Bear Mountain Summit Loop

Harriman & Bear MountainLoopVerified September 9, 2026

The Hudson from Perkins Memorial Tower, where the loop begins, at the trailhead. Photo: Roadgeek Adam, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Distance

1.3 mi

2.1 km · NYNJTC

Elevation gain

177 ft

54 m · USGS 3DEP

Time

½ h–¾ h

computed, Naismith's rule

Difficulty

easy

index 21, computed

Blazes

White (Appalachian Trail)Red ring on white (Major Welch Trail)Blue (connector trail)

NYNJTC

Getting there

By car

trailhead parking · NYNJTC

The route

Topographic map of Bear Mountain Summit Loop

Appalachian Trailwhite stripe blazesmile markerswalking direction, as the park describes the loop

Trail line from OpenStreetMap (2007688, 6294261, 232450608, 232450759), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Tiles © OpenTopoMap, CC-BY-SA.

Download GPX GeoJSON Walk there in Google Maps Apple Maps

Weather at the trailhead

Day	High	Low	Forecast	Rain	Wind
Wed, Sep 9	81°F 27°C	69°F 21°C	Partly Sunny, night: mostly cloudy then chance rain showers	41%	2 to 9 mph S
Thu, Sep 10	82°F 28°C	62°F 17°C	Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Sunny, night: partly cloudy	29%	10 to 14 mph W
Fri, Sep 11	74°F 23°C	56°F 13°C	Sunny, night: mostly clear	1%	5 to 9 mph NW
Sat, Sep 12	76°F 24°C	63°F 17°C	Mostly Sunny, night: partly cloudy then chance showers and thunderstorms	44%	2 to 6 mph SE
Sun, Sep 13	78°F 26°C	64°F 18°C	Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, night: slight chance rain showers then mostly cloudy	44%	5 mph S
Mon, Sep 14	79°F 26°C	62°F 17°C	Mostly Sunny, night: partly cloudy	9%	6 mph NW
Tue, Sep 15	79°F 26°C	65°F 18°C	Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers, night: chance rain showers	25%	7 to 10 mph S

Forecast for Perkins Memorial Tower parking area from the National Weather Service (OKX office), issued Sep 9, 6:05 AM, fetched Sep 9, 7:06 AM; refreshed hourly. Public domain.

Today at the trailhead: sunrise 6:30 AM, sunset 7:17 PM (computed, NOAA solar algorithm). Check the last train against sunset.

Route by trail

Mile	Trail	Blazes	Length
0.0	Appalachian Trail	White stripe	0.9 mi
0.9	Unnamed way	—	0.2 mi
1.1	Appalachian Trail	White stripe	0.3 mi

Trail names and blazes from the OpenStreetMap route relations, lengths measured along the drawn line, in walking order.

Along the way

Mile	What	Name	Elevation
0.0	Parking	unnamed	—
0.0	Viewpoint: Perkins Memorial Tower	Perkins Memorial Tower	—
0.0	Drinking water	unnamed	—
0.0	Information board	unnamed	—
0.0	Monument: Joseph Bartha	Joseph Bartha	—
0.0	Viewpoint	unnamed	—
0.0	Toilets	unnamed	—
0.1	Summit: Bear Mountain	Bear Mountain	1,293 ft
0.4	Viewpoint	unnamed	—
0.9	Viewpoint	unnamed	—
0.9	Viewpoint	unnamed	—
0.9	Parking	unnamed	—
1.0	Viewpoint	unnamed	—

Features within 120 m of the line from OpenStreetMap (ODbL), fetched 2026-09-09. Mile is the distance along the line to the nearest point on it.

Getting there by car

Perkins Memorial Tower parking area

41.31159, -74.00699

Directions in Google Maps Apple Maps

Trailhead from the managing agency · verified 2026-09-09. No station is within a verified walk of this trailhead.

Elevation profile

Elevation sampled every 50 m from USGS 3DEP Elevation Point Query Service (2026-09-09). Gain 54 m, loss 54 m. Hover the profile to see the spot on the map.

Every fact, with its source

Fact	Value	Source	Verified
Distance	2.1 km (1.3 mi)	NYNJTC	2026-09-09
Elevation gain	54 m (177 ft)	USGS 3DEP	2026-09-09
Route type	Loop	NYNJTC	2026-09-09
Time	½ h–¾ h (computed, Naismith's rule)	formula	computed
Difficulty	easy (index 21, computed)	formula	computed
Blazes	White (Appalachian Trail), Red ring on white (Major Welch Trail), Blue (connector trail)	NYNJTC	2026-09-09
Managed by	Palisades Interstate Park Commission / NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation	NYNJTC	2026-09-09
Trailhead	Perkins Memorial Tower parking area 41.31159, -74.00699	NYNJTC	2026-09-09
Parking, fee, lot times	Not yet verified	—	—

Distance2.1 km (1.3 mi)

Elevation gain54 m (177 ft)

Route typeLoop

Time½ h–¾ h (computed, Naismith's rule)

Difficultyeasy (index 21, computed)

BlazesWhite (Appalachian Trail), Red ring on white (Major Welch Trail), Blue (connector trail)

Managed byPalisades Interstate Park Commission / NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

TrailheadPerkins Memorial Tower parking area 41.31159, -74.00699

Parking, fee, lot timesNot yet verified

Permits & closures

No permit, reservation, or capacity rule is recorded for this hike. Check the official sources before you go.

Seasonal

Trail detours near the Bear Mountain Inn affect the Suffern-Bear Mountain, Appalachian and Major Welch Trails during construction into summer 2027. source · verified 2026-09-09

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Wrong walk time? Closed trail?

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