On October 24, 2026, I hiked Bear Mountain in New York on a loop that combined the white-blazed Appalachian Trail, Perkins Memorial Drive and the red-blazed Major Welch Trail. My hike covered 4.88 miles with 1,226 feet of elevation gain and took 2 hours and 11 minutes of moving time, or 2 hours and 27 minutes elapsed. I started at about 7:00 a.m., reached Perkins Memorial Tower just before 8:00 a.m. and finished around 9:30 a.m. My dog Louie joined me for the hike.

I had hiked Bear Mountain several times before, but this route gave me a different experience by adding the scenic overlooks along Perkins Memorial Drive and descending the Major Welch Trail. I would rate Bear Mountain 2.5/5 and consider it a moderate hike. On my personal difficulty scale, it falls between my Storm King and Mount Tammany hikes, while Mount Equinox and Mount Mansfield via Hell Brook Trail were much harder.

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Bear Mountain Hike at a Glance

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Bear Mountain Hike and Trail Map

Before the hike, I downloaded the free Bear Mountain Hikes, NY map through the Avenza Maps app. I already knew the area from several previous visits, but I still liked having an offline map available. The trails were very well marked, cell service was mostly reliable and I never had any navigation problems. My route began near Bear Mountain Inn and Hessian Lake and followed the standard white-blazed Appalachian Trail ascent before turning onto Perkins Memorial Drive to add three scenic roadside overlooks on the way to Perkins Memorial Tower. From the summit, I descended the Major Welch Trail back toward Hessian Lake.

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Where to Park for the Bear Mountain Hike

I parked in the main Bear Mountain State Park Parking Lot 1 near Bear Mountain Inn and Hessian Lake. New York State Parks lists a $10 vehicle-use fee, collected year-round from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays and from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. I arrived around 6:30 a.m., when there were plenty of spaces available, and the parking booth was still closed, so I did not pay when entering. The official Bear Mountain State Park website is the best place to confirm current fees, seasonal access and trail conditions before visiting.

Additional parking is available near the ice rink and Field House, although some spaces in that area were blocked off for construction during my visit. I used the Field House restroom, then took a few photos of Bear Mountain Inn and Hessian Lake before starting the hike.

By the time I finished my hike around 9:30 a.m., the main parking lot near Bear Mountain Inn was nearing capacity. There were still some spaces, but the entrance line stretched beyond the nearby traffic light and looked as though it could easily take 20 minutes or more to get through. Bear Mountain gets very busy on fall weekends, and the Hessian Lake area also attracts visitors who come for picnics, barbecues and other park activities in addition to hiking.

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Starting the White-Blazed Appalachian Trail

I started hiking at about 7:00 a.m. and followed the standard white-blazed Appalachian Trail route up Bear Mountain. The ascent includes long sections of constructed stone stairs, which make the route feel more developed and straightforward than many rocky mountain trails. Fallen leaves covered portions of the stairs, but most surfaces were dry because there had not been much recent rain. The route was very well marked, with frequent white Appalachian Trail blazes and clear signs at the main junctions.

About 15 minutes into the hike, I reached the first scenic viewpoint along the Appalachian Trail. The early start gave me a clear view across the surrounding hills and valleys as the sun was rising.

After the first viewpoint, the stone staircases continue for much of the climb toward the upper part of Bear Mountain. The trail also passes a small waterfall, although I did not find it very impressive since there had hardly been any rain lately.

The trail eventually reaches the junction near Perkins Memorial Drive, where I turned right onto the road instead of continuing straight on the Appalachian Trail. This added some distance to the hike but gave me three scenic viewpoints before reaching the summit.

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Bear Mountain Viewpoints

After turning right at the junction, I joined Perkins Memorial Drive near its dead-end section, where a loop allows cars to turn around. The paved road climbs gradually toward the summit, which was a nice change after the uneven terrain on the Appalachian Trail. I only saw a few cars that early in the morning, and they were moving slowly as drivers stopped to enjoy the views, so I never felt unsafe walking along the road. Starting early also made this section much quieter.

The second viewpoint marked on the map along the scenic byway was my favorite of the three and also my favorite view of the entire hike.

The road continues uphill toward Perkins Memorial Tower, which I reached just before 8:00 a.m. The tower appeared to be closed that early, although New York State Parks does not list separate daily tower hours. I had been inside the tower on a previous visit, but I preferred the outdoor views because the windows were dirty and somewhat foggy.

Visitors can also reach Perkins Memorial Tower by car via Perkins Memorial Drive, and the summit parking area was still mostly empty when I arrived. New York State Parks lists Perkins Memorial Drive and Tower as open from April 1 through November 30, weather permitting, while Bear Mountain State Park itself is open from dawn to dusk.

