Explore the best rated trails in Garden City, NY. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Norwalk River Valley Trail and Ridgefield Rail Trail. With more than 80 trails covering 572 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Built on the former Erie Railroad main line, the 15-mile Heritage Trail runs through the small Orange County towns of Goshen, Chester, Monroe, and Harriman. The shaded trail runs through different...
The system of trails in Loantaka Brook Reservation are open to hikers, cyclists and equestrians, although the trails are marked as to which uses are permitted on each segment. Loantaka Brook...
Like Wantagh State Parkway, Ocean Parkway was built in the postwar 1930s to provide access to the crown jewel of the state park system, Jones Beach State Park. Unlike the former road, however, this...
At 2.6 miles, the Staten Island Greenbelt Multi-Purpose Trail offers a nice jaunt for joggers, walkers, and cyclists alike. The crushed-stone path is 6-feet wide and runs from Rockland Avenue to...
The Fort Washington Park Greenway brings residents and visitors to Washington Heights right up to the edge of the Hudson. The mile-long trail begins near the pier at the end of Dyckman Street and...
The Sandy Hook Multi-Use Pathway travels 8.7 miles alongside the picturesque beaches and historical monuments of the Sandy Hook peninsula. The pathway begins in the Gateway National Recreation Area...
The Battery Bikeway is a only a half a mile long but it is an important link in the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway system, connecting the East River Greenway with the Hudson River Greenway to form a...
The Hutchinson River Greenway offers a convenient alternative to the Hutchinson River Parkway, which it closely follows. Although adjacent to the busy thoroughfare, trees have been planted along the...
Running alongside both the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers, the Derby Greenway demonstrates a seamless integration of Connecticut’s natural river systems and parks with man-made interventions of the...
The Kings Park Hike & Bike Trail runs for 1.5 miles between Old Dock Road at Church Street in Kings Park and Nissequogue River State Park. The trail is a town of Smithtown park and follows an...
The West Essex Trail follows a short distance (just under 3 miles) of the former rail bed of the Caldwell Branch on the old Erie-Lackawanna Railroad. The trail runs between the EssexPassiac county...
The paved pathway running through West Hudson Park offers a scenic, tree-lined escape between Harrison and Kearny, NJ. The trail provides access to the park’s stocked lake, water park, athletic...
Brooklyn's Flatbush Avenue Greenway parallels its namesake roadway for just over a mile from Marine Parkway Bridge to a connection with the Shore Parkway Greenway Trail. The two trails are part of the...
The North Shore Rail Trail, formerly known as the Rails to Trails Recreational Path, is a 10-mile multi-use recreational path and runs along the former Wading River railway corridor in Brookhaven—the...
When Jones Beach State Park opened on Long Island’s South Shore in the late 1920s, a series of scenic parkways was built on infill dredged from nearby towns to connect New Yorkers to the new public...
Tallman Mountain State Park Bike Path is partially paved and bisects the Tallman Mountain State Park. The route provides a motor-vehicle-free way for bicyclists using US Route 9W to connect with...
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk follows Staten Island's eastern shore from Miller Field -- a recreational area for sports, picnicking and bird watching -- to Fort Wadsworth. Highlights of the...
The old New York Central rail line that ran from the Bronx to northern bedroom communities in Westchester and Putnam Counties carried commuters during the workweek, but on the weekends tourists...
Traveling north-south through Wall Township is the Route 18 Bike Path. The northern terminus is the Municipal Compex, which houses the County Library, the Municipal Court and the Police HQ, as well as...
In the early 1830s the Morris Canal opened across northern New Jersey, from Phillipsburg on the Delaware River to Newark, and later to Jersey City on the Hudson River. It provided a thoroughfare for...
The Pequonnock River Trail is not a name you will see on the ground along this developing trail in southwestern Connecticut. Formalized in 2001 by the state, the regional trail pieced together...
Prepare to be whisked into the past when you take the Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway. The paved trail follows a short-line railroad corridor from the coastal city of Manasquan to a village at Allaire...
Tallman Mountain State Park Bike Path is partially paved and bisects the Tallman Mountain State Park. The route provides a motor-vehicle-free way for bicyclists using US Route 9W to connect with...
