Blue Heron Park Hiking Trails

Meadow Trail

The Meadow Trail begins at the Nature Center and is conveniently located next to the park’s main parking lot for access to the natural area. The 0.62 mile trail traverses a mature Red Maple Swamp Forest and opens up into a successional forest after crossing Poillon Avenue. The trail goes around the perimeter of Blue Heron Pond, which can be accessed via a short unnamed trail. Along the way, enjoy the fragrant northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin) shrubs and Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) trees welcoming you to the forest. In the summer, the meadows bloom with purple gerardia (Agalinis purpurea), goldenrods (Solidago spp.) and Turk’s Cap Lilies (Lilium superbum). After crossing Poillon Avenue again, the trail merges with the Spring Pond Trail. Take the trail north back towards the Nature Center to complete the loop or continue south along the Spring Pond Trail for vistas of Spring Pond.

Points of Interest

Blue Heron Park Visitor Center: The Visitor Center is home to the Staten Island Urban Park Rangers, numerous nature center critters, and many engaging artifacts and displays. Parks patrons are encouraged to stop by to check out free educational programming and learn about local wildlife.

Blue Heron Park Visitor Center on the map

North Ponds Trail

At 0.91 miles, the North Ponds Trail is the longest in the park. It also begins at the parking lot and diverges from the Meadow Trail after crossing Poillon Avenue. This scenic trail winds around an understory of hay scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) and sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia) as well as towering white oak (Quercus alba) and American beech trees (Fagus grandifolia). Witness the beauty of the vernal ponds and streams that meander around the trail. Hike to the end of the trail for scenic vistas of Butterfly Pond, which was created as part of the NYCDEP Blue Belt Program.

Points of Interest

Butterfly Pond: Butterfly Pond is a scenic escape from the sights and sounds of the city. Accessed from the North Ponds Trail, visitors are likely to see frogs resting on the pink flowers of the lily pads growing on the pond.

View Butterfly Pond on the map

Spring Pond Trail

Follow this 0.46 mile loop trail through a Red Maple Swamp Forest from the Nature Center to the scenic, 1.75 acre Spring Pond. Along the way, enjoy the sights and sounds of the park ranging from croaking tree frogs (Hylidae spp.) to the songs of migratory birds making a pit stop along the Atlantic Flyway. Spring Pond is one of the best places to view the namesake great blue heron (Ardea herodias) and is an excellent place for viewing common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) and painted turtles (Chrysemys picta). For an extended hike, continue to the adjacent Arbutus Woods Trail to the west.

Points of Interest

Spring Pond: This Kettle Pond was created 15,000 years ago due to the retreating Wisconsin glacier. The pond is one of the best areas in the park to view a diverse array of wildlife including frogs, turtles and birds. For best access, take the Spring Pond Trail south from the Nature Center.

View Spring Pond on the map

Blue Heron Park Visitor Center: The Visitor Center is home to the Staten Island Urban Park Rangers, numerous nature center critters, and many engaging artifacts and displays. Parks patrons are encouraged to stop by to check out free educational programming and learn about local wildlife.

Blue Heron Park Visitor Center on the map

Arbutus Woods Trail

Located in the northwest corner of the park, this 0.67 mile trail features a mature canopy of red maple (Acer rubrum), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), tulip (Liriodendron tulipifera) and oak (Quercus spp.) trees that stand tall over a vast freshwater wetland network. The trail provides one of the best places to view the wetlands in the park and is bisected by a beautiful vernal pond in the northern section of the park that is fed by a seasonal stream. In the springtime the area is dotted with spring ephemerals as well as the fragrance of the spicebush (Lindera Benzoin) shrub’s yellow flowers. white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been frequently seen in this area, as well as groundhogs (Marmota monax) and great horned owls (Bubo virginianus).

Points of Interest

Vernal Pond: Take the Arbutus Woods Trail north and explore the beauty of the park's freshwater wetlands on a raised boardwalk. The extensive wetland is best viewed in the springtime from both the eastern and western sides of the trail. In the fall there is a vibrant display of foliage and migratory activity.

View Vernal Pond on the map

Ravine Trail

At 0.22 miles long, the Ravine Trail is the shortest in the park. The trail begins at Newton Street in the south-central section of Blue Heron Park. Walk beneath a mature canopy of American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and oak trees (Quercus spp.) which are some of the largest in the park. Although this is the steepest trail in the park, park visitors are rewarded with sweeping vistas of the ravine and creek meandering through Blue Heron Park on its way to Raritan Bay.

Points of Interest

Ravine Scenic Overlook: The Ravine Scenic Overlook is best accessed from the southern end of the Ravine Trail off Dole Street. Walk a short distance to the east to the scenic overlook with sweeping views of the ravine and the creek meandering its way through the park en route to Seguine Pond.

View Ravine Scenic Overlook on the map

Holdridge Woods Trail

Tucked away in the northeast section of the park, the Holdridge Trail follows several paper streets that have been reclaimed by the passage of time. Experience the beauty of the forest along this 0.55 mile trail and witness several vernal pools that are home to several amphibians and invertebrates. The trail is also a great birding area for beautiful birds such as the American robin (Turdus migratorius), red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and the downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens). For best access, enter the trail at the intersection of Harold Avenue and Sycamore Street.