that didn't deter us and a handful of other campers. After checking in we headed to the Upper A Loop- the group of cabins close to the main office but set far enough for a bit of privacy. The cabin had a main room with tables, chairs, hotplate, shelves, and a fridge. 2 bedrooms with 2 cots apiece. Sebago doesn't provide anything outside of firewood- so you're gonna need to bring pots, pans, sheets, blankets, pillows. Foodstuffs- you get at the ShopRite and Walmart (and Liquore Land) in Suffern. Only an hour away, but really a good place to get away from the city for a couple of days. read more

Horrible direction for the trails no signs anywhere. I was lost for 3 hours. Finally I came up to Bear Mountain and just made the best of it. The scenic views are just beautiful read more

Harriman State Park - One of the views I came across. - Parks Near Me - southfields, New York

This park is gorgeous greenery. We enjoy driving through and admiring the beauty and occasional deer or three. There are places to camp, barbecue, fish, hike, and just chill if that's your sort of thing. And that's my thing :) read more

Harriman State Park - Parks Near Me - southfields, New York

So happy that they have been able to stay open! Very beautiful and happy to be able to stay socially distant while enjoying the outdoors.

My boyfriend and I visited this afternoon after reading Harriman had much less foot traffic than Bear Mountain and I wasn't disappointed! Gorgeous scenery and we didn't get too lost! Only complaint was the horrendous employee at the visitor center. When we walked in, she was berating a man for asking where a certain trail was located. My boyfriend joked to me that we should take a picture of the huge map on the wall, and she immediately interjected that she would never allow that and it would hurt her sales, etc. Lady, it's 2015. Maps are on the internet. Someone that abrasive and rude probably isn't the best person to work in a customer service role at a welcome center. Just saying. read more

Was very disappointed with this park. Some cool views but that was it - very boring trails that didn't look like much effort had been put into their upkeep. Maybe we chose the wrong one but I was not impressed at all. Broken windows decorate the museum, Sebago beach is still closed from the hurricane, and I wouldn't let my pet use the bathrooms near Seven Lakes. How can an open park have so many decaying buildings/facilities? NY puts no money into this place. read more