Brooklyn's Flatbush Avenue Greenway parallels its namesake roadway for just over a mile from Marine Parkway Bridge to a connection with the Shore Parkway Greenway Trail. The two trails are part of the...
The Ramsey Bike Path is a recreational path built on the former Paterson to Suffern trolley line right-of-way. The path extends along a north-south route from one end of Ramsey to the other....
The Hutchinson River Greenway offers a convenient alternative to the Hutchinson River Parkway, which it closely follows. Although adjacent to the busy thoroughfare, trees have been planted along the...
The West Essex Trail follows a short distance (just under 3 miles) of the former rail bed of the Caldwell Branch on the old Erie-Lackawanna Railroad. The trail runs between the EssexPassiac county...
The paved pathway running through West Hudson Park offers a scenic, tree-lined escape between Harrison and Kearny, NJ. The trail provides access to the park’s stocked lake, water park, athletic...
The Bronx River travels from the mouth of the East River north to the Kensico Dam, providing views of the natural history of the area. Because the trail is under development, there are several gaps...
Fahnestock State Park is a relatively undiscovered gems in the New York State Park System. Located a few miles east of Cold Spring Village on Rt. 301 (Main Street), the park jurisdiction was recently...
Note: As of December 2021, the trail is fully complete except for a bridge on its southern end in Brewster; stairways on either side of the bridge are available for the detour. Construction on the...
The Mohansic Trailway is a rail-trail providing an important link between the North County Trailway and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt State Park. The trailway occupies a short-lived spur of the New...
In the early 1830s the Morris Canal opened across northern New Jersey, from Phillipsburg on the Delaware River to Newark, and later to Jersey City on the Hudson River. It provided a thoroughfare for...
The EPCAL Alternative Transportation Path loops around the 2,900-acre Enterprise Park at Calverton (hence its name: EPCAL) on New York’s Long Island and links to the Town of Riverhead’s 65-acre...
The High Line trail runs 30 feet above the bustling Manhattan streets and sidewalks below, which for trail lovers makes it an attraction in the same league as the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State...
The Manasquan Reservoir Trail is located in the Howell Township and provides a great natural destination in the heart of the town. The trail forms a perimeter loop around the 770 acre reservoir...
Like Wantagh State Parkway, Ocean Parkway was built in the postwar 1930s to provide access to the crown jewel of the state park system, Jones Beach State Park. Unlike the former road, however, this...
Spanning more than 70 miles, the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail is the longest completed multiuse trail in the state and is described by many as the crown jewel of New Jersey trails. A...
Closure Notice: As of 2021, the city is undertaking a series of construction projects in East River Park, which will result in ongoing closures to sections of the southern segment of the greenway...
The Jones Beach Boardwalk traverses Jones Beach State Park, running parallel (and south of) Ocean Parkway. The pleasant pathway offers views of the beach and the ocean. Although bicycles are...
The system of trails in Loantaka Brook Reservation are open to hikers, cyclists and equestrians, although the trails are marked as to which uses are permitted on each segment. Loantaka Brook...
The Manasquan Reservoir Trail is located in the Howell Township and provides a great natural destination in the heart of the town. The trail forms a perimeter loop around the 770 acre reservoir...
Randall's Island Park Trails offer a series of interconnected paved loops on an island in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The park offers a quiet setting, especially enjoyed by runners, with...
<p>This trail is the legacy of the first elevated roadway in the United States, constructed by William K. Vanderbilt in 1904. Vanderbilt created the parkway to get to his family’s estate in Long...
It’s hard to believe that a noisy locomotive once ran through here, given that stillness is a defining characteristic of the Middlesex Greenway. Even when people pour onto the trail from the adjacent...
Prepare to be whisked into the past when you take the Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway. The paved trail follows a short-line railroad corridor from the coastal city of Manasquan to a village at Allaire...
The paved pathway running through West Hudson Park offers a scenic, tree-lined escape between Harrison and Kearny, NJ. The trail provides access to the park’s stocked lake, water park, athletic...
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The Patriots' Path covers roughly 35 miles of terrain and is open to mountain biking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing and hiking. The multi-use trails links parks, open space, recreational...
