New York · Hiking

Bear Trail

0.8 mi
round trip
354 ft
climb
932 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Aug–Sep
best months

Bear Trail is a short, easy hike in Buttermilk Falls State Park in New York, managed by State Park and Recreation. The trail is about 0.8 miles long and rises about 52 feet from a low point of 878 feet to a high of 932 feet. It is an out-and-back route, and the total round-trip distance is about 1.7 miles. Summer and early fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Ithaca show July highs around 80°F and September highs near 72°F, with no snow days from May through September. Winters are cold and snowy, with January highs around 31°F and snow on about 12 days that month. The Rim Trail starts just 0.1 mile away, and the Campground Trail and Owl Creek Trail are both within half a mile. The Finger Lakes Trail (Eastern Finger Lakes Region) passes about 1.3 miles off.

  • Best time to go · Aug–Sep

    Best time to visit Bear Trail

    Best months: August–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      31° / 15°

      16 wet · 12 snow

    2. Feb

      33° / 15°

      13 wet · 10 snow

    3. Mar

      41° / 22°

      14 wet · 7 snow

    4. Apr

      54° / 33°

      14 wet · 2 snow

    5. May

      67° / 44°

      14 wet

    6. Jun

      76° / 53°

      13 wet

    7. Jul

      80° / 58°

      13 wet

    8. Aug

      79° / 56°

      12 wet

    9. Sep

      72° / 49°

      12 wet

    10. Oct

      59° / 39°

      15 wet

    11. Nov

      47° / 30°

      15 wet · 4 snow

    12. Dec

      36° / 22°

      15 wet · 9 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Ithaca Cornell Univ, NY, 4.3 mi away at 960 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Lake Treman TrailPhoto: vwcampin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Lake Treman Trail

~1 min drive

Easy out-and-back hike to a scenic glacial lake in the Finger Lakes.

Finger Lakes Trail (Eastern Finger Lakes Region)Photo: javajoe6, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Finger Lakes Trail (Eastern Finger Lakes Region)

~2 min drive

0.30-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 121 ft gain and 453 ft loss.

Cayuga TrailPhoto: seabamirum, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Cayuga Trail

~10 min drive

Nearly 8-mile point-to-point trail near Cayuga Lake in New York's Finger Lakes.

Gorge TrailPhoto: vwcampin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Gorge Trail

~6 min drive

3.68-mile out-and-back hike in New York with 1,603 ft elevation gain

Finger Lakes Trail Spur - Buttermilk FallsPhoto: javajoe6, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Finger Lakes Trail Spur - Buttermilk Falls

~2 min drive

1.97-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 325 ft gain.

Backbone TrailPhoto: javajoe6, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Backbone Trail

~26 min drive

11.22-mile out-and-back trail in New York with 1,127 ft elevation gain

Yellow TrailPhoto: Russ Nelson, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Yellow Trail

~9 min drive

A short point-to-point trail perfect for a quick New York hike.

Finger Lakes Trail Spur - Lick BrookPhoto: javajoe6, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Finger Lakes Trail Spur - Lick Brook

~2 min drive

0.46-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 135 ft gain.

Interloken TrailPhoto: Seabamirum from Ithaca, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Interloken Trail

~26 min drive

A 10.91-mile point-to-point New York trail through scenic terrain.

Abbott LoopPhoto: javajoe6, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Abbott Loop

~11 min drive

A 6.77-mile point-to-point trail through New York's natural landscapes.

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors