3. Canarsie Park, Brooklyn
Right along the border of Brooklyn and Queens, Canarsie Park houses active athletic fields, cricket pitches, and a beautiful shoreline. The park’s Blue Trail is over half a mile long and passes through the park’s wetland area and along it’s sandy shores. The trail offers views of Jamaica Bay and the surrounding neighborhoods, as well as the Manhattan skyline farther in the distance. Additionally, ducks and geese are often visible in the water. An interactive map of the trail is available on the NYC Parks Website.
In addition to the trails, Canarsie Park’s location along Jamaica Bay allows it offer plenty of other activities. Kayaking is a popular activity at the park, with guided tours that lead paddlers around Paerdegat Basing, under the Belt Parkway, and out to a sandy point about a mile away on the Mill Basin. In addition to birds and wildlife, trips along the water also offer great views of planes taking off and landing at JFK Airport.