Pelham Bay
Explore a maritime anomaly where "clamdiggers" and America’s Cup boatyards neighbor a primeval forest where fishermen-soldiers once changed the course of the Revolution.
Glover at Pell's Point
Just after midnight on October 18, 1776, General Sir William Howe once again embarked his army in pursuit of George Washington. Since driving the Americans from Long Island in August, Howe had repeatedly attempted to land behind the American army, cut its line of retreat, and end the rebellion. This time, his fleet moved toward Pell’s Point, the shorefront of what is now Rodman’s Neck in Pelham Bay Park. At first light, Colonel John Glover of Massachusetts observed the landing of approximately 4,000 British and Hessian troops from a nearby height. Commanding only 750 men, Glover made a bold decision: he would delay the British advance alone.
At a Glance
- Route
- City Island, then Pelham Bay Park: Orchard Beach, Twin Islands, Hunter Island, Bartow-Pell Mansion, Thomas Pell Wildlife Sanctuary, Glover's Rock
- Distance
- City Island 3.5 miles on foot; 8-10 miles full journey
- Duration
- Full day (6–8 hours on foot); 4–5 hours by bicycle
- Difficulty
- Easy — flat island terrain; Pelham Bay Park - gentle hills on forest trails; Hunter Island trail is unpaved but manageable
- Best Season
- Summer for beach and water access; Fall for foliage and migratory birds; Spring for shad runs and marsh wildflowers; Winter for the austere beauty of the tidal flats and the island without crowds
- Greenway
- Pelham Bay Park Road network provides cycling routes to Orchard Beach from the subway or on the Shore Road bike path that runs along the park's eastern edge from the Pelham Bridge area south
From the lobster boats and Victorian cottages of City Island to the salt marshes, forests, and glacial boulders of Pelham Bay Park, this shoreline reveals centuries of interaction between people and the sea. The Siwanoy first harvested shellfish here; colonial settlers established sprawling manor estates; shipbuilders launched championship yachts.
For much of this journey, it is easy to forget you are in New York City. The rocky shores of Hunter Island and Pelham Bay Park feel more like the coast of New England, with glacier-scoured ledges, tidal pools, oak forests, and enormous boulders scattered along the Sound. These house-sized rocks, deposited by retreating glaciers more than 20,000 years ago, inspired local legends of giants living across the water in Connecticut hurling stones at one another, leaving them strewn across the landscape. Whether viewed through the lens of geology or folklore, this rugged shoreline remains one of the city's most unexpected and ancient coastal landscapes.
Today, the same waters support oyster restoration projects, migratory birds, recreational boaters, and one of the city's most ecologically diverse coastal parks. The route combines the "Clamdigger" culture of City Island with the Robert Moses-engineered "Bronx Riviera" at Orchard Beach. Pelham Bay demonstrates how maritime heritage, natural beauty, and colonial history can occupy the same shoreline, creating a landscape where every cove, marsh, and rocky headland tells a different chapter of the American story.
City Island
City Island — a working maritime village where boatyards once built America's Cup defenders. At just 1.5 miles long, City Island feels more like a New England fishing village than part of New York City. Before European settlement, the Siwanoy harvested fish and shellfish from these waters. In 1654, Thomas Pell acquired the island and surrounding lands, and in 1761 developer Benjamin Palmer attempted to establish a rival port city here. His plan failed, but the unusual waterfront property rights created under the "Palmer Grant" continue to shape the shoreline today — waterfront owners hold rights 400 feet into the water. City Island developed into a community of oystermen, fishermen, shipbuilders, and sailors. Today, marinas, boatyards, and yacht clubs line both shores. The island's greatest charm lies on its side streets, where rows of Victorian and early twentieth-century wooden houses sit alongside skiffs, lobster pots, crab traps, and coils of rope. Offshore, the City Island Oyster Reef is helping restore the shellfish beds that once supported the island's economy.
Belden Point
At the island's southern tip, is a dramatic anchor point. The Gilded Age era's tycoons—including J.P. Morgan, Vincent Astor, and William Randolph Hearst—would sail their steam yachts up from Manhattan to anchor right off the point, stepping ashore to dine and escape the city heat. Today, the pier is a popular year-round fishing location. Looking directly south into the open water views of Victorian-style Stepping Stones Lighthouse (built in 1877 to mark a treacherous reef at the approach to the East River) and the older, ominous Execution Rocks Lighthouse further northeast.
