Jamaica Bay
Explore the edge of the city’s great tidal wilderness, a 22-square-mile labyrinth of salt marshes and "whaleboat war" creeks where the urban grid finally dissolves into the Atlantic.
Jamaica Bay
In 1776, Jamaica Bay was a labyrinth of tidal mudflats and salt marsh, its shoreline worked by hay harvesters and shell fishers. The great Dutch farming families — Wyckoff, Lott, Cortelyou — farmed inland, well back from the water's edge. The bay itself was a strategic corridor: British longboats probed its shallow fingers before the Battle of Brooklyn to scout the flanking route through Jamaica Pass.
At a Glance
- Route
- Shore Parkway Greenway east from Plumb Beach through Gerritsen Creek, Marine Park, Floyd Bennett Field, Dead Horse Bay, Mill Basin, Paerdegat Basin, Canarsie Pier, and Shirley Chisholm State Park to the Brooklyn/Queens border
- Distance
- 14–18 miles (full greenway); easily divided into shorter sections
- Duration
- Full day by bicycle; can be split into two half-day walks
- Difficulty
- Easy by bike — flat, paved, separated path; no shade
- Best Season
- Spring for horseshoe crabs and migratory birds; fall for monarch butterflies; summer for fishing and kayaking
- Greenway
- Shore Pkwy Greenway: Bring your own bicycle for the full route. A free Bike Library at Shirley Chisholm SP offers loaner bikes
Jamaica Bay is a vast, 22-square-mile tidal system of winding channels, salt marshes, and wildlife preserves where the rigid city grid finally dissolves into the rhythmic tides of the Atlantic. Recognized as a "Significant Fish and Wildlife Habitat," these waters serve as both a bustling recreational playground for boating and birding, and a rich sanctuary for marine life — including striped bass, winter flounder, bluefish, and American eel.
The bay's two-mile main channel skirts the perimeter, guiding boats out through the Rockaway Inlet to the open ocean. While natural depths run between 13 and 20 feet, several shipping lanes have been dredged down to 50 feet for heavy navigation. Deeper within the bay, the interior islands and mudflats still carry the vivid names given to them generations ago by local fishermen and oystermen, such as Canarsie Pol, Elders Point, and Pumpkin Patch Marsh.
Tracing the western shoreline reveals a dramatic transformation of the landscape.
Shore Parkway Greenway
This entire 7-mile stretch runs along the water — paved and separated from traffic, linking the Shore Parkway Greenway to Howard Beach in Queens. It offers a breezy 45-minute ride or a nearly 3-hour walk through long stretches of open pavement. While walking allows for deep observation of the salt marshes, biking lets you conquer the large bridges — Gerritsen, Mill Basin, and Paerdegat — treating them as scenic overlooks. The path has steep slopes and arching bridges that can be a challenge. The Mill Basin Bridge has a pedestrian and bike lane that provides outstanding elevated views of the canals of Mill Basin and Jamaica Bay. Hiking trails and horse trails weave through dunes to empty beaches just east of the Mill Basin Bridge where Jamaica Bay Riding Academy offers trail-guided rides no matter your skill level.
Plumb Beach
A long neck of land reaching across the mouth of Rockaway Inlet, Plumb Beach (Belt Pkwy. Exit 9) was first an island of squatters' shacks and beach bungalows before becoming part of the Belt Parkway system in 1940. A premier spot for windsurfing and kiteboarding managed as part of Gateway National Recreation Area. On full moon nights in late spring horseshoe crabs beach here — it is a significant habitat for them and for piping plovers nesting in the dunes. A small parking lot and access path connect directly to the Greenway trail running east.
Marine Park
At 798 acres, this is Brooklyn's largest park. Much of the waterfront was once a sprawling, 19th-century horse-racing estate owned by the prominent Whitney family. Donated to the city in 1920, the Whitney mansion was demolished in 1936, clearing the way for the open lawns and public recreation of modern Marine Park. The best access point for coastal explorers is the kayak launch from the foot of Burnett Street — paddle south down Gerritsen Creek into the quiet channels of the marsh toward White Island, a restored habitat in the center of the waterway.
Gerritsen Creek
Gerritsen Creek is named after the family that operated a grist mill near what is now Marine Park. It flows through Marine Park at the eastern edge of the protected Gerritsen peninsula to drain into Dead Horse Bay. The creek is a quiet incision — an inlet where tide and stormwater still negotiate directly. The charming, informal waterfront path along the "Dead End" streets (Plumb 1st through Plumb 13th) is a great place to see local boat culture up close; many residents have private docks right in their backyards.
Salt Marsh Nature Center
Salt Marsh Nature Center is the gateway to trails where you can spot the diamondback terrapin, the only turtle in North America that lives exclusively in brackish water. In early summer, they can often be spotted along the sandy fringes of the marsh, along with marsh wrens, great blue herons, and osprey nesting on tall platforms. The Spartina grasses bounding the trail serve a dual purpose: providing a nursery for local fish and acting as a natural sponge against storm surge. Directly across from the Nature Center on the western bank of the creek lies a vast, sandy area locals call "the desert" — an open expanse with crisscrossing dirt paths and prickly pear cacti, one of the few cacti native to New York. The paths lead down to the water's edge where the charred ruins of the old tide mill are located.
