Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail

One of the best walks nearby NYC is the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail, which is DEFINITELY NOT for the weak of heart. Therefore, be ready for a strenuous, 20+ mile trek through Harriman State Park (near Suffern) and into Bear Mountain State Park by bringing lots of water and excellent hiking shoes. Considering how well-hidden the trailhead is, you'll also need to exercise extra caution when trying to locate it. Therefore, to access the route, simply park at a nearby restaurant and walk towards the bridge.

Following the yellow blazes will lead you to this location, where you will encounter numerous steep ascents and descents that will put you close to cliff edges and to a particularly challenging section about halfway through at the Pyngyp. Spend the night at one of the lean-tos at Stone Memorial or Big Hill if you can and complete this path over the course of a weekend. After that, you'll arrive at Bear Mountain, where you may have a short drink before taking the train back to the city.

Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail is typically regarded as a difficult route and requires an average of 12 hours and 10 minutes to finish. Although this is a well-known trail for backpacking, camping, and hiking, you can still find some peace and quiet during the slower periods of the day. The route is lovely to explore at any time of the year and is open all year. Dogs are permitted, but they must be leashed.

You can always break it up into five to fifteen mile chunks that are quite lovely if you don't want to hike the entire thing in one day. You can also take the bus (Shoreline Bus from Port Authority to Suffern) from New York City to this location and then walk from Bear Mountain to the Metro-North station at Manitou to return to Grand Central at the end of the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail.

Location: Suffern, NY
Distance: 23. 2 miles
Difficulty: Difficult
Route: Out and Back
Elevation Gain: 5,196 feet
Distance from NYC: 41 miles or about an hour drive away.

Rating: 4.4/5.0, 249 Alltrails reviews