Hiking Trails

Alley Pond Park Hiking Trails

Location: Alley Pond Park
Check out our Alley Pond Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Alley Pond Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Numerous trails wind through native hardwood (oak-hickory) forest and kettle ponds. The north end of the park boasts splendid salt marsh views.

Bayswater Park Hiking Trails

Location: Bayswater Park
Check out our Bayswater Trails page for a map featuring entrances and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Bayswater Park
Length: 0.25 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Other Details: From the playground of Bayswater Park, follow the painted signs on the ground into the fields. Where the Sidewalk ends, across the field a large wooden post marks the beginning of the trail.

Forest Park Hiking Trails

Location: Forest Park
Check out our Forest Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Forest Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: There are many parks with forests in NYC, but only one Forest Park! Numerous trails wind through native hardwood (oak-hickory) forest and kettle ponds in the park, home to the continuous oak forest in the city. Discover a century-old pine grove on the orange trail, go birding at Strack Pond on your way through the red trail, and check out some of the park's historic sites, including the Richmond Hill War Memorial and The Carousel.
Check out our Forest Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.

Highland Park Hiking Trails

Location: Highland Park
Check out our Highland Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Highland Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Atop a plateau, Highland Park’s trails offer unique, elevated views of the forests and surrounding neighborhoods. Pass by the remaining infrastructure from the former Ridgewood Reservoir can still be seen, an area where many birds now visit as they migrate along the Atlantic Flyway.

Kissena Park & Kissena Corridor Hiking Trails

Location: Kissena Park (near Kissena Corridor Park)
Check out our Kissena Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Kissena Park / Kissena Corridor
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Explore the network of nature trails in this wooded oasis, connecting Kissena Park and the reforested area in Kissena Corridor.

South Preserve Trails

Location: Cunningham Park
Francis Lewis Boulevard and Union Turnpike
Park Name: Cunningham Park
Length: 3.0 miles
Other Details: Numerous unnamed trails wind through native hardwood (oak-hickory) forest, which features a diverse ecosystem to support abundant wildlife. The parks’ Kettle Ponds feature the sounds of Spring Peepers and other species of frogs throughout the spring and summer season.
Check out our Cunningham Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.

Udalls Park Preserve Hiking Trails

Location: Udall's Park Preserve
Check out our Udalls Park Preserve Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Udalls Park Preserve
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Wind through this wetland preserve on one of several hiking trails, passing salt grasses, wooded uplands, and the placid waters of Aurora Pond. Visitors can see snowy egrets, osprey, foxes, and more wildlife neighbors that make their home and search for food around the salt marsh.

Willow Lake Hiking Trails

Location: Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Check out our Willow Lake Trails page for a map featuring entrances and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: Hikers can access the trail from the east at the Van Wyck Expressway overpass at Mauro Playground (73rd Terrace and Park Drive East) and from the west at 72nd Road and the Grand Central Parkway Service Road.

Arden Woods Hiking Trails

Location: Arden Woods
Check out our Arden Woods Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Arden Woods
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Hooting and singing is often heard along these trails, frequented by owls and migratory birds. Pass by kettle ponds and wetlands, under a canopy of white oak, maple, sweet gum, and more trees.

Blue Heron Park Trails

Location: Blue Heron Park
Check out our Blue Heron Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Blue Heron Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Escape into a natural oasis, passing freshwater wetlands, kettle ponds, fields of wildflowers, and successional forests in this protected natural area, home to the namesake great blue heron and more stunning wildlife.

Clove Lakes Park Trail

Location: Clove Lakes Park
Victory Boulevard
Park Name: Clove Lakes Park
Length: 3.0 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: Visitors can enjoy walks by its valley lakes, ascend pathways through wooded hills, pause along its picturesque bridges, or visit New York City’s largest tulip tree.

Conference House Park Hiking Trails

Location: Conference House Park
Check out our Conference House Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Conference House Park
Other Details: The Conference House Blue Trail extends from Shore Road and Satterlee Street all the way south to Brighton Street and Surf Avenue. Along the way, you can see a number of historic buildings, including the famed Conference House, and enjoy beautiful waterfront views of this beachside park.

