Bear Mountain Inn

Situated at the base of Bear Mountain and overlooking the shores of Hessian Lake, the historic Bear Mountain Inn, built in 1915, is the centerpiece of a unique park system that stretches from the edge of New York City through the Hudson Valley. As one of the earliest rustic-style lodges built to take advantage of a natural setting, Bear Mountain Inn is a fabulous contemporary of the great National Park lodges. Bear Mountain State Park was born out of the conservation efforts of the Harriman Family in 1908, before ecological conservation was the popular movement it is today. What was soon to be the future site of Sing Sing Prison eventually became the hallowed grounds of The Bear Mountain Inn thanks to the Harriman’s and the youthful Palisades Interstate Park Commission. While development of the prison had begun in 1908, Mr. Edward Henry Harriman chose to donate thousands of acres of his family’s land (to eventually become Harriman State Park), along with $1 million to the PIPC on the condition that the State of New York stop work on the prison and make Bear Mountain into a park. By 1910, the base of Bear Mountain was bustling with activity to create a State Park. Since its first year of operation in 1915, Bear Mountain Inn has been the centerpiece of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. It was originally constructed as an open-air pavilion to facilitate food service. By the winter of 1923 the great stone arches of the Inn (still visible today) were retrofitted with windows and enclosed to make the Inn a year-round attraction. For more information and to make a reservation, please visit http://www.HistoricHotels.org.