There are resident populations of black bear and timber rattlesnake scant miles from New York City.
Hikers can easily lose themselves here for weeks of exploration.
Both the Appalachian Trail and the Long Path pass along these hills. In fact, the very first section of the Appalachian Trail to be built was at Bear Mountain. And yet on a recent July 4th weekend the park had to close, saturated with visitors. This is one of New York City's playgrounds, though a paltry few visit the vast acreage of backcountry. It is an excellent park to walk in autumn because hunting is always forbidden.