Fairview Park Hiking Trails

Location: Fairview Park
Check out our Fairview Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Fairview Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Traverse a restored forest with pin oak, sassafras, and American Sycamore trees, plus enjoy views of the Outerbridge Crossing, and a vernal pond, home to many wildflowers and pollinators.

Greenbelt Hiking Trails

Location: Blood Root Valley (near Latourette Park & Golf Course, Freshkills Park, Willowbrook Park, Richmond Parkway, High Rock Park, Deere Park, Reed's Basket Willow Swamp Park, Manor Park)
Check out our Greenbelt Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: The Greenbelt
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: The Greenbelt is a 2,800-acre group of parks in the heart of Staten Island. It includes Blood Root Valley Park, Deere Park, High Rock Park, LaTourette Park, Manor Park, Reeds Basket Willow Swamp Park, Willowbrook Park, Richmond Parkway, and the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge. More than 35 miles of trails offer opportunities for exploration and respite in The Greenbelt's network of diverse ecosystems, home to NYC's largest remaining forest preserve! Discover beautiful scenic locations as you journey past our tidal and freshwater wetlands, beech forests, and open meadows and ascend two of the highest points along the east coast at Heyerdahl Hill and Paulo's Peak (a 200-foot-tall mountain that offers a 360-degree view of The Greenbelt).
Check out our Greenbelt Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.

Jones Woods Park Hiking Trail

Location: Jones Woods Park
Check out our Jones Woods Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Jones Woods Park
Length: 0.26 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Other Details: Explore the Serpentine Barrens ecosystem. Found in only a few places in the world, in New York this unique ecosystem is found only on Staten Island.

Ocean Breeze Park Hiking Trails

Location: Ocean Breeze Park
Check out our Ocean Breeze Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Ocean Breeze Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Explore protected wetlands, a shrub forest, and scenic views on the Blue and Orange Loop Trails at Ocean Breeze Park, home to wild turkeys, Canada geese, and deer! Be sure to take in the beauty of the South Beach Wetlands from the Blue Loop Trail. The Orange and Blue trails loop together to create a 5K Cross-Country Course used for runners during outdoor track & field season.
Check out our Ocean Breeze Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.

Willowbrook Park White Trail

Location: Willowbrook Park
Willowbrook Park off Victory Boulevard
Park Name: Willowbrook Park
Length: 7.6 miles
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Other Details: Connects to Great Kills Park of the Gateway National Park System Service.

Wolfe's Pond Trail

Location: Wolfe's Pond Park
Hylan Boulevard & Cornelia Avenue
Park Name: Wolfes Pond Park
Length: 0.75 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: Both hikers and mountain bikers can explore miles of trails in this south shore location. Trails contain easy, moderate, and difficult terrain.

Bronx River Forest Hiking Trails

Location: Bronx Park
Enter at East Gun Hill Road for Red Trail and Burke Avenue or East 204th St. for Blue Trail
Park Name: Bronx Park
Other Details: The Bronx River Forest trails offer a river respite from the busy Bronx nearby.
Check out our Bronx River Forest Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.

Pelham Bay Park Hiking Trails

Location: Pelham Bay Park
Check out our Pelham Bay Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Pelham Bay Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Leave the city far behind as you explore the trails of NYC's largest park! It's hard to believe you're still in New York City while exploring miles of trails that wind through some of the oldest oak trees and journey to sweeping shoreline views from the peninsula while offering opportunities to discover the park's nature treasures — the picturesque The Twin Islands, the marsh and tidal inlet at Turtle Cove, the historic Lagoon, a nature sanctuary at Hunter Island, a famous glacial boulder, and, of course, Orchard Beach!
Check out our Pelham Bay Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.

Pugsley Creek Park & Castle Hill Park Hiking Trails

Location: Pugsley Creek Park (near Castle Hill Park)
Check out our Pugsley Creek Park & Castle Hill Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Pugsley Creek Park
Length: 1.2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: Trace a maritime forest around Pugsley Creek, and pause at scenic outlooks offering views of the water, the Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges, salt marsh, and air traffic at LaGuardia Airport.

Seton Falls Park Hiking Trails

Location: Seton Falls Park
Check out our Seton Falls Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Seton Falls Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Explore the "Grand Canyon of the Bronx"! Discover a floodplain forest and scenic overlooks of the Rattlesnake ravine and falls as you venture through 130 acres of natural forest and recreational space along our three hiking trails: the Orange Nature Path, the Blue Scenic Through Trail, and the Red "Loop" Trail.
Check out our Seton Falls Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.

