The Greenbelt's spectacular forest vistas - this one is from the hiking
trail
atop Moses Mountain - make it easy to forget you are in New York City.
Hiking
trails and natural areas
Trail map information
There are four major foot trails in the Greenbelt, on which bicycles and motorized vehicles are prohibited. The well-marked trails are named for the color of their blaze marks. We have rated each trail according to its degree of ease/difficulty, and have delineated the length of each trail.
Easy: Flat terrain. Moderate: Mostly flat terrain with some inclines. Difficult: Hilly, with some flat areas.
Blue Trail
This easy-to-moderate 8-mile trail mounts from
Staten Island Boulevard and crosses the top of Todt Hill, one of the
highest points on the Eastern Seaboard between Maine and Florida.
White Trail
The southern end of this easy-to-moderate 5.6-mile
trail connects to Great Kills Park, part of the Gateway National
Recreation Area.
Red Trail
This easy-to-moderate 3.8-mile loop trail begins and
ends at Historic Richmond Town at St. Patrick's Place, off Richmond Road.
Yellow Trail
This moderate-to-difficult 6.6-mile trail brings
hikers through Reeds Basket Willow Swamp. It ascends Todt Hill, then
parallels the Blue Trail. Moses Mountain is located off the Yellow Trail.
Each trail crosses different types of forests. In drier zones, red and black oaks, tulip, beech and hickory trees are common. Moister soils support red maples, white swamp oak and willow trees. Because of our Island's temperate climate, some traditionally "southern" species - such as persimmon and sour gum - thrive along the trails.
The Greenbelt's parks and natural areas are open 365
days a year, from dawn to dusk. Some parking areas may close earlier, so
please check signs.
Visit
our photo galleries
Trail map
Download a map of the Greenbelt's many miles of beautiful, well-blazed hiking trails, or obtain one by visiting the Conservancy at 200 Nevada Avenue, Staten Island NY 10306 or call (718) 667-2165.
NOTE: The trail map is a PDF file (620k) and may take a few minutes to load, depending on the speed of your Internet connection. To view our trail map, you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.