It also includes several facilities such as the Perkins Memorial Tower, the Trailside Museum and Zoo, the Bear Mountain Inn, a merry-go-round, a pool, and a skating rink.

Anthony Wayne's attack of the British fort at Stony Point moved colonial troops to the west of Bear Mountain.

Conservationists inspired by the work of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission lobbied successfully for the creation of the Highlands of the Hudson Forest Preserve, stopping the prison from being built.

George W. Perkins, with whom she had been working, raised another $1.5 million from a dozen wealthy contributors including John D. Rockefeller and J. Pierpont Morgan.

The Palisades Interstate Park Commission began purchasing nearby Doodletown in the 1920s and completed the acquisition with eminent domain in the 1960s.

Originally completed in 1915, the Bear Mountain Inn is an early example of the rustic lodge style influenced by the Adirondack Great Camps and later used extensively in the National Park System.

At the summit, the 40 feet (12 m) Perkins Memorial Tower provides a view of four states and the skyline of Manhattan, 40 miles (64 km) to the south.

[10] On February 11, 1962, 35,120 spectators turned out to watch the New York State Junior Ski Jumping Championship.

[12] There are over 50 official trails covering 235 miles (378 km), featuring a wide range of difficulties and elevation changes.

In 2010, sections of the AT within the park were rebuilt by the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference, with stone steps to handle the 500,000 annual hikers.

Bear Mountain also regularly hosts cross country running events during the fall season.

High school cross country teams compete on the 3.0-mile (4.8 km) course, which mostly consists of paved walkways.