The Naugatuck River Greenway will one day span 44 miles from Torrington to Derby in western Connecticut, but is currently open in a few short disconnected segments totaling just over 5 miles. The...
The Saddle River County Park Bike Path is a beautiful suburban trail that winds alongside the Saddle River. Most of the trail runs through moderately dense suburban development, with residential and...
The EPCAL Alternative Transportation Path loops around the 2,900-acre Enterprise Park at Calverton (hence its name: EPCAL) on New York’s Long Island and links to the Town of Riverhead’s 65-acre...
The Sandy Hook Multi-Use Pathway travels 8.7 miles alongside the picturesque beaches and historical monuments of the Sandy Hook peninsula. The pathway begins in the Gateway National Recreation Area...
Just an hour north of New York City, the Timp-Torne Trail offers a scenic hike through Bear Mountain and Harriman State Parks with panoramic vistas of the Hudson River. The rugged blue-blazed trail...
The nicely paved Bethpage Bikeway runs alongside suburban roads for long segments of the route, but it’s much more than a suburban trail. Each on-road suburban stretch is broken up by one of three...
The Ramsey Bike Path is a recreational path built on the former Paterson to Suffern trolley line right-of-way. The path extends along a north-south route from one end of Ramsey to the other....
The Randolph Trail system covers 16 miles of pathways through five parks, the Clyde Potts Reservoir watershed and 2,000 acres of pristine open space. The trails link schools and neighborhoods and also...
The Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail stretches just over 3 miles along Long Island’s north shore. Construction was completed in two phases with the first trail section opening in 2009...
Brooklyn's Flatbush Avenue Greenway parallels its namesake roadway for just over a mile from Marine Parkway Bridge to a connection with the Shore Parkway Greenway Trail. The two trails are part of the...
Spanning more than 70 miles, the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail is the longest completed multiuse trail in the state and is described by many as the crown jewel of New Jersey trails. A...
When Jones Beach State Park opened on Long Island’s South Shore in the late 1920s, a series of scenic parkways was built on infill dredged from nearby towns to connect New Yorkers to the new public...
August 2021, hot and clear weather
This is a fine trail (unpaved) I had on my radar for several years. I started at the nice parking lot in Frenchtown, NJ with a flat tire getting the bike out of the car. Good thing I bring spare tubes because the bike shop right there was closed on a midweek afternoon. Probably out riding. Anyway it's a cute village with lots of places for refreshments which I did not need as I rode south, in lots of shade next to the river. I planned to go all the way to where George Washington and his crew crossed the Delaware all those years ago.
This is where I made my tactical mistake. Though I brought 2 large water bottles and one protein bar, it was not enough. I did traverse, back and forth, two smaller bridges on the way down. One was too small for vehicles, bikes and walkers only with wonderful views of the valley and river. (The car bridge near GW's crossing is the most narrow grid-deck bridge I have ever seen. I literally stopped my car in fear as an opposite driver passed me.) Out of water and tired I thought I should stop and have lunch with a coffee and refill the water bottles. Then I said, nah, just keep going, intent on the next place to pop up.
On the Pennsylvania side there was no next place to refuel my body. After 36 miles on gravel and dirt I was getting bogged down, dehydrated and running on empty. My hot body required several short rest stops and once I even found a place to lay in the river to cool off. The last 5 miles back to the crossing into Frenchtown was agony. I kept cursing, "where the f^%& is this bridge?" One last rest on some grass was almost a nap, and it was right next to a restaurant for which I was underdressed!
Finally I made it back to the car, loaded the bike, and when I went to a gas station to buy some food and drink BEFORE I went to get some dinner, the counter girl looked at me wide-eyed and said "Are you alright?" "Yeah, I've been biking," I barely replied before chugging the Gatorade.
Always bring addresses for at least two (2) parking areas and refuel before you need it; don't just expect there to be another store nearby. But it was a really good ride with nice scenery.
Our fam of 4 decided to tackle this trail on July 4th while listening to the Hamilton soundtrack (even after reading all the treacherous reviews) on the eastern end... since it seemed the western end was out of sorts.
