Trails: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks have a combined total of 230 miles of hiking trails maintained by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. The parks are traversed by the Long Path and the Appalachian Trail. Access fee:Park entry pass Nearest town: Harriman, NY Trail map: NYNJTC publishes detailed maps of the trails, $10 Web site:NY State Parks | New York-New Jersey Trail Conference | Palisades Park Conservancy Points of interest: Bear Mountain Trailside Museum and Zoo Other activities: Canoeing, cross-country skiing Lodging:Bear Mountain Inn (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) has 45 rooms and suites. Harriman State Park has 37 rustic cabins and a couple full-service cottages at Lake Sebago. Camping: There are 140 campsites in Harriman State Park. Backpackers can sleep in shelters along the trails. Weather forecast:Harriman Tourism info:Rockland County
Tourism | Orange County Tourism Getting to the trail: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks are about 40 to 50 miles north of NYC on the Palisades Parkway and I-87. Several entrances to Harriman Park provide access to roads that criss-cross the park. Parking lots are located throughout the park. ShortLine Bus operates between NYC and Bear Mountain Inn. Also, ShortLine Bus and NJ Transit's Port Jervis Line serve the towns on the west side of Harriman State Park: Sloatsburg, Tuxedo and Harriman. If you feel energetic you can hike the Batt to Bear Trail from Manhattan. Map of local region:Harriman State Park and Bear Mountain Inn
Trail Name: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks I have hiked there: Several times I last hiked there in: Dec, 2005 Trails that I hiked: All Favorite trails: the trails near the lakes Best time to go: fall and spring Trail marking: Fair Trail maintenance: Fair Rating: 4 stars What I liked: Close to my home. What I disliked: Trail map is not informative. Everyone on staff discourages camping on what feels like is their back yard. roads closed most of winter. staff and administration could really care less about the hikers. they just want to make their jobs easier. badly in need of new administration. police are more harrassing then protective.
Additional comments: ask someone experienced about ways to get to the trails during winter (roads are closed off) and where to camp (not shown on the trail maps available at the info center). avoid asking staff or police.
Submitted by: JL from: NYC Date submitted: Dec 25, 2005
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Trail Name: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks I have hiked there: Several times I last hiked there in: Oct, 104 Trails that I hiked: Appalachian Trail, Popolean Gorge,
Devil's Falls area Favorite trails: Devil's Falls Best time to go: Fall Trail marking: Very good Trail maintenance: Very good Rating: 4 stars What I liked: wildlife, views (hate the highway though),
convenience, streams What I disliked: people Additional comments: Dont hunt illegally Submitted by: ConnMan from: Monroe Date submitted: Sept 12, 2005
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Trail Name: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks I have hiked there: A few times I last hiked there in: July, 104 Trails that I hiked: The Popolopen Gorge (twice)
The Appalachian Trail - various sections - 3 times Favorite trails: The Popolopen Gorge
The AT Best time to go: July Trail marking: Very good Trail maintenance: Fair Rating: na What I liked: The Popolopen Gorge has wonderful scenery.