Portable restrooms are also available beside the summit parking area near Perkins Memorial Tower.

The summit area also offers broad views over the Hudson River and surrounding hills, especially in the clear early morning conditions I had during this hike.

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Red-Blazed Major Welch Trail and the Descent

After leaving Perkins Memorial Tower, I descended the Major Welch Trail toward Hessian Lake. I had not previously used this side of the mountain as my return route because my earlier Bear Mountain hikes were usually out-and-back hikes. The trail junction near the tower marked the start of my descent, and the first roughly 20 minutes after the summit were the steepest part.

The upper part of the Major Welch Trail also includes several open rocky areas with views across the surrounding landscape. One of these viewpoints provided another good look at the fall foliage and Hudson River before the trail became steeper.

The descent included steep rock slabs and rocky trail sections. The rocks had good traction because the weather had been dry, and I only used my hands in a couple of places, mostly because I wanted to be extra careful. I would not choose this descent immediately after rain, and I would not recommend it for inexperienced hikers or families with young children.

Several hikers were climbing Major Welch as I descended, while I saw only one other person traveling downhill in the same direction. If I repeated the loop, I would reverse it by climbing Major Welch and descending the Appalachian Trail on the stone stairs. That would preserve the variety of a loop while giving me the more straightforward route for the descent.

Near the end of the descent, Major Welch reaches Hessian Lake, where the paved loop around the lake leads back toward the main parking area. This was a scenic and easy finish after the steeper upper part of the trail.

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How Difficult Is the Bear Mountain Hike?

I would personally rate this Bear Mountain route 2.5/5 and call it a moderate hike. The 4.88-mile distance and 1,226 feet of elevation gain are manageable, but the steep upper Major Welch descent adds more difficulty than the Appalachian Trail stone-stair ascent. The Major Welch descent was only technical in a few places, and I mainly needed my hands when helping Louie through some of the steeper sections.

Among my recent hikes, I would rank them from easiest to hardest as Storm King, Bear Mountain, Mount Tammany at Delaware Water Gap, Mount Equinox and Mount Mansfield via Hell Brook Trail. Bear Mountain felt a little harder overall than Storm King but was clearly easier than Mount Tammany.

The Vermont hikes were in another category. Mount Equinox was harder because of its sustained elevation gain, while Mount Mansfield added much more scrambling and technical terrain. I compared those two hikes directly in my Mount Equinox vs. Mount Mansfield hiking comparison.

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Recommendations for Hiking Bear Mountain

• Arrive early. Arriving before the fee booth opened gave me an easy parking experience and a much quieter start before the weekend crowds arrived.
• Consider reversing my route. If I repeated this loop, I would climb the steeper Major Welch Trail and descend on the more straightforward Appalachian Trail stone stairs.
• Choose a dry day. Wet rock would make the upper Major Welch Trail considerably less comfortable, especially on the steep exposed sections.
• Add the scenic-road overlooks if traffic feels safe. My favorite views of the hike were along Perkins Memorial Drive, and the early hour meant very little vehicle traffic.
• Skip the picnic-area detour. I added a short detour near the picnic area close to the summit and the top of the Major Welch Trail, but there was not much to see and parts of the trail had taller grass and bushes.
• Check for ticks after the hike. I tried to keep Louie away from taller vegetation, but I still found a tick on his fur after we got home. I would recommend checking both yourself and any dogs carefully after the hike.
• Use the available facilities. The Field House across the main parking lot near the ice rink has restrooms, and portable restrooms were available near Perkins Memorial Tower.
• Download an offline map. I did not need my downloaded map to correct a wrong turn, but having Avenza available was still useful as a backup.
• Carry food and water. I did not drink during this hike because of the cool weather, but I would still recommend bringing food and water.
• Check current park information. Fees, seasonal road access, construction detours and trail conditions can change, so check the official Bear Mountain State Park website before visiting.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I liked this Bear Mountain loop because it combined a familiar climb with several new viewpoints and a more interesting return route. The stone stairs made the Appalachian Trail ascent easy to follow, the Perkins Memorial Drive overlooks provided some of the best scenery of the morning and the Major Welch descent added enough difficulty to keep the hike challenging without feeling overwhelming.

I would hike Bear Mountain again, but next time I would climb Major Welch and descend the Appalachian Trail, keep the Perkins Memorial Drive viewpoints and skip the picnic-area detour. Finishing with about 10,670 steps made it a good-length morning hike without taking up most of the day. For me, Bear Mountain fits nicely between Storm King and Mount Tammany as a moderate Hudson Valley hike with multiple route options and excellent fall views.

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