Bear Mountain Ice Rink Now Open For the Season

BEAR MOUNTAIN – The Palisades Interstate Park Commission has announced that the Bear Mountain Ice Rink is now open for the 2022-23 season. All are welcome for a fantastic experience skating at the rink voted Best of the Hudson Valley in 2021!

“Nothing beats skating in the great outdoors at Bear Mountain State Park,” said Palisades Interstate Park Commission Executive Director Joshua Laird. “The ice rink’s magnificent views of the Hudson River and surrounding Valley might only be surpassed by the awe-inspiring experience of skating under a starry sky during one of the rink’s evening sessions.”

Bear Mountain State Park has had an outdoor ice-skating rink since 1922, when the first facility was constructed at the edge of Hessian Lake to the north of the Bear Mountain Inn. This initial rink was immensely popular, hosting 500,000 skaters for the 1928-29 season and serving as home for the West Point hockey team. A fire in 1941 destroyed the first rink, causing the park to build a new facility the following season.

Bear Mountain’s current rink was constructed in 1955 and has served tens of thousands of visitors each year since. It remains an outdoor rink, nestled against Bear Mountain with views of the Hudson River and the picturesque Bear Mountain Bridge. Just 45 miles north of Manhattan, the Rink not only provides family skating time, but is also used by many local hockey teams and as a Learn to Play location for the NY Rangers. The rink also plans a Skate with Santa event on December 17, 2022.

The rink is open for 6 public skating sessions on Fridays and Saturdays and 5 sessions on Sunday. The 8:00 PM session on Fridays and Saturday offers a wonderful opportunity to skate under the starry skies above Bear Mountain and the Hudson Valley. Sessions are 90 minutes and admission is per person (children aged 4 and under skate for free). Skate rentals and skate sharpening services are also available for those who bring their own. Parking at Bear Mountain fees are per vehicle.

90-minute public sessions weekly on Friday, Saturday & Sunday at:
10:00 AM
12:00 PM
2:00 PM
4:00 PM
6:00 PM
8:00 PM (Friday & Saturday only)

Arrive early to ensure your spot on the ice. Bear Mountain Ice Rink is weather dependent, so please check our website prior to arrival.

For more information, visit https://bearmountainicerink.org. The rink may also be rented for birthday parties and other private events.

Formed in 1900, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) is the nation’s first bi-state entity established to protect and conserve natural lands. Today it manages 21 parks and 9 historic sites spanning over 125,000 acres in New York and Northern New Jersey. PIPC’s early work helped inspire the emerging fields of environmental stewardship and education, pioneered the goal of exposing children to nature through its group campgrounds, and served as a model for the early growth of the national park system. The Commission’s maple and oak leaf logo represents the official state trees of New York and New Jersey.

Bear Mountain State Park was established in 1913, making it among the oldest state parks in New York, and is a destination for more than 2 million annual visitors who come to picnic, hike the Appalachian Trail, swim at the pool, visit the Trailside Zoo & Museums, and more. PIPC partners with the New York State Office Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation to operate Bear Mountain and the entire Palisades Region of New York State Parks for public recreation and to protect natural and cultural resources. Visit https://parks.ny.gov for more information.