Alley Pond Park Hiking Trails

Alley Pond Park is home to a zip line, large lakes, an environmental center, and one of the city's oldest trees. At this park, a number of trails wind through native hardwood (oak-hickory) forest and kettle ponds. The north end of the park boasts splendid salt marsh views. Discover this fascinating and wild park on your next trail tour.

Interactive Map

Download the Alley Pond Park Trail Guide.

Points of Interest

Alley Pond Environmental Center (APEC)

The center is home to a non-profit environmental education organization that is dedicated to educating children and adults in the New York metropolitan area, protecting and preserving Alley Pond Park, open spaces, and waterbodies, and advocating for sustainable environmental policies and practices. They have many programming options for interested New Yorkers of all ages, and are open seven days a week. 

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Alley Pond Giant

With a height of 133.8 feet and a circumference of 18.6 feet, this tulip tree may be the tallest and the oldest living organism in the city. It is estimated to be between 350 and 450 years of age. It was a sapling in the 17th century, when the Dutch West India Company sent a group of Walloon families to Manhattan. It was a well-established young tree when General George Washington passed close by in 1790 on a tour of Long Island.

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Alley Pond

This landscaped area provides a surprising wealth of nature viewing opportunities. Hundreds of native species were planted around the body of water that still thrive today. You can spot wood ducks and mallards here year-round and some migrant waterfowl in the winter.

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Turtle Pond

Turtle Pond is one of several spring-fed kettle ponds in Alley Pond Park. A popular spot for birders, this pond contains a variety of wildlife and provides resting, breeding, and feeding grounds for hundreds of thousands of migrating birds. Turtle Pond is the largest of three kettle ponds in this section of the park. 

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Alley Pond Adventure Course

The Alley Pond Park Adventure Course is a challenge or ropes course, featuring both low- and high-ropes course activities that promote teambuilding and problem-solving skills. The course features a human swingshot, cat walk, zipline, climbing wall, broken bridge, and trust fall stations.  The Alley Pond Park Adventure Course is fully accessible; there are activities for all ages and all physical abilities.

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Little Alley Pond

The southernmost pond in Alley Pond Park, Little Alley Pond is actually larger than Alley Pond proper! Yet another hotspot for bird activity, Little Alley Pond is home to many red-winged blackbirds, catbirds, and a great blue heron. 

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