Doodletown Bridle Path Loop Trail is a 7.5 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Bear Mountain, New York that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
kid friendly
hiking
nature trips
walking
bird watching
running
forest
lake
views
wild flowers
wildlife
muddy
rocky
Lovely hike. One really steep section but the rest is very manageable and kid friendly and the steep section comes about 1/3rd in.
Amazing trail, very steep incline but totally worth it!
Great hike- I took a Lyft from Peekskill Metro North to the trailhead on Rte 9. Follow the blue blazes until the junction with signs- and then follow the white blazes with the red circle to get to the top of Bald Mountain. Well-worth the hike up- great views of Bear Mt and several others, as well as the Hudson. Warning- easy to go off trail here, and I did so several times. I used Gaia GPS and brought a charger for my phone.
Decent parts, pretty moderate trail. Not hard. No peak views. Good for historic views.
Trail was a hard start and got a little better during the valley. Had a ton of up hill and the down hills only got hard to the end. To conclude, it was a hard trail but well worth the effort.
Awesome trail! Definitely a bit of effort but worth it. Good combination of terrains and views. Some great ups. Near the top of the summit we saw a timber rattler snake. Nice big one. I highly recommend this trail.
Challenging extremely fun with one of the best views in NYS keep an eye out for the rattle snakes!!
Larry E recorded Doodletown Bridle Path Loop Trail
I was a little disappointed in the Doodletown ruins. At many “sites”, there was just a placard saying whose house had been there, but you couldn’t see a foundation. Maybe there was one there and it was so overgrown with greenery that you just couldn’t see it. The summit was very nice however, with great views of mountains and the Hudson River. No bugs at all on the day I hiked.
Without the map on this app and the PRO upgrade I would have been lost. This is an uphill hike but scenic and historic. Gave me a workout.
Good hike. We went clockwise which is the more steep climb and happy we did. The counterclockwise gets you to the ruins and the cemeteries, but the trail is exposed and on a road that is in disrepair. For historical purposes it was fine, but for hiking purposes it was not pleasant. Overall a good hike for the views of the Hudson and the skyline of NYC, but the 2 mile stretch at the end was torture (I hate exposed road hikes)
A local favorite, Bald Mtn is rigorous, the Timp more mellow, and Doodle Town is historic (don't miss the spooky old cementary)!!
David Lawter recorded Recording - Jul 13, 11:01 AM
Awesome trail. Lots in woods and rocky trails, but great payoff with killer views of the Hudson River Valley.
Took 4.5 hours to complete the loop, went off trail once on the descent. Markers going counter clockwise could be a bit clearer but the view of NYC and the river from the top was great! I recommend going clockwise, the incline at the beginning is much steeper. Be on the lookout for snakes.
This hike was long but lovely! It took us about 5 hours—and it had a little something for everyone. There were 2-3 amazing vistas and a part of the trail that takes you through the ruins of a town called Doodletown. I loved the little plaques with history about its residents. Definitely do the trail clockwise so you end at Doodletown and start with the uphill portion.
Go clockwise. Trail was well marked until Timp Road, which is incredibly rocky. First part is super steep up to Bald mountain, second summit isn’t nearly as tough. Stroll through doodletown is lovely, save some time for some detours to the reservoir and cemeteries.
PK 1 recorded Doodletown Bridle Path Loop Trail
Cut it short due to time but very interesting historical hike.
I did not do the first part but I did hike down from west mountain using the second half of the trail. It was mostly hiking down a rocky stream bed and then turned into the old Doodletown road. There are no trail marks but if you have the app open it isn’t hard to follow. Cool old buildings and historical markers but the trail was too rocky for me to enjoy.
Horrible markings. I do not know how I would have gotten out without this app. Seriously almost had a panic attack trying to find my way out.
great hike did it a few weeks ago
An excellent hike, with varied terrain, excellent views and beautiful trails. A word to the wise: if you load and follow the exact path outlined above, please be aware that this is not 5.5 miles. The complete loop, covering Bald, The Timp and Doodletown is 7.5 miles. Wonderful, none the less, but plan accordingly. Not the first Harriman/Bear Mtn Park hike that’s miles off in distance on this app...
Some stretch of the trail is completely rocky. Beautiful view of falls in many places - great for picnic. Wish there were more signs to indicate the trail paths. Hiking in fall is perfect here as there were no bugs. :)
