Great views and accessibility…read more Picked a relatively easy walk around the Hessiman Lake trail. Beautiful views and many spots for picnic / grilling

I really love this state park. Parking is $10. There is an area to bbq, an area to rent pedal…read moreboats, a hotel, a pool, area to purchase food and hiking trails. I usually go just to hike and enjoy the views. What I like is that the trail is always clean with clear signs on where to walk up which creates a safe hike. There are different levels of difficulty of trails so you can either select a moderate trail or challenging one. There is a large grass area where you can sit and enjoy a picnic or take a walk around the lake.

Wow what a beautiful place to take the family. This zoo is very well hidden and was near empty when…read morewe visited. You would never know it's there unless you purposely look for it. Free entry but pay to park certain times of the year.

Love love love this local zoo and they do their all time best putting on various events throughout…read morethe year. This zoo has animals that were injured and can no longer be placed in the while due to their injuries. All the creatures are indigenous to the area as well so you won't see giraffes or rhinos, but you will be able to peep some big adorable bears, coyotes, foxes and more. Zoo closes at 4pm so plan your day well. In the cooler months the wind really picks up so dress warm. Be sure to check out the other things this park has to offer as well including the carousel, ice skating or grabbing a drink at 1915 lounge and restaurant!

I went back to Perkins Tower for the first time in many years. I used to love hiking up from the…read morebase of the mountain when I was much younger. I recall the many nights I spent camping in those mountains as a young man and truly enjoying my time there. Returning brought back many memories of friends and experiences I had there in the 70's and 80's. Reminiscing can be very satisfying and I'm very grateful for the good times.

PROS: This was one of my favorite hikes in this area. Nice uphill hike with stone stairs to get to…read morethis monument, loads of parking above and below this mountain, vending machines and bathrooms are available, parking spaces. If you can't hike the trail than you can drive to the top. As you walk up the historic tower they have images on the wall of the place back in the 1930s CONS: Parking at the bottom of the mountain costs $10. OVERALL: I will definitely come back to this hike and walk up this trail again. However, there is no shame to drive up to the tower if you physically cannot hike

This museum is located in the Bear Mountain. It's free to check out. There is also a hiking trail…read moreinside. Very nice place to take a walk on a nice day.

this is a quaint museum that's located in bear mountain. The size is appropriate for the location…read moreand it's free. Staff is very nice and the place sells souvenirs, refreshments, has a movie, and bathrooms. A lot of the stuff on display is also cool (bones from animals, weapons, everyday soldier items)

This place is awesome! You can either park relatively close to the summit for a less than 2 mile…read moreround trip hike or you can park on 9W for a decent 5-6 mile hike round trip. I prefer the longer hike which has a decent scenic trail that follows a small body of water that makes for some cute photos if you pick the right spot. Atop the summit there is the make shift memorial that has gotten so big it's beginning to get ridiculous! I'm all for the sentiments of such a memorial but just 4 years ago the amount of rock memorials atop were half of what's there today. At the rate people keep adding "rocks" it will almost cover the entire top taking away precious space to sit and enjoy a sunset. Visitors need to chill with leaving huge rocks at the memorial. Otherwise this is a lovely hike that's not too difficult but the climb to the summit is a bit steep, so much so you'll find ropes to help you at the top to climb some of the rocks.

Very cool train but at parts if it was very confusing. I highly suggest using all trails to assist…read moreyou in remains on the right path. Parking was not bad on a Thursday. The hike to the trail head was the confusing part. Once at the trail head it was only about .6 miles each way. Once at the top it was 360 views of the area and a veteran memorial at the top which was very cool. I would do this hike over and over again. It had a rock climbing feel to part of the hike.

With the area and location, the Bear Mountain Bridge is one of my favorite bridges to cross over,…read moreas it's easy and straightforward. It's a two-lane bridge and traffic for the most part isn't that bad, although, rush hour can definitely take a toll when it occurs. For the most part, I've never had any issues coming across in either direction, with no incidents occurring, and I also noticed people driving smoothly on it. The view on the bridge is beautiful to look at, with a wonderful view of the Bear Mountain State Park looking west and east, Anthony's Nose viewpoint, and of course the Hudson River. Take a moment to enjoy what's surrounding all around, as this area is covered by mountain ranges and picture opportunities. Also, there is a sidewalk on each side of the bridge. Enjoy it and be safe.

Beautiful views..great scenery..cool bridge... Well worth a…read moretrip over to see it..and the entire area

A fairly quick 1-2hr in-and-out hike that is mostly steeped unending incline for 3/4s of the way up…read moreand eventually levels out a bit more as you get closer to the peak. Mostly rocky terrain with a good amount of shade. Not recommended for inexperienced hikers. Peak view is quite nice with lots of picture taking areas and rocks to have lunch on. Not too crowded on a Saturday morning. Parking is simply on the side of the road when/if available.

Wrapping up Earth Day with this trip to NY. Call me a hater but this one was on the tougher side!…read more Up up up through the woods until you get to a clearing and think it's over. Aht aht more uphill to the lookout. The lookout was great - the older I get though the more timid I am about heights. I peeked over the cliffs and promptly scooted my booty back up on the rocks. Down wasn't that great either but the jagoff woman who had to make her SHOCK and SURPRISE known about my group of plus size baddies hiking the same trail as her put a revenge pep in my step. This is a one and done for me. I like a challenge but I prefer scrambling with my uphill and this didn't have it. People say 40 minutes to the top. These people lie.

This a wonderful little Park to check out while walking on the RiverWalk Trail, with an awesome…read moreview of the Hudson River and even the Bear Mountain Bridge out in the distance. There's not too much parking in this area, which can be time-consuming too many, but if it isn't busy, there should be no problems. I did see some construction going on, which I'm assuming there expanding the park. Time will soon tell, and I hope it will turn out nice. Where I live now, I wish lived closer to check these parks out, because there are many.

Amazing scenery and beautiful area to walk. There is a walking path nearby you can explore with a…read moreview of the Hudson River. If there ever was a time for a calm peaceful place, this is the place to go.

The day was not conducive for hiking up a mountain, too cold and wet, but it was perfect for moody…read morelake photos. First time at Hessian Lake and it was a stunner. Misty mountains across the water, fall colors starting to appear, glistening rocks peeking up through the ground. It was enchanting. The trails up to the tower were closed but the zoo was open and so was the carousel and Hiker's Cafe at the Inn. There's normally a market here on Saturdays but it wasn't happening on this rainy day. The history and significance of this part of the Appalachian Trail is interesting. Would've preferred a sunnier experience, but made the best of it, and the pics were worth it.