Fordham Esplanade
On the island’s eastern shore, providing panoramic, unobstructed views over the open water, the historic Execution Rocks Lighthouse to the northeast and directly to the south Stepping Stones Lighthouse (built in 1877 to guide mariners around the treacherous reef systems marking the approach to the East River.) Named for Orrin Fordham who arrived from Connecticut and revolutionized the local economy in the 1830s, by inventing a method for "planting" oysters in designated underwater beds.
Samuel Pell House
586 City Island AveThis landmark is the island's finest surviving Victorian residence, its owner was a prosperous oysterman and a descendant of the original Thomas Pell who purchased the island in 1654. The well-preserved 1876 Second Empire frame mansions most distinctive features are the elaborately detailed mansard roof.
City Island Nautical Museum
190 Fordham StHoused in a former 1897 schoolhouse, this museum preserves island history through collections of ship models, photographs, and artifacts, including exhibits on the America's Cup yachts built and outfitted by local boatyards.
Hart Island
Originally used as a Civil War prison camp and later a Cold War Nike missile base, Hart Island is best known as the largest tax-funded cemetery in the world. This restricted-access island is visible all along the eastern shore of City Island.
Orchard Beach
Orchard Beach is the only public beach in the Bronx — a 1.1-mile crescent of white sand created by 1.2 million cubic yards of imported sand. The beach "resort for the people," built in 1936 by Robert Moses' by connecting Rodman's Neck, Twin Island, and Hunter Island to the mainland with landfill. The public canoe and kayak launch is located right at the edge of the Orchard Beach parking lot.
Orchard Beach Pavilion
Built in 1936–37 (Aymar Embury II, architect), this is one of the finest surviving WPA-era recreational structures in New York City — a 1,400-foot-long colonnaded bathhouse in the Federal Moderne style, with bright blue tile accents, terrazzo floors, and curved loggias at each end overlooking the beach.
Orchard Beach Promenade
The promenade hugs the beach. Fishing from the northern end (away from the designated swimming area) is permitted year-round. The public kayak/canoe put-in is at the edge of the parking lot.
Pelham Bay Park
Few places in New York better reveal the forces that shaped the coastline, where ancient bedrock, glacial ice, tidal marshes, and human history meet within a short walk. Its bedrock belongs to the ancient formations that characterize southern New England rather than the city, and the shoreline is strewn with enormous glacier-deposited boulders known as glacial erratics.
Kazimiroff Nature Trail
The trail winds for approximately 1.5 miles through one of the Bronx's most remarkable natural landscapes. The trail passes through oak woodlands, skirts tidal wetlands, and threads between massive erratic boulders left behind when the last continental ice sheet retreated more than 15,000 years ago. Along the shoreline, a brackish lagoon attracts herons, egrets, and other wading birds, while the surrounding marshes support extensive stands of smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora).
Hunter Island
No longer technically an island since landfill connected it to the mainland in 1947, Hunter Island is a 189-acre landscape of rocky shoreline, mature oak forest, salt marsh, and freshwater pond protected within the Thomas Pell Wildlife Sanctuary and the Hunter Island Marine Zoology and Geology Sanctuary.
Glover's Rock
A massive glacial boulder in the Split Rock Golf Course of Pelham Bay Park, it has a bronze plaque commemorating the Battle of Pell's Point (1776). The rock can be reached from the Split Rock Golf Course access road.
Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum
895 Shore RoadA Greek Revival stone house built on lands held by the Pell family since 1654. Unlike much of the surrounding Bronx, this landscape escaped urban subdivision and retains the open character of an eighteenth-century country estate. The formal gardens, framed by boxwood hedges and seasonal plantings, rank among the most tranquil historic landscapes in New York City.
Rodman's Neck
A narrow peninsula at the eastern edge of Pelham Bay Park where wooded shoreline, tidal marsh, and sheltered coves meet the waters of Eastchester Bay. Once part of the colonial Manor of Pelham, it is now divided between quiet natural habitat in the north and a restricted NYPD shooting range in the south.
Getting Here
| Stop / Location | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pelham Bay Park Station (6 train) | Subway terminus | Transfer to Bx29 bus for City Island |
| Bx29 Bus | Bus | To City Island Bridge; 15–20 min ride |
| Bx29 Bus (seasonal) | Bus | Orchard Beach - Seasonal service from station (Memorial Day–Labor Day) |
| Kazimiroff Nature Trail, Hunter Island | Hike | 1.5 mi; unpaved; start from Orchard Beach parking north end |
Community Logs
Photos, ratings, and quick tips from people who've made the trip.
Loading logs…