Bear Mountain in the fall

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Trip: Bear Mountain State Park + Cold Spring, New York · Sat Oct 10, 2026 · with Chris and Nathan · a day trip from the city

Bear Mountain is a state park in upstate New York, in the Hudson Valley about 50 miles north of the city. In October the hills there turn orange, red and yellow, and you can get there and back in a day on the train. The idea was Nathan’s. He suggested it, I liked it straight away, and Chris was in too. It also worked out as a little celebration, since Chris’s birthday had been just a couple of days before.

The Hudson and the Bear Mountain Bridge, from the way up.

Getting there

Chris made sandwiches for all of us that morning, and we caught the 8:08 AM Metro-North from Grand Central. The train runs right along the Hudson, so the views start before you even get off. We got off at Peekskill.

The three of us at Peekskill, still fresh.

From the station, a friendly local woman drove us the rest of the way to the park in her taxi.

The park opens onto a big lawn next to Hessian Lake, with Bear Mountain rising right behind it. There was already a crowd.

Hessian Lake, at the foot of the mountain.

Up to the tower

Before heading up, we got one proper photo of the three of us at the trailhead.

Chris, Nathan and me at the start of the trail.

We started hiking at about 10:50, up a route of stone stairs that’s part of the Appalachian Trail. It’s a good climb, and the colours get better with every step.

The stone stairs on the way up.

The higher we went, the more colour there was. Some trees had already gone fully red.

Some trees were already fully red.

The rocks along the trail were covered in fallen leaves, every shade from yellow to deep red.

Leaves on the trail.

We stopped a lot, partly for photos and partly just to take it in.

Taking a break on the way up.

We reached Perkins Memorial Tower at the top around noon, after a lot of stops for photos. It’s a stone tower, about four storeys tall, with coin-operated binoculars at the windows, which of course we had to try.

Trying the binoculars at the top.

From the top you can see the Hudson winding between the hills, all of it in fall colours.

The view from the top.

Away from the river, the whole ridge was covered in red shrubs.

Red everywhere you looked.

Coming down, we took a different, steeper trail to finish the loop, which turned into a proper workout. We came out back by the lake.

Back down at the lake.

A fall festival, and the bridge

Back at the bottom there was a fall festival going on, with a band playing and people dancing a little. The merry-go-round was closed, but we had apple cider, cider donuts and Belgian waffles. We also bought a few magnets, and some things for Chris, for his birthday.

The zoo had already closed at 4:30, so we walked across the Bear Mountain Bridge instead, with the river below and the hills on both sides.

Walking onto the Bear Mountain Bridge.

Halfway across, we stopped for the obligatory selfie, with the mountain we’d climbed right behind us.

On the bridge.

From the middle of the bridge we watched a train go by along the river’s edge, tucked right under the cliffs.

A train running along the Hudson, seen from the bridge.

Cold Spring

From there we took an Uber to Cold Spring, a small village on the river with one main street of old shops and cafés. We got there just as the sun was going down.

The Hudson at dusk, from Cold Spring.

The riverfront has a small park and a dock, and the trees there were turning too.

The riverfront at Cold Spring.

Walking up into the village, we passed this old stone church, framed by red maples.

A church on the way into the village.

We ended the day with pizza, four different kinds, split between the three of us.

The train home

The evening train was full of other day-trippers heading home. We stood for a few stops, and Nathan managed to fall asleep standing up. Then we hopped onto a later train, got seats, and recorded a little voice note about the day on the way back.

Back in the city that night.

The best part came later. At about 2 AM, after he got home, Nathan sent us a photo of his watch.

Nathan, 2 AM: fully recovered, ready for the next trip.

It was a full, happy day: good friends, a real hike, and beautiful fall colours. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Notes to myself

The Appalachian Trail stairs up to the tower are the easy way. Next time, go back down the same way.
Good shoes, and tight laces for the steep parts.
Catch an earlier or later train home to get a seat.

Thing	Cost
Taxi from Peekskill to Bear Mountain	$45, split three ways
Metro-North, Grand Central ↔ Peekskill	round trip