Black Mountain Hike to Oktoberfest
Black Mountain Hike to Oktoberfest
September 28, 2024
Anthony Wayne Recreation Area
Bear Mountain, New York
NOTE: Hike date may shift once the final dates for the Oktoberfest are announced.
Ascend to the summit of Black Mountain with views of the Hudson River Valley…
Enjoy a woodland stroll and after an exhilarating hike, arrive back at Anthony Wayne Recreation Area to kick off Oktoberfest 2024, where you can enjoy German food, costumes, music and beverages!
The hike route will proceed from Anthony Wayne Recreation Area to the summit of Black Mountain, and return the same way.
Meet new friends and enjoy the natural beauty of autumn near Harriman State Park, just an hour from New York City.
Registration Is Free
Instead of charging a fee, we ask your help raising funds for mental health research and trail maintenance.
It’s fast and easy! When you register, you will be able to personalize a sponsorship page and share it through email and your favorite social media such as Facebook or Instagram. How does it work? 
Every little bit helps, and there is no minimum to raise – we just ask that you help us spread the word, then come join us on the trail.
Get a Free Hiking Shirt
Our quick-dry shirts look and feel great, on or off the trail.
Every registered hiker who raises at least $250 will receive a HIKE for Mental Health shirt as a token of our appreciation.
Available in men’s or women’s sizes SMALL – XXL.
When you register, we will ask your size preference. Once you reach $250 in donations to your fundraising page, we will get your shirt to you.
If you hit the $250 ten days before the hike, your hike leader will have your shirt for you on hike day. Otherwise, we will mail it to you after the hike.
So help us raise money and awareness for this great cause.
For a Good Cause
HIKE for Mental Health is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
All contributions are tax deductible, and 100% of the hike donations support our mission.
Eighty cents of every dollar funds mental health programs, including break-through scientific research into PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar spectrum disorders, depression and other major mental illnesses. Through research we can find better ways to alleviate the suffering that affects 1 in 4 American families.
The remaining twenty cents maintains wilderness trails across the U.S. By supporting non-profit, volunteer groups that care for our trails, we help preserve wilderness experiences for generations to come. Where the money goes. 
Hike Details
| Location: | Anthony Wayne Recreation Area, Bear Mountain, NY |
| Date: | September 28, 2024. |
| Time: | Approximately 9 am – 3 pm. Exact times and locations with directions provided to registered hikers only. |
| Distance: | Approximately 5.5 miles round trip |
| Difficulty level: | Easy to moderately difficult with some steep uphill sections near the final ascent of Black Mountain. |
| Suitable for beginners? | Yes, if you can climb 5 flights of stairs without stopping and still be smiling, you should be able to complete this hike! |
| Registration fee | Registration is free, but the Park will charge a parking fee. It was $12 per car at last check. |
| Pet friendly? | Well-behaved dogs are welcome on a 6 ft lead. |
| Sponsorship amount: | The hike goal is $1,000. There is no minimum required to join the hike, but if every hiker raises $250 we will get very close to our goal. |
| Free shirt: | Hikers who raise $250 or more will receive a free HIKE for Mental Health quick-dry hiking shirt. |
| Hike director: | 
Donna Chapman has been an integral part of HIKE for Mental Health since its inception. An avid hiker and dedicated trail maintainer, she has served as Chair of the Dutchess-Putnam A.T. Management Committee, and she volunteers with both the New York – New Jersey Trail Conference and the Harlem Valley Appalachian Trail Community. |
| Hike director: | 
Brandon Parenteau is an avid hiker and repeat hike leader for HIKE for Mental Health. “My time in the mountains quiets the noise in my mind and fills my soul. I want to share the peace I find through hiking with others.” |
Trail Map
Every HIKE for Mental Health is an opportunity to:
- get away from the hustle and bustle of work-a-day life and enjoy the beauty of Nature
- renew old friendships and make new ones
- have a great time hiking with a good group of people
- stand up against the stigma of mental illness
- discover your new favorite get-away
- raise money for a great cause
Come on out and join us!
Goal: $1,000.00
$195.00 donated
Questions
If you have any questions or ideas, please contact us.
We are glad to talk with you about your hike and how you can help HIKE for Mental Health.
We hope you will make HIKE for Mental Health a part of your hike.
Go to Schedule of Hikes
View Hikers by Hike
Black Mountain Hike to Oktoberfest
Learn about this hike Back to top
Diana and Tina’s hike for mental health: Bear Mountain 2023
by Diana Lapp
$180.00 donated of $100.00 goal
Flying Crow’s Hike for Mental Health to the summit of Black Mountain.
by Brandon Parenteau
$25.00 donated of $200.00 goal
Hello team. I’m writing to ask about camping near by, I’m not familiar to the area and the NY camping reservation system does recognize Anthony Wayne, Harrimon nor Bear Mountain on their site search?? So which location do you think would work? I’m trying to put together a family camping & hiking event which would incorporate the H for Mental Health Oktoberfest.,..Let me know
Hi Linda. That sounds like a great plan. Take a look at BEAVER POND STATE PARK and Harriman State Park. It’s very close and has several excellent camping options.
I may be away on October 1st and so hoping I’m not because I would love to go on this hike. It will be my first. Since I live by the beach, I should start practicing my more difficult walking skills by walking along the shore at high tide when the sand is usually very wet and on a complete slant. Looking very forward to this hike as I too suffer from a mental illness.
I’m hoping to do this hike, so I made an Alltrails route. Here’s the link in case anyone else uses Alltrails and wants to have it: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/map-september-11-2023-e6d8059?u=i&sh=k8s032.
Is there a way we can upload pictures taken here like what we’ve done with other hikes.
There is nothing t a way to upload them directly here, Brandon, but if you create a new album on your Facebook and send me the link, I can grab them and upload here for you.