NEW YORK CITY HIKING
BRONX COUNTY
Kazimiroff Nature Trail - Pelham Bay Park more info
Distance: 2 miles Hike Time: 2 - 3 hours Difficulty: Easy Elevation changes: 90 feet
General Description: This nature trail honors Dr. Theodore Kazimiroff (1914-1980). A dentist by profession, Kazimiroff is most remembered for his dedication to the fight for the protection of the delicate ecosystems that still thrive in the Bronx.
The Kazimiroff Nature Trail reveals much of the natural beauty of Hunter Island at Pelham Bay Park. The nature trail runs through 189 acres of Hunter Island. One can see trees such as the tall Norway spruce (Picea abies) and the white pines (Pinus strobus) that provide a habitat for great horned owls (Bubo virginianus). The remnants of the Hunter Mansion garden, as well as fragments of the mansion house foundation and stone walls, are reminders of the large estates that once dotted the park’s shoreline. The Lagoon and the Twin Islands Salt Marsh, both recently restored, offer a wide array of vegetation such as glasswort (Salicornia) and sea lavender (Limonium latifolium) and wildlife such as ducks, geese, and small crustaceans. The Gray Mare and Mishow are two large boulders that were important during rituals and ceremonies to the Siwanoy, a group of the local Lenape who inhabited this area up until the European arrival in the 17th century.
NEW YORK COUNTY (Manhattan)
Distance: 8.5 - 10 miles (dependent on side hikes) Hike Time: 5 - 6 hours Difficulty: Easy
General Description: The trail is sponsored by the Man-A-Hattin Lodge 82 of the Order of the Arrow; a 24 page trail guide and patch are available for $3.00 per person (click more info for details). The trail starts at St. Mark's-in-the-Bowery Church in the East Village and ends at the South St. Seaport. There are 42 points of interest along the trail describing the history of New York from its settlement to contemporary events. The guide also lists 4 hikes to points of interest off the trail route.
Distance: 10 miles Hike Time: 5 - 6 hours Difficulty: Moderate - Difficult
General Description: The trail
is sponsored by the Man-A-Hattin Lodge 82 of the Order of the Arrow; a
trail guide and patch are available for $3.00 per person (click more info for
details). Located at the Northern tip of Manhattan in the Inwood-Washington
Heights area, “The Revolutionary War Historical Trail” has been reopened
after many years. It is a walking tour rich in the history of early Dutch
colonists, the American Revolution, the history of New York City, and the entire
country. Sites included on the trail include the Dyckman Farmhouse, Ft.
Washington Park, the Morris-Jumel Mansion, Inwood Hill Park, The Cloisters,
Sylvan Terrace, and High Bridge Park. Major parts of this trail have steep
inclines.
Distance: 1 1/2 miles Hike Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour Difficulty: Easy
General Description: The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is a good afternoon or morning escape from Queens, though you never do escape the airplanes circling nearby JFK airport. A trail loops from the Visitors Center through fairly open terrain with lots of low-lying vegetation, including a real surprise: a prickly pear cactus that thrives in the islands of Jamaica Bay.