Bear Mountain State Park

Bear Mountain State Park covers roughly 20.5 square kilometers on the west bank of the Hudson River in Orange and Rockland Counties, about 50 miles north of New York City. The park was established in 1913, in part because conservationists lobbied to block plans to site a state prison on the land — an early and influential victory for the American parks movement. The Perkins Memorial Drive winds to the 1,280-foot summit of Bear Mountain, where on clear days the Manhattan skyline is visible to the south. Hiking trails of varying difficulty, Hessian Lake for swimming and fishing, and large picnic areas make it one of the most visited state parks in New York.