Doodletown Bridle Path Loop Trail is a 5.7 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Bear Mountain, New York that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
There is a fee of $10 per vehicle. Fees are collected on weekdays between 6/22-9/2. For the rest of the year, fees are only collected on the weekend. Empire Passholders can get in for free. Highlights include grand views of the Hudson River Valley, historic revolutionary roads, Doodletown Reservoir, mining area, and awesome Split Rock Falls. Free parking is available. Offline map recommended. Users have reported that the trail is not marked well.
great trail but for an experienced hiker. You need good boots or at the very least trail shoes bc it is rocky and varied in parts. it's January so there was lots of ice on spots of the trail- wish I'd had poles or spikes. Would definitely do again!
Poorly maintained trail littered with fallen trees, broken pavement and lined with dead trees.
Only giving this two starts because of the amazing views. This trail went on forever. Took about 5 hours. Be prepared to be out of breath a lot. The inclines are very steep and there are lots of scrambles. It was wet and icy. At one point we walked at least 2 miles through a creek. It is very easy to get lost here. The trails are not marked well. There was not a sole insight. Didn’t see any wildlife besides one deer. The “end” of the trail doodle town path seems like it might never end.
A beautiful trail every step of the way. Definitely challenging, especially the first two miles up to Bald Mountain. Definitely get there early for parking, there is only a small lot on the side of the road. Lots of loose rocks and smaller boulders so it’s easy to lose footing, but overall not insanely difficult. The last part looping back through doodletown is flat and easy. Not overly crowded either.
Followed the map precisely and ended up with around 7miles and around 4h. Came at 10am and parking was full, but when we came down it was super packed! Definitely be prepared for rocky paths. And no restrooms.
We arrived a little after 10am on Saturday and parking was manageable along the road but then very busy by the time we made it back. We did the full loop and ended up being closer to 7 miles but all worth it! Very nice trail with the leaves changing and 2 peaks with great views. Had to keep the map open a little more than usual since some parts are not as clearly marked. Overall a good challenge for a moderate rating.
GO EARLY. Got there at 9:30 on Saturday and was able to get a spot by the trail. By the end of the hike, around 1:00, no chance of finding parking. Overall a beautiful hike otherwise! Bring boots because it is Rocky!
Great hike, definitely one of my favorites but the trail is definitely 6.5-8 miles depending if you go off trail at all which is relatively easy to do in some spots as it’s not well marked. Many loose rocks and steep inclines+declines, so hiking shoes are a MUST. Great workout and ever better views! Got there around 9 am and parked no problem but it was packed when we left around 1:30 pm.
Haha I liked this trail a lot. We went on a beautiful Sunday and got there around 10:00 am. Parking was ok, but by the time we left around 2:00 it was packed. Get there early! The highlight was that there were 2 separate vista points that were expansive and amazing. We got 2 different views of the Hudson valley. We could even see the NYC skyline in the distance! Decent trek. The first bit is a steep incline and a bit challenging but the rest is solidly moderate terrain. Took us about 3 1/2 hours. Be aware there are no toilets at the trail head so pack some toilet paper and hand sanitizer!!