Trailside Museums & Zoo

Trailside Museums & Zoo is a small native-wildlife zoo and nature museum inside Bear Mountain State Park. It is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (April 1 to November 30) or 4 p.m. (December 1 to March 31), and entry is free with a suggested donation of $1 per person in cash. You pay only the park's $10 vehicle fee, then walk about 20 minutes from the lots.

What You Will See

Trailside cares for native animals that cannot be released, injured or orphaned wildlife from the region. Along with the outdoor animal exhibits, NYS Parks lists four indoor stops:

• Herpetology House — reptiles and amphibians.
• Geology Museum — the rocks of the Hudson Highlands.
• Nature Study Museum — plants and animals of the park.
• History Museum — NYS Parks points visitors to Trailside to learn about the British campaign of 1777 that took Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery.

Inside the grounds are the remains of the Fort Clinton redoubt and a statue of Walt Whitman. Trailside also sits on the Appalachian Trail: the white-blazed trail runs straight through the zoo on a paved path, then leaves at the History Museum building for the Bear Mountain Bridge.

Hours and Admission

• April 1 to November 30: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• December 1 to March 31: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Closed: Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
• Admission: no charge; $1 per person suggested donation, cash only.

Some animals go off exhibit 30 to 45 minutes before closing, and the museums lock 15 minutes before the zoo closes, so arrive by mid-afternoon.

Getting There and Parking

Park in the main Bear Mountain lots ($10 per vehicle) and allow about 20 minutes to walk to the zoo. From the Bear Mountain Inn, the Appalachian Trail and the 1777E Trail follow the paved road past Hessian Lake, go through a tunnel under Route 9W, pass the pool, and turn left into the main entrance. There are three ways in: the main entrance near the pool, a north entrance near the Bear Mountain Bridge, and the Fort Montgomery Trail gate.

Accessible parking: pay at the main park first, display your ticket, then use the designated spaces outside Trailside's service gate on the service road off Bear Mountain Bridge Road. The path from the parking area to the main entrance, and the route through the zoo, are fully paved and suit strollers, wheelchairs and walkers, though the zoo is hilly. The north end is flatter.

Rules

Trailside's posted rules include:

• No pets, including emotional support and therapy animals. Service animals are allowed. Walk dogs round the zoo on the blue-blazed bypass trail.
• No feeding, banging on or throwing things into exhibits, and no yelling or whistling at animals.
• No picnicking inside the zoo, and no smoking.
• No bikes, scooters, skateboards or skates.
• No balloons of any kind, no music, no birthday parties, and no wedding or professional photography.
• Do not collect plants, animals or rocks.

Plan Your Visit

Allow one to two hours. Pair the zoo with a walk to the Bear Mountain Dock: turn right at the zoo entrance for a 1-mile round-trip path down past the Elk's Head statue to the river, with views of Iona Island. Or continue on the hike to Fort Montgomery, across a footbridge over Popolopen Creek.

Trailside runs seasonal programs, from a monthly guided hike series to Boo at the Zoo in late October and Holiday in the Park in early December. Check the NYS Parks events list for dates.

Good For / Maybe Skip If

• Good for: families with young children, a rainy-day half visit (the museums are indoors), anyone walking the Appalachian Trail.
• Maybe skip if: you are bringing your dog; take the bypass trail or spend the time at Hessian Lake instead.