Lott House
The Lott House at 1940 East 36th Street in Marine Park is one of the most significant and well-preserved Dutch Colonial farmhouses in New York City — a rare link to Brooklyn's agricultural past, open for tours.
Floyd Bennett Field
New York City's first municipal airport. Legendary aviators like Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes launched from its runways. The field is named for the pilot of Admiral Richard Byrd's 1926 North Pole flight. Italian aviator Italo Balbo landed 24 seaplanes at the field in 1933 on his famous transatlantic mass flight. Today, the Ryan Visitor Center preserves its Art Deco terminal architecture. Floyd Bennett Field later served as a Naval Air Station during World War II before being decommissioned and absorbed into Gateway National Recreation Area. The Historic Aircraft Restoration Project (HARP) in Hangar B is accessible on Saturdays for anyone interested in aviation history.
Dead Horse Bay
Dead Horse Bay washes the eastern shore of the Barren Island peninsula — once the site of factories that processed animal carcasses into glue and fertilizer, giving the cove its name. Glass Bottle Beach is a stretch of shoreline where a 1950s landfill cap burst, allowing Atlantic tides to mine a century of discarded vintage glass, ceramic shards, and rusted iron. Currently closed to the public due to radiological contamination.
Four Sparrow Marsh
Four Sparrow Marsh is a wilder, more secluded counterpart to Floyd Bennett Field, located on the northern (inland) side of the Belt Parkway along Flatbush Avenue near the shopping center lot. Birdwatching is the primary draw — look for the seaside sparrow. Small footpaths lead toward the water's edge, offering quiet views of the Mill Basin inlet. In autumn, milkweed and wildflowers here attract swarms of migrating monarch butterflies.
Paerdegat Basin
Named for the Dutch paardengat — "horse hole" — Paerdegat Basin is a mile-long channel that serves as a deep-water dockage. Yacht and boat clubs line the western bank, including the Paerdegat Yacht Club, Diamond Sands Yacht Club, and the Hudson River Yacht Club. The Paerdegat Basin Ecological Park at the northern end features restored wetlands and native plantings designed to filter rainwater and bring back snowy egrets and diamondback terrapins. The Sebago Canoe Club provides sheltered water access for paddlers.
Canarsie Park
East of Paerdegat Basin, Canarsie Park features playing fields and a perimeter trail circling the wetlands. Canarsie Beach is a scenic stretch of sand hidden along the north side of Jamaica Bay. The Native American Canarsee tribe launched their canoes and fished the bay here. Today, paddlers launch kayaks and paddleboards.
Canarsie Pier
A social hub for local fishermen and a vital mid-point break for Greenway cyclists. Anglers enjoy year-round action as schools of bait fish draw stripers, bluefish, porgies, and weakfish. Nighttime is time for pulling in squid. The 600-foot-long pier at Exit 13 off the Belt Parkway has a parking lot and picnic area, open daily 6am to 10pm.
Shirley Chisholm State Park
Built atop a former landfill, its "Sky Drive" offers the highest elevations in the area and a 360-degree panorama of the Manhattan skyline and the bay. Penn Pier is a hotspot for anglers during winter runs of herring and offers sweeping views of Jamaica Bay. Miles of hiking trails wind through the park. Free loaner bikes — including specialized equipment — help visitors explore the 10 miles of bike paths. Hendrix Lookout is a scenic viewpoint along the southernmost portion of the Hendrix Creek trail offering panoramic views of the surrounding coastal marshland. Fountain Pier is a small, shaded, no-fishing pier extending into the water with bench seating and magnificent views.
Fresh Creek Nature Preserve
A hidden bastion of wildlife tucked behind the state park and Starrett City complex, running parallel to Louisiana Avenue. The 92-acre preserve offers a glimpse of original, wild coastline. Part of the Forever Wild program, it serves as a crucial habitat for various bird species.
Spring Creek Park
A unique mix of dense coastal wetlands, quiet nature preserves, and expansive waterfront recreation containing the largest tract of salt marshes in northern Jamaica Bay — a sanctuary for wading birds. Visitors can access the public parkland surrounding the nearby Gateway Center mall, which provides cricket fields and walking routes.
Getting Here
| Stop / Location | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flatbush Av (2/5 trains) | Subway | Access to Floyd Bennett Field and the southern reach of the Greenway |
| Canarsie–Rockaway Pkwy (L train) | Subway | Access to Canarsie Pier and mid-route Greenway sections |
| Pennsylvania Av (3 train) | Subway | Access to Shirley Chisholm State Park (journey's eastern end) |
| Newkirk Av (B/Q trains) | Subway | Access to Marine Park — walk south on E 16th St to the Nature Center |
| Plumb Beach Parking | Drive | Belt Pkwy Exit 9; small lot with direct Greenway access |
| Floyd Bennett Field | Drive/Bike | Enter from Flatbush Av at the Gateway NRA entrance; ample parking; Ryan Visitor Center on site |
| Canarsie Pier | Drive/Bike | Parking on the pier; Belt Pkwy Exit 13 |
| Chisholm State Park Bike Library | Bike | Enter from Pennsylvania Av (north entrance); free loaner bikes available; 10 miles of trails |
| Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center | Walk | Av U & E 33rd St; free parking adjacent; guided ranger walks available |
Community Logs
Photos, ratings, and quick tips from people who've made the trip.
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