Perkins Memorial Drive (Bear Mountain State Park - Bear Mountain State Park)

Address:Bear Mountain State Park, New York

Bear Mountain State Park is one of the most scenic areas in the lower Hudson Valley, close enough to the city for a day trip yet far enough to really feel like you are on a mountain. The park has several peaks - Dunderberg Mountain, West Mountain, and of course, Bear Mountain. At the top of Bear Mountain, via Perkins Memorial Drive is a stone tower offering views of the Hudson Valley, the Catskills are to the north and the equally impressive mass of skyscrapers of New York City, to the south. During fall foliage season, the 360 degree view of fall colors, the blue Hudson and the distant city provide one of the best foliage experiences south of Vermont.

Perkins Memorial Drive on Bear Mountain is a reminder of the Great Depression era government funded public works projects and a nice example of construction interacting well with nature. The road, partly blasted with dynamite out of the mountain winds gently up the slopes of Bear Mountain to an elevation of about 1300 feet, far enough to see the Taconic, the Catskills and the "Gunks". The road is popular among motorcyclists and mountain bikers as well.

Peak fall foliage viewing on Perkins Memorial Drive and in Bear Mountain State Park in general is usually during the last three weeks of October. Check local reports. Perkins Memorial Tower closes during the winter, but is open through peak foliage season. Access to Perkins Memorial Drive is from 7 Lakes Drive, reached from Exit 19 of the Palisades Interstate Parkway. Coming from Manhattan, take the GW.