Bear Mountain Inn To Close For Renovations

Palisades Interstate Park Commission Contact: James Hall
www.friendsofpalisades.org 845-786-2701

BEAR MOUNTAIN – Beginning Monday, January 10, 2005, Bear Mountain Inn will be closed for renovations until spring 2006. Visitors can still enjoy its famous Sunday Brunch from
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Overlook Lodge, which is at the north end of Hessian Lake. Overlook Lodge will also be the site for special events including Easter and Mother’s Day dinners. Private functions can be booked at the Merry-Go-Round, Cliff House, or Overlook Lodge. Overnight accommodations will be available at the four stone lodges and Overlook Lodge. For more information or to make reservations, contact the Inn at 845-786-2731.

Other attractions at Bear Mountain will operate on their regular schedules. The Merry-Go-Round is open on weekends for rides and snacks. Trailside Museums & Wildlife Center and the outdoor skating rink can be used during their normal winter hours. Come warmer weather, visitors can explore Fort Montgomery State Historic Site, swim in the beautiful blue pool, hike along hundreds of miles of trails (including the first section of the Appalachian Trail), or fish in Hessian Lake. Car buffs will want to check out the vintage automobiles when the Wednesday Night Car Cruise resumes on the first Wednesday evening in May.

Located at the base of Bear Mountain overlooking both the Hudson River and historic Hessian Lake, Bear Mountain Inn is the architectural jewel of the Palisades Interstate Park system and is a familiar landmark for millions of people. Park employees built the Inn and its furnishings using natural materials, including chestnut and fieldstone found in the park, in 1915.

After many decades of use, the Inn now needs serious attention. Committed to enhance the park’s historic and scenic qualities, the Commission’s restoration efforts will return the Inn to its original rustic splendor while expanding amenities and updating building systems. PIPC intends to make the Inn an eco-friendly building that protects and preserves natural resources through the use of environmentally sensitive materials and equipment, a including geothermal heating and cooling plant. Bear Mountain Inn will be a “green building” with LEED certification, thus appealing to the eco-tourist trade.

The plan also calls for the enhancement of the Hiker’s Lounge and Coffee Shop, and the installation of a Hudson Valley Bookstore featuring publications on the environment, history, and architecture of the region as well as locally produced crafts and foods. Technological upgrades will make Bear Mountain and all of PIPC’s resources available to the “virtual visitor” through video and audio conferencing and web site distance learning, drawing in visitors from faraway places and providing a wealth of resource information to scientists, historians, and students.

# # # # #

V3 Last updated: January 10, 2005   Copyright © 1996-2005  New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Privacy Statement.