Hike Bald Mountain, Bear Mountain State Park

From your starting point at the Bear Mountain Inn, go left along the Cornell Mine Trail. (This part can be a bit confusing, but go past the carousel to a shaded picnic area; that is where the trail starts.) You will go under a bridge and follow the trail until it takes a sharp left and descends to Route 9W, then it will cut back into the forest. Make sure to follow the blue markings. A small waterfall can be seen along the right of the trail.

Then the 1080 foot ascent begins. This is a very tough section of the trail, with many loose rocks. A larger waterfall can be viewed between the trees, but cannot be easily reached (hold off on that until later). Next, the trail meets with the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail (red circles on white). Take a right and go just a bit further up to reach the summit of Bald Mountain. The views here are gorgeous. There is also a mine opening at the top.

Continue on the RD trail and descend the mountain, then switch over to the 1777 Trail (no paint markings, but instead a little circle that says 1777), heading North. This is the path the British troops took to attack Fort Clinton and will also take you through Doodletown, a hamlet on the Hudson founded in the mid-1700s and abandoned in the 1960s. This section of the trail is mostly paved or has loose gravel.

If you would like to extend the hike a little bit, take the side trails to either the forgotten Herbert or June cemeteries or the waterfall you saw earlier. (I definitely recommend the waterfall.) Slightly after the Herbert cemetery the 1777 trail splits, take the 1777 E trail, which connects to the beginning of the Cornell Mine Trail, to return back to the Inn.