We have been here many time to hike with our dogs over the last few years. Great views of the…read moreHudson River and surrounding area from the North Point/ Pitching Point Loop Trail. We always get there early (7 AM) because the lot for North Point/ Pitching Point Loop is super small. Great hike with great views !

Are these views to die for? Highly debatable. We came after a day where it rained the night before…read morein the late fall. There's some really cool views of what appears to be a lake, but it could also be the Hudson River. I am not sure because I had no signal at this park. When I said are the views to die for, I mean some of our hiking crew probably would have died if we weren't paying attention. There's a lot of trails that are especially narrow, on a cliff's edge, and the leaves are super slippery. Should be warning signs like die at your own risk or something. There are certain paths with wooden bridges and guard rails, but they are not frequent. If you are planning to have a picnic here, I'd suggest going to a local park instead. The only benches are at the parking lot, and there are no bathrooms... Unless you count mother nature as a bathroom.

The Klara Sauer Trail is wonderful, connecting Long Dock Park to the beginning of Dennings Trail,…read moreand also Madden Brett Park via the Dave Miller Connector Trail. The trail lasts 1.1 mile, running parallel to the Hudson River, with different viewpoints along the way, viewing the river. In the north end of Klara, there's a strip of sand that runs along the river, with enough room to sit up some chairs and take everything in. It's like a mini beach if you will. At the southern end of the mini beach, there's a trail that connects back to Klara. Along the way, the trail also comes across the former Beacon Line, which can be walked on to make a lot of space for walkers, and that section is filled with cement. In cool seasons, expect to see many people on the Klara Trail. I still enjoy this trail, and making this stop is well worth it.

Avoid at all costs while they are doing construction. It's impossible to actually get to a trail…read morehead. And there is no one in any of the offices to actually offer help. They should have warned us many trails closed or detours when we paid the parking fee. While not much I would have skipped the $10 feet since we actually didn't do anything during our trip as all the trail heads were too far

I've known about Bear Mountain State Park, not too far north of New York City as the crow flies,…read morefor a while. On a temperate holiday weekend, I drove up here with a friend who had been here many years ago, but didn't remember much about it. It's really not that far. With the exception of Long Island stretching over 100 miles, everything in the Tri-state New York area seems more compact than out West ... when traffic is flowing well. The state park is on the west side of the Hudson River and we reached it by continuing up the Palisades Parkway from New Jersey. I recommend going midweek if it's summertime. During other times of the year, every day should be okay if it's not a holiday. We were driving along on this landscaped highway, complete with stone arch bridges as if the Merritt Parkway, and it was going fairly smoothly until we got to the base of the mountain. On this holiday weekend, state park employees were preventing or metering how many vehicles could continue on the access road upward. We drove along aimlessly on nearby roads for a short while and then tried again. Luck prevailed in that the roadblocks had just been removed and we were able to drive up Bear Mountain. Other reviewers mention the pool, the lodge, and other recreational facilities in addition to lakes and trails, but we came here for the summit and its view. The road up is a windy one, so proceed cautiously. If anything, the natural environment here reminds you that there's a very different world outside of and not very far from New York City. There will different types of of vegetation and wildlife here and, with its name Bear Mountain, there will indeed be bears, but not of the type that are likely to "meet and greet." Up at the top of Bear Mountain is a rusticated stone tower - the Perkins Memorial Tower - as well as limited parking, trails, and benches. On this holiday weekend, the tower was closed to the public. The views available from the trails were still captivating and made it worth the trip. But I'm sure going up to the top of the tower would just give you a better view over the surrounding vegetation. In addition to the views, the topography, and the natural environment, the diversity of the people here is amazing, and I mean that in a good way. It went without saying that, in addition to people visiting from outside the area, many of those present who do reside in the Tri-state New York City area may not be native to the U.S. Thus, it's always interesting to try to figure out where they're from ... at least it is for me. I'm saving the best for last. After parking the car near the tower, descending on the trails on the slope of Bear Mountain gave a faint view of Manhattan's skyline over the hills and valleys in front of us. I was mesmerized by this. Autumn is most likely my favorite season and this state park could be a fine place to take in autumnal color midweek when there's "coffee weather" - cooler, comfortably overcast, and with fewer people. Picking up the car, having lunch, and driving up here chewed up the lion's share of the day. As such, we later crossed the Hudson on the Bear Mountain Bridge and ended up in Westchester County, thus shortchanging the time dedicated to seeing some of its highlights. I've been to Westchester County before, but for more "official" purposes, and realize more and more that it's worth going back to ... and exploring it slowly as well. Crossing the Hudson River into Westchester County and driving through it heading south made for an interesting way to reenter New York City. You can see that you're presented with what is an interesting loop trip: crossing the Hudson and up through New Jersey toward the state park and back down south, remaining in New York State ... or up through New York State, crossing the Hudson toward the state park, and then back down south through New Jersey. Either way, you can't go wrong with a well planned trip to scenic and verdant Bear Mountain State Park.

This cave is actually Fulmer mine area. Enjoy the hike up the mountain. Extremely hot, that day so…read morewe stood at the mouth of the cave to cool down! Area known for being a source of hematite. Will hike around the area again as there are several trails to hike. Delaware river is at the base and got a nice view of tubers enjoying the river along the way. We'll have to try that too sometime.

Great hike! I would recommend this hike to everyone. Very nice views. We did the whole loop and was…read moreworth it

This was a very quiet and accessible hiking point with a few options for trails with some views. We…read morewalked around and got lost for a bit while trying to go to the top of the rock but it was really nice along the way. We walked by at least two huge reservoir areas. The only thing about the trails are that they deviate from the paved path and you have to look out for the colored markers which takes you "off" the paved path but is the right way to go. We ran into some locals on the way and they were all so so helpful in giving us advice on navigating the area. I personally loved that this area wasn't too packed with people. If you park in the official lot, it's $5 and the people in the front were very nice. There's multiple points to park not so legally too if you want to risk that.