Soundview Park Hiking Trails

Location: Soundview Park
Check out our Soundview Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Soundview Park
Length: 1.75 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: Sitting where the Bronx River opens into the East River, Soundview Park offers waterfront views, with trails winding through both the natural and built environment, passing the Soundview Amphitheater, a butterfly meditation garden, grasslands, and more.

Spuyten Duyvil Park Hiking Trails

Location: Spuyten Duyvil Shorefront Park
Check out our Spuyten Duyvil Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Spuyten Duyvil Park
Length: .25 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: Passing under the Henry Hudson Bridge, this trail offers views of the Hudson River as well as a natural spring and freshwater pond which feed the river, and an array of shorebirds that call the area home.

Van Cortlandt Park Hiking Trails

Location: Van Cortlandt Park
Check out our Van Cortlandt Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Van Cortlandt Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Immerse in the beauty of nature in NYC's third largest park! Journey through three ecologically distinct forests on a 2-mile trail at the northern end of the park and past freshwater wetlands and a lake area perfect for birding in the heart of the park. Get a glimpse of history as you discover remnants of the Old Croton Aqueduct and visit the Grand Central Stones. Be sure to head out on the Putnam Trail, a paved pathway that travels from the southern to the northern end of the park and connects to the South County Trailway, so you can extend your hike into Westchester!
Check out our Van Cortlandt Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.

Canarsie Park Hiking Trail

Location: Canarsie Park
Check out our Canarsie Trails page for a map featuring entrances and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Canarsie Park
Length: 0.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: The Canarsie blue loop trail is just over half a mile long and circles the wetland area at the eastern side of Canarsie Park.

Fresh Creek Nature Preserve Hiking Trails

Location: Fresh Creek Nature Preserve
Check out our Fresh Creek Nature Preserve Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Fresh Creek Nature Preserve
Length: 1 mile
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: Wind past a 42-acre salt marsh. Take in the beauty of the preserve and some of the 325 species of birds that visit Jamaica Bay every year, along with butterflies, aquatic life, and native salt marsh plants.

Lullwater

Location: Prospect Park
Enter Park at Lincoln Road and Ocean Avenue entrance. Trails begin or are near the Prospect Park Audubon Center.
Park Name: Prospect Park
Length: 1.0 mile
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: Explore the Lullwater to see how nature thrives in the heart of Brooklyn. The Lullwater is a great place to see birds and other wildlife. Bathrooms, café and trail guides are available at the Prospect Park Audubon Center.

McGuire Fields Park Hiking Trails

Location: Mcguire Fields
Check out our McGuire Fields Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: McGuire Fields Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: The Park’s diverse habitat and position along the Atlantic Flyway make these trails a perfect spot for bird watching, plus enjoy sweeping vistas of Paerdegat Basin and the lower Manhattan Skyline.

Midwood

Location: Prospect Park
Enter Park at Lincoln Road and Ocean Avenue entrance. Trails begin or are near the Prospect Park Audubon Center.
Park Name: Prospect Park
Length: 0.75 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: Step back in time with a walk through Brooklyn’s oldest remaining forest. The Midwood, home to some of Prospect Park’s largest trees, is a relic of Brooklyn’s history, and was preserved and incorporated into the park during its original construction. The thirty-minute hike loops from Prospect Park’s Audubon Center through a forest filled with birds and other animals.

Paerdegat Basin Hiking Trails

Location: Paerdegat Basin Park
Check out our Paerdegat Basin Trails page for a map featuring entrances and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Paerdegat Basin Park
Difficulty: Moderate

Peninsula

Location: Prospect Park
Enter Park at Lincoln Road and Ocean Avenue entrance. Trails begin or are near the Prospect Park Audubon Center.
Park Name: Prospect Park
Length: 0.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: Discover how the Peninsula has changed over the last 300 years. The Peninsula's restored landscapes provide scenic views, a home for Park wildlife, and great fishing. Bathrooms, café and trail guides are available at the Prospect Park Audubon Center.

