Fort Montgomery & Fort Clinton

Fort Montgomery State Historic Site preserves the ruins of the Revolutionary War fort that British, Loyalist and Hessian troops stormed on October 6, 1777, on a cliff above the Hudson just north of Bear Mountain State Park. Entry is free, and the site is open Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. from mid-April through October. Its twin, Fort Clinton, attacked the same day, lies inside Bear Mountain State Park at Trailside Museums & Zoo.

Two Forts, One Battle

At the start of the Revolution, New York's "secret committee" set out to fortify the Hudson. Brigadier General George Clinton and his brother James directed the building of Fort Montgomery on the north side of Popolopen Creek, with an iron chain stretched across the river. In 1776 engineer Lieutenant Thomas Machin, sent by George Washington, built Fort Clinton on the south side of the creek, where Bear Mountain State Park is today.

On October 6, 1777, British forces under Sir Henry Clinton attacked both forts. The defenders, outnumbered 3 to 1 at Fort Montgomery, fought until driven out at bayonet point; more than half were killed, wounded or captured. General James Clinton was wounded but escaped, and many of his men ended up in New York City's Sugar House prisons. The British destroyed the forts and removed the chain, then returned to New York instead of joining General Burgoyne upriver. The next year the Americans fortified West Point and stretched a new "Great Chain" farther north.

Visiting Fort Montgomery

• Address: 690 Route 9W, Fort Montgomery, NY 10922.
• Hours: Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., mid-April through October. Off-season, group tours by reservation, depending on staff and weather.
• Admission: free during regular hours. Some tours and evening programs charge a fee; group tours are $5 a person and must be booked.
• Phone: (845) 446-2134.

The museum has original artifacts and weapons, large-scale models of the fort and the attack, battle mannequins and a 15-minute film of the 1777 assault. Outside, archaeologists have uncovered the stone foundations of barracks, the gunpowder magazine and the redoubt walls. Reproduction cannons stand on the Grand Battery overlooking the river, and staff sometimes fire them during living history programs.

Fort Clinton at Bear Mountain

NYS Parks says some remains of Fort Clinton are still visible, though most were destroyed during construction in the 1920s. Trails and signs lead past the remains of the Fort Clinton redoubt inside Trailside Museums & Zoo, and Trailside's museum tells the story of the 1777 campaign.

Hiking From Bear Mountain to Fort Montgomery

NYS Parks' suggested-hikes sheet rates this route difficult:

1. Start on the Appalachian Trail (white) on the paved road behind the Bear Mountain Inn, past Hessian Lake.
2. Turn right with the 1777E Trail (red) through the tunnel under Route 9W, past the pool, and into Trailside's entrance.
3. Walk through the zoo past the Walt Whitman statue and the Fort Clinton redoubt.
4. At the History Museum building, pick up the Popolopen Creek Trail (blue stripes on grey), down natural stone stairs on a steep, rugged route and over a footbridge across the mouth of Popolopen Creek.
5. Climb the rise to the remains of Fort Montgomery.

Back to the Inn the same way is 3.5 miles round trip; returning along the shoulder of Route 9W through the traffic circle and down the east side of Hessian Lake makes it 2.4 miles. Remember the zoo's hours (10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. most of the year) when you walk through it.

Driving

Fort Montgomery has its own entrance and parking at 690 Route 9W. It is a useful alternative on days when Bear Mountain's lots are full. See parking.

Good For / Maybe Skip If

• Good for: history lovers, families with school-age children, the 250th anniversary of the Revolution, a quiet stop near a busy park.
• Maybe skip if: you are visiting Monday or Tuesday, or November to mid-April, when the site is closed except for booked group tours.