I'm an avid hiker and Black Rock has got to be my least favorite hike despite the mountain having a…read morevast amount of trails to hike. I hiked the entire outskirts of this mountain grabbing all the view points which aren't many but the few that it has were pretty darn nice but in my opinion not worth going out of your way to hike. The trails are well maintained but for some reason I'm just not a huge fan of these trails. I do however frequent Storm King mountain across the road which I visit very frequently so why not stop by here more often, I just can't pin point why I don't really like these trails. Maybe it's not super hard that's why I'm not a fan. I always recommend checking it out for yourself because maybe you'll love this place.

I think this may be my favorite state park within a short driving distance from my home. There are…read moreso many hiking trails of different levels, and carriage road trails too! And the views are amazing, plus there are a bunch of waterfalls! While it does get crowded, especially in the parking lots, I find the hiking trails to be a little less crowded than the parks that are a little closer to NYC. Even though I am not a rock climber I do also enjoy seeing the climbers out there doing their thing.

This is my eighth review of MSPP, and each one has been 5 stars. Today was no different. Came by w…read morebest friend, Pots & Pans AKA, The Missing Ink. We had designs on hiking to Lake Awosting and swimming, but today was very hot and humid w the only breeze coming from fluttering butterfly wings. Plus LA is over an 8-mile round-trip. So, discretion being the better part of valor, we looped around Lake Minnewaska (about 2 miles), and rewarded ourselves w a very refreshing dip in that lake. Beautiful scenery as well. Please remember to leave no trace (carry out what you carry in). Also, good idea to bring bug spray as this is black fly season. Sunscreen as well. 5 scenic, refreshing stars

I visited Hudson Highlands State Park for the first time to hike the Blue Trail, also known as the…read moreCornish Trail. It was only my third time hiking, and that's when I realized how much I love hiking. I definitely plan to hike more often. The Blue Trail is considered beginner-friendly, I found parts of it a bit challenging because of the incline. Still, the effort was worth it, the view of South Beacon Mountain was absolutely beautiful. The hike itself was a great experience, especially with friends. Near the train station, there are small shops where you can grab food, drinks, or any last-minute supplies. There are also restrooms by the station and portable toilet near the trail areas. I would definitely come back to hike there again, maybe do the red trail.

One of the best hikes that I have gone on this year! Initially, we were going to do the Bull Hill…read moreFull Loop which is an estimated 3-4 hours. This is definitely a moderate trail. If you go in the winter, take caution with the ice when climbing to the top. After about an hour into the trail, you will see a sign to continue on the Full Loop or the Short Loop. When we reached that point, we switched to the Bull Hill Short Loop. It took around 3 hours to complete. The trails have beautiful views! You will see other hikers, but everyone keeps a safe distance. Take time to stop and enjoy the surrounding. There are portable toilets at the beginning of the trail with hand sanitizers if you need to use a bathroom.

As far as hiking trails go in the immediate NYC-metro region, this is one of the best in terms of…read moreviews and a good choice for moderate aerobic exercise. From the hilltop peaks your sightline on a clear day follows the winding path of the Hudson River and then extends for miles along the east and west horizons. Arrival to the trail is by car or train. There's no parking lot at the main two trailhead entrance/exit points so cars park alongside the road next to these markers for about half a mile each way. Arrival by metro-north train drops you off at Breakneck Ridge station, though worthwhile to double check whether it stops here on off-peak weekdays and winter months. There are a few main options for trail difficulty and length. The short loop takes 1 hour though doesn't ascend the main peaks, the long loop takes 3 hours and involves a pretty arduous (steep rock scramble for hiking novices) climb up to reach 2 main peaks, the Break Neck to Cold Spring route includes the rock scramble portion of the long loop and the takes 4 hours. There are other combinations of trails you can take, and park services has done a good job of posting trail markers so you don't get lost. My friend and I took the long trail and on a clear fall Saturday morning tons of other hikers had the same idea. The rock scramble was about 30 minutes of continuous steep ascent, some parts of which you need to push or pull yourself over boulders so a decent level of physical fitness, a good sense of balance and shoes/boots with good traction are a must. This part of the trail is one-way meaning for ascent only--descending would be rather dangerous if other people were trying to climb up at the same time--and especially bc on certain parts there's only 1-2 routes uphill with a clear path and good grip (at least for inexperienced rock climbers like me). There are signs warning not to take this route if you have a fear of heights. The second peak along the long loop requires similar rock scaling though there's an option to go up via a side route which was still steep but involved less scrambling. The rest of the loop is mild and mostly downhill though you do need to be careful of dusty (or muddy) patches and loose rocks and pebbles causing slippery slopes. Make sure to bring enough water if you're doing the longer trails, and ideally a snack to replenish some energy part way. No rest stops or bathrooms on the trail (it is after all a hiking trail in the woods) so plan accordingly! Dogs are allowed and I saw some on and off leash.

So the novice in me (and I use that term very loosely) decided to embark on this journey without…read moreeven knowing that a scramble was. The views at every point, the nice breeze amidst the summer heat, and the friendly folks along the way made this a highlight of the summer. Oh, and hiking snacks came in clutch

Cold Spring is a beautiful place, especially in the fall, and there is hiking, shopping, and…read morerestaurants. The waterfront is peaceful. There are ice cream shops and benches. You can see the Hudson and the hills. There are cruises.

Gorgeous views of the mountain and Hudson River. There are…read morebenches to sit and enjoy the view. Today, it happens to be flooded.