Allison Pond Park & Goodhue Park Hiking Trails

Allison Pond Park and Goodhue Park are adjacent parks with one connected trail network. Allison Pond Park honors George William Allison (1888 - 1939), an engineer who supervised the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects on Staten Island under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. With almost 9 acres of Forever Wild natural area, the park was once a part of Sailor's Snug Harbor, a charitable institution for the care of the elderly. The pond for which the park is named is a remnant of the Wisconsin glacier where park patrons can enjoy recreational fishing and viewing the large turtles and egrets that visit.

With connected natural areas, Goodhue Park is an additional nine acres of Forever Wild natural area. From the nearby hillsides of Jones Woods Park, Harbor Brook flows from Goodhue Park into Allison Pond. The brook continues its course through a culvert into Snug Harbor and the Kill van Kull, the body of water on the north side of Staten Island that connects Newark Bay and Upper New York Bay. The City of New York took over ownership of Goodhue Parkin 2017 from the Children's Aid Society, who still manage nearby facilities providing Staten Island youth with summer camp, after school and athletics programs. Along with the ponds, brook and wetland areas, the combined natural area of Goodhue and Allison Pond Parks include a wooded upland hillside providing habitat for various small mammals, deer and songbirds.

White Trail: At 0.5 miles in length one-way, the White Trail travels from one side of Allison Pond Park at Brentwood Avenue through to the other side of Goodhue Park at Lafayette Place. Explore the native hardwood forest and several unique water features including views of Allison Pond, Goodhue Pond and walking along Harbor Brook that feeds both. For more exploration, cross Lafayette Place and continue onto the trails of Jones Woods Park.

Red Trail: The Red Loop Trail is slighly longer than the White Trail at just over 0.55 miles and follows several ridges along Allison Pond and Goodhue Park. A section of this trail was improved to control the erosion of the slope by Parks' Natural Resources Group in 2018. E joy the view of the forest below. Circle back around through the upland oak forest turning down to the small pond of Goodhue Park and continue back along the loop to Allison Pond.

Blue Trail: The Blue Loop Trail is the shortest trail in the park at 0.4 miles. Take a stroll around this mostly flat trail surrounding Goodhue Pond and enjoy wildlife viewing.

Interactive Map

Download the Allison Pond Park & Goodhue Park Trail Guide.