Bear Mountain Trail

Date: July 12th, 2015
Location: Suffern NY through Harriman State Park to Bear Mountain NY.
Adventure: 23 miles, 5, 400 feet elevation gain

The Suffern Bear Mountain trail is roughly 23 miles long and can be picked up right from the Suffern Train Station in New York. From there you will follow the yellow brick road (yellow blazes) that mark the sidewalk that will take you right to the base of the trail which will then lead you straight up a few hundred feet to begin the day.

This traill dates back to 1924 when Major Welch; who was the General Manager of the Palisades Interstate Park (established in 1900 by governor Theodore Roosevelt and Foster M. Voorhees of NJ), first proposed the idea of this point to point trail. You will follow the yellow blazes all the way to Bear Mountain State Park, gaining close to 6, 000 feet and if you add the climb to the top of Bear Mountain, you can easily accumulate over 7, 000 feet of vert in 25+ miles. You can take either the Major Welch Trail or the Appalachian Trail to the top of Bear Mountain, both are found at the trail junction where the SBM trail ends.