Camping out at Turkey Hill Lake offers beautiful views of
lake. What I disliked: The garbage. Additional comments: Submitted by: Vinny - Akela446 from: Brooklyn, NY Date submitted: July 8, 2005
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Trail Name: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks I have hiked there: I last hiked there in: Apr, 2005 Trails that I hiked: Favorite trails: Best time to go: spring Trail marking: Very good Trail maintenance: Very good Rating: 5 stars What I liked: Scenery is beautiful What I disliked: Wind sounds seem like bears Additional comments: Submitted by: DJ from: Ridgewood Date submitted: May 13, 2005
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Trail Name: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks I have hiked there: Several times I last hiked there in: Nov, 2004 Trails that I hiked: I have been over at least 70% of all
the park trails - in both the north and south section of the
park Favorite trails: The R&D, Long Path and systems in the
surebridge area. Best time to go: all year - except when snow covered Trail marking: Very good Trail maintenance: Very good Rating: 4.5 stars What I liked: I have hiking the trails for a number of
years - the panoramic views, rock formation and wildlife. What I disliked: NOISY HIKERS and those who leave their
litter Additional comments: winter hiking and ice - inexperienced
hikers wearing improper footware Submitted by: ken Dudonis from: Pearl River Date submitted: Nov 27, 2004
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Trail Name: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks I have hiked there: Several times I last hiked there in: Mar, 103 Trails that I hiked: Seven Hills
Racoon Brook
Long Path
Dunning
Nurian
A-SB
R-D Favorite trails: Nurian & Seven Hills Best time to go: Fall Trail marking: Very good Trail maintenance: Very good Rating: 5 stars What I liked: Beautiful woods, diverse land scapes What I disliked: Additional comments: Careful around those mines! One is a
now a deep well. Submitted by: NJTom from: Bayonne, NJ Date submitted: Sept 11, 2004
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Trail Name: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks I have hiked there: Several times I last hiked there in: July, 2004 Trails that I hiked: all of them Favorite trails: reeves brook, blue disc, popolopen gorge,
AT, dunning, kakiat, tuxedo-mt ivy, ramapo dunderberg, rqaccon
brook hills, seven hills, HTS Best time to go: all year, Trail marking: Very good Trail maintenance: Very good Rating: 5 stars What I liked: scenery, variety What I disliked: nothing Additional comments: EZ trans from NYC, Submitted by: Susan from: Rockland county NY Date submitted: July 12, 2004
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Trail Name: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks I have hiked there: Several I last hiked there in: Mar, 2004 Trails that I hiked: Harriman Bear Mtn. trails Favorite trails: all of them! Best time to go: when it is very cold and rainy (there is
no one ;) Trail marking: Fair Trail maintenance: Fair Rating: 5 stars What I liked: the scenery, nature untouched What I disliked: not enough markers (you can get lost) Comments: your dogs will love it!!!, but be careful not to
get lost, it almost happened to me. I advise everybody to buy a
map. Submitted by: annick from: NY Date submitted: March 7, 2004
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Trail Name: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks I have hiked there: Several I last hiked there in: Feb, 2003 Trails that I hiked: Pretty sure I've been on almost all,
over the years. Favorite trails: Victory, Beech, Ramapo Dunderberg. Best time to go: August, September, and October. Trail marking: Fair Trail maintenance: Fair Rating: 5 stars What I liked: If I feel idyllic, I take Victory. For views
and a healthy ruggedness, Ramapo Dunderberg. For sheer muscular
punishment, Suffern Bear Mtn. What I disliked: Not a thing. Comments: Save the cemetaries!!! Submitted by: Rob from: Staten Island, NY Date submitted: March 29, 2003
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Area name: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks Times hiked: Several Date last hiked: July, 2002 Trails hiked: 75% of all park trails Favourite trails: long path. bald rocks Best time to go: spring, summer, fall. in the winter
theirs ice on the rocks Trail marking: Very good Trail maintenance: Very good Rating: 4.5 stars What I liked: What I disliked: Comments: Submitted by: outdoorsmen@yahoo.com from: rockland co., new york state Date submitted: July 21, 2002
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Area name: Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks Times hiked: Several Date last hiked: Nov, 2002 Trails hiked: Just about all of them. I've done a lot of
off trail hiking too. Favourite trails: The Ramapo Dunderberg Trail, the route
up the Timp, an off-trail boulder scramble up Bear Mountain from
Hessian Lake (the AT goes up there too, but is much less
interesting). Best time to go: Fall Trail marking: Very good Trail maintenance: Fair Rating: 4 stars What I liked: It's a great place to hike considering the
proxmity to NY. Off trail hiking is very feasible because there
is very little brush under the forest canopy. Its quite rocky,
and has a "big mountain" feel even though your only climbing 1000
foot hills. What I disliked: You are supposed to camp in the trail
shelters. I just don't like shelters. On summer weekends, keep
away from the picnic areas, which are overwhelmed with visitors
from NYC. But very few of them actually get out into the woods,
even on holiday weekends. Comments: You can pick up a good map at the visitor center
on the palisades parkway. Submitted by: pj from: Date submitted: June 2, 2002
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