• Where:  a loop on the West side of the Hudson river, from the George Washington Bridge to the Bear Mountain Bridge -- through Bergen county in NJ, and Rockland and Orange counties in NY.  On the way out it goes through the hills of the interior, then it returns close by the Hudson river.
   

• 101 miles, hilly (6400 vertical feet, hill index 4.2). 

• Highlights:  This is the great (non-train-supported) bicycling adventure that can be done from Manhattan without any assistance from trains or car shuttle.  It offers quite a mix:  several views along the Hudson river shore, a great bridge crossing, unpopulated hill country riding beside pretty lakes with islands.  It goes through wealthy suburbs, also cities whose prosperity has passed;  both four-line highways and 3-foot-wide paths.  And several classic descents.  [ Story ] 
   

• Characteristics:  Lots of hills, some long, some steep.  One section on a dirt path (the way to avoid this gets into a different problem). 

Traffic:  This route has a larger number of miles with moderate and high volumes of motor vehicle traffic than most routes on this website.   And there are specific road sections that have greater traffic-interaction risks and require "advanced" traffic-handling skills.  (For one section, we say that the our way to handle the traffic is to get all the way off the road onto the grass.)  See more details. 

see Trip Reports | Traffic Notes

• warning:  Riding a bicycle on roads has dangers and risks that need to be taken seriously.  For more on those, see our page on risks.

Description | Map | Cue Sheets - A - B - C - D  | Reports | Photos | Traffic | more routes

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More . . . 

• Alternate routes:

For route directions for going in the opposite direction alongside the River up the West side (south-to-north), see the first half of the GWB to Bear Mt Bridge Loop.

To focus on the fun downhills around Bear Mountain, see Seven Lakes to the River.

To connect with Metro North trains at stations on the East side of the Hudson river, see Bear Mt to Newburgh-Beacon Bridge and Train Stations with Bicycle Routes.  

To explore further North, see the Bear Mt to Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Loop.

see More adventures from the George Washington Bridge.

• Directions to Start points: 

East end of George Washington Bridge:  See the GWB -- Central Park and Manhattan to Nyack routes.

	West end of George Washington Bridge: To get to the West end of the south walkway of the George Washington Bridge at Hudson Terrace / Route 505 in Fort Lee, New Jersey.  From New Jersey by car:  Starting from NJ Turnpike, I-95 Northbound, or I-80 Eastbound:  Get into the Local lanes of the George Washington Bridge approach. Keep working into the Right-hand lanes. Exit on the Right at the "last exit in New Jersey" (last time we were there, it said Rt 67 / Lemoine Ave).  At the end of the exit ramp, continue straight (becomes Bridge Plaza South) -- avoid left turn onto Lemoine Ave.  Then continue straight East to Route 505 / Hudson Terrace, and find parking  -- some possibilities to consider are on Hudson Terrace (north under the GWB roadway) or in Fort Lee Historical Park (south of GWB). From New Jersey by bike:  See these pages for some ideas: New York Harbor Circle NYC to Bear Mt Adventure -- section A or section D GWB to Piermont and Nyack Warning:  Getting there riding on a bicycle may require more capability in handling vehicle traffic interaction than the route itself, with more risks and dangers than the route itself. From Manhattan by bike:  Check the New York City Bike Map at some of these websites -- can also purchase a nice paper copy.  See also these pages for ideas: GWB to Central Park loop north Manhattan: East side Section J of GWB / Bear Mt Bridge loop south Manhattan: Westside Greenway path Getting around in NYC with a bicycle | Map Warning:  Getting there riding on a bicycle may require more capability in handling vehicle traffic interaction than the route itself, with more risks and dangers than the route itself.

Bear Mountain State Park by train:  From the Metro North stations in Garrison or Cold Spring, get to Route 9D go South, then ride West across the Bear Mountain bridge.  See the Bear Mountain to Newburgh-Beacon Loop route for detailed directions. 

Bear Mountain State Park by car:  From the New York State Thruway, take exit 16 and then Route 6 East toward the Bear Mountain bridge.  At the traffic circle just before the bridge. turn Right onto Route 9W South and reach the Park soon with obvious signs to parking.

Other starting points:  Allendale NJ, Airmont NY, Harriman State Park, Stony Point, Haverstraw, Nyack, Piermont.

• Maps:  You should have detailed road maps of Bergen county (New Jersey) and Rockland and Orange counties (New York) to do this route (see Maps). 
   

Description | Map | Cue Sheets - A - B - C - D  | Reports | Photos | Traffic | more routes

back to Top | more River Routes | more NYC routes | more GWB routes