Guide to Bear Mountain: Fall Foliage and Hiking Tips

Intro

And it was the Fall season. After a few weeks of Halloween events from West to East Coast, I was ready for a day trip to do something I enjoy for a couple of weeks at the beginning of this beautiful season, hiking along the Hudson River. But it seemed the peak foliage was already here, so I had to hurry up to go to any of those towns and go up the hills.

I had been to Bear Mountain before many times. But it seemed a convenient spot for a hike this year. Like I said back in previous posts, I was not going to take that river cruise up to the mountain, but instead this time I would use the Coach USA bus to go directly from Port Authority in NYC. Let’s go hike!

Getting to Port Authority Bus Terminal

The bus departed at 8:45 AM, so we arrived like 45 min earlier. Got a Dunkin cold brew and waited in line. We had gotten the tickets a couple of days back online. There was not much information, but I was lucky that I had taking the bus before, and kind of knew what to expect and what to do.

The scheduled showed 8:45 AM on Gate 408 for Bear Mountain. The bus would go directly there, and drop us off at the Bear Mountain Inn at the bottom of the hill.

There was definitely some confusion, as online they said a couple of gates that were next to this one, but those were reserved for other destinations. The workers of Coach USA definitely helped us clearing all the questions we had.

Arriving to Bear Mountain Inn

After the bus stopped around 10:25 AM at the parkin lot of Bear Mountain Inn, we went in to explore the resort. The gift store is really cute and full of a lot of souvenirs and useful stuff referencing the Bear Mountain.

But the foliage seemed pretty perfect for the hike. Plus it was not super chilly. And it was sunny, I was really hoping we would be able to see the skyline of New York City from above.

Hiking up the hill

We started to go up, but this time my friend got me a surprise. He had never been in this mountain, but he hiked a lot where he used to live. He chose to take the path that is not paved, or have the steps. I always used the steps before. The leaves on the floor and the nice day kept me going though.

I was not familiar at all with this alternative path, but it seemed it was famous since a lot of people were going up and down. At some point we reached a spot with a 70 degrees rock. Fortunately, my friend helped me going up this rock. I do not know if I had been able to do this by myself lol. I was literally scared for my life. Was not planning on climbing rocks today. We caught a nice view of the Hudson Valley from mid way already.

The trails have very good signs tho, and besides the little colored ones, there were ones like this in both English and Spanish in some spots.

The top of Bear Mountain

We finally made it to the top after 1 hour. We had brought some snacks that we had already eaten on the way up: protein bars, beef jerky, etc. But this time we were eating a proper meal prepped with salmon and rice. It would give us enough energy for the hike down. But for now, we were going to enjoy the views from up the mountain. The valley is really huge. From the Perkins Memorial Tower it looks so amazing with the colorful leaves.

And yes, we were able to see the New York City skyline from up here, yay! The silhouettes of One World Trade Center, Empire State, and now JP Morgan buildings were very recognizable.

The park was busy, but it seemed many people were skipping this day for some reason compared to other years I had come. Although in the main point of view spot it got really crowded. Going up the tower is completely free.

It is kind of narrow inside but it is very doable. Just maybe rest before going up after the long hike up. There is a vehicle path to get up here too, you do not need to hike necessarily if you have a car.

Going back down

After some time, we decided to go back down. The bus was going to pick us up around 4 PM, so we still had some time to kill.

The fall colors kept keeping us busy taking pictures and enjoying what was all around us.

We chose to use the steps to go down. It was definitely way easier. Like you would not believe it.

The Hudson Valley formed when massive Ice Age glaciers bulldozed through the region, carving out a deep path and leaving the Hudson River to flow through it once they melted. Basically, glaciers did the hard work, the river took over, and boom—the valley was born. The Bear Mountain Bridge was on sight. This is another way to come here, juts taking the MetroNorth to the station on the other side, and Ubering to the Bear Mountain Inn.

The views got so good when we were looking towards the Hudson River. New York is really so beautiful.

Doing the steps doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easier. Some parts are congested and crowded. And some parts have the steps disappearing, leaving you in steep paths. Be careful, wear comfortable shoes, and use a stick for balance if you need to.

Exploring down around the resort

We made it back down, and we were exhausted. We decided to go back to the Inn, and get some coffee. We needed it.

There were some pedal boats on the lake, and it actually seemed nice, except for the fact it was so sunny and we were exhausted lol.

From the big lawn behind the Bear Mountain Inn, we spotted from very far away some hikers on the Anthony’s Nose Lookout. We were in shock. That seems like an amazing view, but it is definitely more difficult and longer than the one we just had done, and we were so tired. Maybe we need to train and get in shape for that one.

More on the back there was the Bear Mountain Carousel, which is under a roof and actually working when we arrived. It seemed like a lot of fun.

We hung for a few minutes on the hotel lobby, before it was time to start checking for the bus. We saw the Coach USA bus from the Inn, and decided to run to get some good spots in it. We arrived back to NYC a couple of hours later.

We really had fun in this escapade from the city. I love a Fall hike, and I was glad I did not get to skip this year, and was able to see the foliage 🙂