(Bear Mountain, NY – November 4, 2023) The Palisades Interstate Park Commission is pleased to announce the opening of the Bear Mountain Ice Rink for the 2023/24 season.  Join us on November 4^th for the first skate at the rink that was voted Best of the Hudson Valley three years running!

Bear Mountain State Park has hosted outdoor ice-skating 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 people in the 1928-29 season and serving as the home rink for West Point’s hockey team.  In 1941, a fire destroyed the first rink and its ice making piping, forcing the park to build a new rink the following season. 

Bear Mountain’s current rink was constructed in 1955, serving tens of thousands of visitors each year since. The beautiful outdoor rink is nestled against Bear Mountain with views of the Hudson River at the picturesque Bear Mountain Bridge.  Just 45 miles north of Manhattan, the Rink not only provides family skating time for visitors but is also used by local schools and as a Learn to Play location for the NY Rangers.

Starting Saturday, November 4^th the rink will be open for 6 skating sessions on Fridays and Saturdays and 5 sessions on Sunday.  On Fridays and Saturday, the last session is a nighttime session, where you can skate under the stars. Sessions are 90 minutes and admission is only $5.00 per person (children aged 4 and under skate for free). If you need skates, you can rent them for $10.00 or skate sharpening services are provided for $10.00 a pair. Parking at Bear Mountain is $10.00, and all skating sessions are weather permitting, be sure to check the website prior to arrival.

For more information, please visit https://bearmountainicerink.org.  See you at the rink!

Bear Mountain State Park is one of 21 parks and 9 historic sites in New York and New Jersey that are operated by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC). Established in 1908, Bear Mountain is one of the oldest State Parks in New York. The park receives some 2 million annual visitors who come to picnic, hike the Appalachian Trail, swim at the pool, visit the Zoo, and more. PIPC work with the New York State Office Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation to manage these parks for public recreation and to protect natural and cultural resources. Visit https://parks.ny.gov for more information.