NJ should be ashamed of themselves; not only is the state not pedestrian friendly (finding a sidewalk is nearly impossible), let alone car friendly (you can never get off a highway that connects correctly to another), but this trail was not even biker friendly. We were lead down dead end streets; biking on state highways, unmarked paths that led into enclosed communities, NO signage anywhere, overgrown sidewalks that pushed you to bike out into the streets and just sheer frustration.
We double checked against your trail map with Google satellite mapping and neither failed; the Path failed. When NJ puts some effort into this trail, only then should it be recognized as so.
This trail is a good idea in terms of riding from Van Cartland Park to City Island. The execution however leaves a lot of room for improvement. The mostly asphalt paths are in rough shape -cracked, tree trunk and root damage, in need of lane markings both to designate the trail and to help keep people in the proper lanes (a big issue considering the number of walkers using this trail). There are signs to help navigate this trail but they are busy and difficult to read for bikers and could be more prominent as it’s easy to miss turns at intersections.
Although a bit narrow given the amount of use this trail gets the paved surface is smooth. Nice addition to the Empire State trail joining the south county to other trails in the area.
The Maybrook has quickly become one of our favorite rail trails. Basically brand new, uncrowded, lots of interesting sights along the way including multiple water views and lots of greenery.
Today we rode from the Brewster trailhead at Lake Tonetta both ways: Out and back to the CT line, and then out and back in the other direction up past the Ice Pond, for a total of about 20 miles. The first segment to the CT line was new to us; there is an on-road detour due to a bridge out at Peaceable Hill Road. You walk down a flight of steps, ride down Peaceable Hill Road to Rt. 6, turn left on Rt. 6, go down the hill, turn left again on Rt 6 and then ride up the hill past the Honda dealership where another set of stairs on the left will bring you back to the trail. These stairs are fairly steep but it can be done. The road has a shoulder but is a bit busy; experienced road riders will find this easy to navigate, others can simple walk along the sidewalk. Your reward is that the other end of the trail as you ride east is a very nice section past East Branch Reservoir, including a long section right along the water. One way mileage is about 5 miles, as the trail ends at the Connecticut line. The second section we rode, going North from the Brewster trailhead at Lake Tonetta, offers views of the “ice pond” and the “great swamp,” with hills in the distance. Today’s one way mileage for that section was also about 5 miles; a great ride, and you can ride much farther (we often go as far as Whalley Lake, just not today) as the trail goes all the way to Hopewell Junction where you can pick up the Dutchess Rail Trail. Check the Empire State Trail website for more info.
Rode the full trail on Memorial Day and really enjoyed it. It is well maintained; smooth pavement all the way. Mostly good shade and scenic, with lots of woods. A few spots along busy roads, but the trail is well protected throughout; always a sturdy railing between you and the cars. Goes through a few towns for snacks or lunch. Others warned about it being uphill heading north but I found it mostly flat. Some uphill as you approach the Putnam border, but mostly a gentle grade. Never came out of the seat. Overall a great trail.
Rode the full trail on Memorial Day and really enjoyed it. It is well maintained; smooth pavement all the way. Mostly good shade and scenic, with lots of woods. A few spots along busy roads, but the trail is well protected throughout; always a sturdy railing between you and the cars. Goes through a few towns for snacks or lunch. Others warned about it being uphill heading north but I found it mostly flat. Some uphill as you approach the Putnam border, but mostly a gentle grade. Never came out of the seat. Overall a great trail.
I prefer to travel out to Jones in the Fall and Winter months but this trail is great all year round. The board walk gets very crowded on the weekends and throughout the summer, however, the trail continues PAST the board walk (this trail map should be updated!) the concrete trail extends to the west end, there are paths that allow you to check out the fishing spots which require parking permits so being able to get there by bike for free is a plus. Just be aware that after memorial day you must pay $$$ for parking at Jones Beach, which is why I recommend this trail for the off season.
What a lovely trail! We had a great time with our 2 year old daughter on the back of the bike… shaded, not too hilly and playgrounds for her along the way.
Randolph trails are really well maintained and a great workout. Felt very comfortable (no fear of falling) with a mountain bike. Fairly hilly, so you’ll get your heart rate up. Nice to be able to go a long way and park at different parts. Took a couple of times to bike the whole place.
I never have been in this place before Is so nice, clean and secure. I would walk again definitely.
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