NEW R K’S U R A L TREASURES ANNA SPIVAK TULIP TREE TRAIL ALLEY POND PARK, Queens With a length perfect for beginners (0.7 miles), Alley Pond Park’s Tulip Tree Trail is a great place to start when getting into the hiking spirit. The trail takes the hiker through a native hardwood forest of oak-hickory, tulip trees and kettle ponds. The park is also equipped with breathtaking views of the natural salt marsh and amenities like playgrounds, barbecue areas, courts and fields. www.nycgovparks.org/parks/ alley-pond-park SALT MARSH NATURE TRAIL – MARINE PARK Brooklyn At 0.8 miles, the Salt Marsh Nature Trail within Brooklyn’s largest park follows the shore of Gerritsen Beach and provides a multifaceted nature experience for any hiker. Explorers can observe the park’s well-known birdlife from the trail’s boardwalk and viewing platforms. A tall grass prairie is also a main attraction at the park, where hikers can spot cottontail rabbits and pheasants. www. nycgovparks.org/parks/ marine-park INWOOD HILL PARK HIKING TRAIL INWOOD HILL PARK Manhattan While Manhattan is not widely known for its hiking trails, the Inwood Park Hiking Trail is one of the city’s hidden natural treasures. The two-mile-long trail allows hikers to take a step back in time and imagine the big city the way it used to be - a living, breathing forest grove of tulip, oak and maple trees. The park’s marked scenic sites or historic highlights trail will lead those brave enough to the top of the hill, where the park’s oldest trees, two cottonwoods, still reside. www. nycgovparks.org/parks/ JOHN MUIR TRAIL VAN CORTLANDT PARK, Bronx Kicking the intensity up a notch, the 1.5 mile long John Muir Trail at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx is every bit as satisfying to hike through as it is to complete. The trail leads hikers through the park’s Northeast Forest (home to red oak, sweetgum, and tulip trees) and features a frog-filled marsh; the Croton Woods and its sugar maple and hickory trees; the Old Croton Aqueduct; and the hilly Northwest Forest. www. nycgovparks.org/parks/VanCortlandtPark
ASPIRESUMMER2016
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