Morning Trip to Bear Mountain

Hello everyone, this will be my first post towards finding small adventures in or near New York City. I started the blog for one main reason, that is since my military service has left me with some bad joints (knee, hip and back problems), I've had to find alternate means of exercise. I have found biking and hiking helped me recover with minimal the least amount destruction to my body that say running could do. You might be asking yourself, where does one hike or bike around New York City? I have found some easy adventures that will take minimal effort that anyone should be able to do. Some adventures might just be walking outside to  take a stroll, which can be fun since you may end up in a new area you might not have ever explored. Others will be more in depth, which will take more effort in preparing for.

Our first adventure takes place on Saturday, myself, along with a few friends, decided that we wanted to go hiking. The closest trail I could think of is located in, Bear Mountain State Park, only 36 miles away. If you take the, George Washington Bridge to the Palisades Interstate Parkway North, you will come across the park fairly quickly. From here we parked at Anthony Wayne recreation area. Before we could set out on our hike, the first item on is to check our gear. Here are a few items to bring along.

1) Back pack(does not have to be fancy, school bag is fine),
2) Water,(about 2 two liters will suffice for a 3 hour hike, unless you need more).
3) Some snacks, (best is a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, they are packed with energy and are simple).
4) Camera (cell phone will do)
5) Map of the park, (Which can be found at an Easter Mountain or REI here in New York City.Also you on your drive up the Palisades parkway you will come across a gift shop that is right before your exit and they sell plenty of maps, plus the bathroom is clean and is should be used before your hike).
6) Good set of boots (in dry weather and taking the easy trails sneakers will be OK).
7) Bug spray and a first Aid Kit ( you never know).
Most of the listed items can should be found around your home, and if not then always ask a friend if they have any hiking gear you can borrow.

The trail I suggest is the, white trail, which is easily marked on trees and rocks, with white paint in the form of a square. The white trail will lead you to West Shelter mountain(See Pictures.) but you will have to travel up to the blue and gold trail which then breaks off to reveal a shelter on the west side of the West mountain. Here you can see a beautiful landscape of the Hudson river,with a back drop of mountains and if you look close you can even see New York City's sky line.

 This is a nice area to take a break. The hike only takes about three to four hours round trip, a fairly quick hike. I think the trail is about seven  miles all together. If you get a chance to explore this area of New York I highly suggest that you do so. Its free and the quietness of the park cant be beat. Enjoy your hike.

Pictures of the hike for a better idea of what the trail looks like. Fourth picture down you can see New York City, which gives you a clear picture of how close these trails really are.