Salt Marsh Nature Trails

Location: Marine Park
Enter behind the Salt Marsh Nature Center, located near the intersection of East 33rd Street and Avenue U.
Park Name: Marine Park
Length: 0.8 miles
Other Details: The first half of this mile-long trail follows the shore of Gerritsen Beach, which empties into Jamaica Bay. The trail’s second leg winds through a prairie of tall grass, where you can sometimes spot cottontail rabbits and ring-necked pheasants.
Check out our Marine Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations, and comfort stations and maps are also available inside the Salt Marsh Nature Center.

Spring Creek Park Hiking Trails

Location: Spring Creek Park
Check out our Spring Creek Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Spring Creek Park
Length: 1.2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: Stroll through marshland in the largest tract of undeveloped land and wetlands in the northern Jamaica Bay area, and see the many wildlife species that call this open greenery home.

Waterfall

Location: Prospect Park
Enter Park at Lincoln Road and Ocean Avenue entrance. Trails begin or are near the Prospect Park Audubon Center.
Park Name: Prospect Park
Length: 0.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Other Details: Trace the source of the Lake on the Waterfall trail. The Fallkill Falls is the first of six waterfalls that you will see along the Park's watercourse. Bathrooms, café and trail guides are available at the Prospect Park Audubon Center.

Fort Tryon Park Hiking Trails

Location: Fort Tryon Park
Check out our Fort Tryon Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Fort Tryon Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Travel through time, passing the remnants of New York City’s largest glacial pothole, the medieval architecture of the Met Cloisters, and Columnade by Eduardo Ramirez Villamizar, a contemporary sculptural installation. Enjoy stunning, manicured landscape in the park and magnificent, carefully preserved views looking out at the Hudson River and the Palisades.

Fort Washington Park Hiking Trails

Location: Fort Washington Park
Check out our Fort Washington Park Trails page for a map featuring entrances and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Fort Washington Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Walk through nature and history with views of the George Washington Bridge, the iconic Palisades, a Red Oak Heath forest, and the Hudson River, plus the American Redoubt Marker, the site of the western end of an American Revolution fortification that included Fort Washington.

Highbridge Park Hiking Trails

Location: Highbridge Park
Check out our Highbridge Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Highbridge Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Commune with nature as you hike through the forests of this beautiful park that looks out to the Harlem River and the oldest standing bridge in New York City! Discover native and introduced trees, such as black cherry, northern oaks, and Virginia creepers, and delve into the park's history of supplying clean water to the city during the 19th century as you hike the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. Look to the skies — Highbridge Park's forested areas and waterfront make for an ideal location for spotting hawks.
Check out our Highbridge Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.

Inwood Hill Park Hiking Trail

Location: Inwood Hill Park
Check out our Inwood Hill Trails page for a map featuring entrances and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Inwood Hill Park
Difficulty: Moderate
Other Details: Take a step back in time and imagine Manhattan as a forest grove of tulip trees, oaks, and maples. Inwood Hill Park's marked scenic sites or historic highlights trail will lead you to the top of the hill, where the park's oldest trees—two Cottonwoods planted before the park was established—still live.

Riverside Park Hiking Trail

Location: Riverside Park
Check out our Riverside Park Trail page for a map featuring entrances and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Riverside Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
Other Details: Savor the scenery alongside birds and pollinators! Pass through the Bird Sanctuary, which provides safe haven for many species, including the red bellied woodpecker, American robin, and tufted titmouse, then visit the Pollinator Meadow which, an important habitat for pollinators, full of nectar-rich plants.

Sherman Creek Park Hiking Trails

Location: Sherman Creek
Check out our Sherman Creek Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Sherman Creek Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Shorebirds, red-eared sliders, and even harbor seals visit this restored shoreline along the Harlem River. Take in the views while walking among the native plantings, and explore Swindler’s Cove, with a freshwater pond and waterfall that make it a great spot to look for bullfrogs.

Sherman Creek Park Hiking Trails

Location: Sherman Creek
Check out our Sherman Creek Park Trails page for a map and directions to scenic locations.
Park Name: Sherman Creek Park
Length: Various
Difficulty: Various
Other Details: Shorebirds, red-eared sliders, and even harbor seals visit this restored shoreline along the Harlem River. Take in the views while walking among the native plantings, and explore Swindler’s Cove, with a freshwater pond and waterfall that make it a great spot to look for bullfrogs.