Harriman State Park
Categories: Active Life Parks Active Life Hiking Active Life Lakes Parks, Hiking, Lakes [Edit]
Palisades Interstate Parkway Exit 17Bear Mountain, NY 10911
(845) 942-2560
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
11 reviews for Harriman State Park
11 reviews in English
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Review from Gary L.
Updated - 11/4/2011 27 photos
Harriman State Park is my favorite place to hike in New York. The drive from the city isn't too bad either. It's just an exit or two before Woodbury Commons. Take I-87 North and exit 15A.
Our hike on Sunday was pretty fun. There was snow and a lot of fallen trees. When the weather clears up, all the fallen trees that are blocking some of the trails will be cleared up immediately.
Pack your own lunch and make sure to bring enough water for the hike. There's not much outside of Harriman State Park but if you take a short drive on Seven Lakes Drive, you will reach a town that sells plenty of antiques.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/10/2011
One of my favorite places to come to every Saturday morning except during the summer time. I try… Read more »
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Review from Audrey K.
10/18/2011
Anyone in the general area, with even the slightest interest in just being outdoors... going for a climb to clear out your head, find some quiet and get a fun work out - should go! Right now!
1. completely accessible without a car (for people like me, this is key) - you can take metronorth to a few different spots for the various trails they have
2. tons of options for difficulty level, what kind of sights you want to see, where you want to start/end
3. get a map. seriously... get a map.
Me and my friend thought that markers and smart phone access would be enough, but no... we ended up 2 miles from where we needed to be and attempted walking back. Eventually had to call a cab to the middle of nowhere because major roads/highways started appearing...
fail.
Regardless, it was a great time, had great sights, and the trail changes up a lot so you're never bored. There are plenty of areas to sit down and relax, and it isn't a crowded park with chatter all around. It's quite empty for the most part.
I can't wait to go back! This time, I will purchase a map... -
Review from Eric S.
Englewood, NJ
1/20/2012
I love hiking here. The hike can be challenging at times but there are always incredible lookouts which are great places to sit for a while. It's not too crowded so it feels cool to be in the middle of nowhere. I strongly reccomend picking up a map. It is easy to get turned around even with the trail markings. You can pick one up at the information center on the palisades parkway.
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Review from Alexis G.
7/24/2011 9 photos
Harriman State Park is lovely. The Appalachain Trail runs through here, and is a really pleasant trail to follow. However, if you're not going to pay the $11 for a trail map (I sure wasn't.), be prepared to get distracted and wander off course for a bit. Some of the trail markers can be hard to find.
All of that being said, we saw some incredible deer and tiny lizards while on our hike, and really enjoyed swimming in the lake. Even on Memorial Day, the trails were nearly empty and the lake wasn't overcrowded. It was hard to find a grill to use to barbeque, but once we found one, we were set! Everyone at this park, staff and visitors alike, were very helpful and friendly. I'll certainly be returning once the weather cools down! -
Review from Marcia P.
5/8/2011
This IS a five-star park... for the NYC area.
Love to hike here in the fall; lots of colors and great views of them from rocky crags. Just went for my first springtime hike and enjoyed the thin foliage letting more light in. A bit gnatty and muddy, but still beautiful. Always takes an hour from the city, to exit 14, not 17, off the PIP. The way back is often compromised by bad GWB traffic... so now we use the Tappan Zee and go down the Saw Mill or hit the Bronx River Pwy and eat on Arthur Ave... pasta after hiking is a perfect day! -
Review from Dora T.
Manhattan, NY
9/21/2011
This place is great fun. However just a tip for anyone going during the off-season, I guess that means starting September, make sure you check with the visitor center since more than half of the park is closed. It wasn't fun driving around trying to find a parking lot that was open. Eventually when we parked, we were able to unwind in all the nature and beauty of the park!
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Review from Jason G.
6/12/2011
One of the best places to go hiking in the NYC area. I've definitely been to better parks, but this is probably the best that's within a short drive from the city. The hikes were fairly challenging... they certainly exceeded my expectations. There were definitely some nice vistas. The trail was marked fairly well, although I seemed to be much better than the others in my group at spotting the trail markers. We had a couple old maps and they were very out of date, so I recommend making sure your map is up-to-date. The park is very clean and I hope you keep it that way.
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Review from y m.
Belleville, NJ
3/18/2010
It's a wonderful park for everyone who's into outdoors.
Check out the info here too:
http://www.nynjtc.org/...
try to get a map, this place is huge!Listed in: Hiking
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Review from sparky p.
Islamorada, FL
Updated - 10/27/2009 1 photo
Update with linky for NYNJTC page on Harriman/Bear Mountain SPs. You don't have to be a member or register to view it and it contains lots of info, including directions.
http://www.nynjtc.org/...Listed in: Earth
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/14/2009
Harriman is the second largest state park in NY, and as such enables pretty much anyone to get away… Read more »
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Review from Greg M.
New York, NY
8/14/2010
Oh come on! This is not a five-star park. It's OK; there's nothing wrong with it. It has some nice lakes, some decent hikes, even good camping spots (both car camping and hike-in). They also have crowd-oriented activities like the beaches or Bear Mountain. It's great to have such a large park so close to the city, and it's kept nice -- a testament both to other visitors and to the rangers. But let's get real. It's geologically and biologically relatively uninteresting, every step you take is on glacial rock and it's on the approach pattern for every airport in New York and New Jersey. For five stars I want fauna more interesting than deer and chipmunks, real natural waterfalls, unusual plant species, stuff like that.
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Review from Matt E.
Updated - 10/16/2009
I pretty much don't have to write a review after the other that is already on here, I agree with everything the other review has said. Harriman is one of the largest state parks in the state, in encompasses Bear Mountain (which is also a place to ski in the winter), campgrounds, beaches, and a system of trails that are wonderfully maintained and marked (two different trail maps are available in the visitors center). Some of the trails can get busy during peak times but unless you're going on the stretch of the Appalachian Trail that goes through the park you won't bump into too many people. The park in general is extremely clean and is very easy to get to from NYC making it the best refuge for those living in the concrete jungle.
Listed in: Escape from NYC
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/26/2008 First to Review
Well I had a lot of ups and downs here (literally and figuratively). First off this place is… Read more »
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