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Forest Park and Forest Hills Gardens
Forest Park comprises 540 acres of woodlands, wetlands, and outdoor recreational terrain. This route leads through the park’s peaceful pine grove, amongst majestic oaks, and over softly rolling forest terrain. On weekends, the park attracts cyclists, joggers, families, and other outdoor enthusiasts, but rarely gets overly crowded. The second part of the journey, through Forest Hills Gardens at the northeastern corner of Forest Park, leads through a century-old planned community of red-roofed houses, sculpted gardens, and tree-lined streets, reminiscent of Tudor-style Europe. This peaceful, nearly car-free bike route through shaded woodlands is a great option for those with limited city cycling experience, too.
Start: The Overlook, at the east end of Forest Park
Length: 8.0 miles out and back
Approximate riding time: 1.5 hours
Best bike: Road, hybrid, or mountain bike
Terrain and trail surface: Streets along the trail are paved. The terrain is softly rolling.
Traffic and hazards: This route crosses two heavily trafficked intersections—Woodhaven Boulevard and Union Turnpike—but is otherwise nearly car-free. The greenway through Forest Park’s east section is entirely car-free and the western portion has only light traffic. In Forest Hills Gardens, you’ll bike along residential streets with very few cars.
Things to see: Forest Park, Pine Grove, Carousel, Forest Hills Gardens, Seuffert Bandshell, Station Square
Maps: New York City Bike Map, City of New York Parks and Recreation Map: www.nycgovparks.org/parks/forestpark/map
Getting there: By public transportation: Take the F or E subway to the Kew Gardens/Union Turnpike station. Exit the station onto 80th Road. Bike southwest on 80th Road about 0.3 mile to reach Park Lane. Turn right onto Park Lane and enter Forest Park at Forest Park Drive on your left. The Overlook is on your left. GPS coordinates: N40 42.649’ / W73 50.181’
THE RIDE
Forest Park comprises 540 acres of woodlands, wetlands, flora, and fauna, and is known for its hilly “knob and kettle” terrain, formed by the edge of the Harbor Hill Moraine left behind by the massive Wisconsin glacier some 20,000 years ago. The Overlook, your starting point, is named for what were once far-reaching views across the park, but trees obscure much of the view today. From here, catch the car-free Forest Park Drive westward. The park drive, like so many other city green spaces, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1890s.
Heading west, you’ll cycle through a tranquil pine grove, sowed in 1912. The city planted 2,500 pines after a fungus killed 15,000 chestnut trees in the forest that year. Some of these original pines stand up to 100 feet high today. Continuing westward, you’ll scale several gentle hills before reaching Victory Field on your right at Woodhaven Boulevard. Heed the traffic signal to cross this boulevard, where traffic can be dense.
The bike trail that skirts the edge of Forest Park Golf Course.
The next stretch westward along Forest Park Drive shares the road with cars, but traffic is very light. Stop off to explore any of the park’s walking trails that lead off from the main drive. Strack Pond, for example, opposite the Forest Park Carousel, is a peaceful freshwater haven where herons, wranglers, and butterflies abound. To check out the Carousel, turn right toward the park’s picnic area, where you can access the carousel via the stone steps on the right side of the drive. The intricately carved horses, lions, and unicorns that populate this merry-go-round were carved more than a century ago by Daniel Carl Muller, a German immigrant who was renowned for his ornate wood-carving. Continuing en route, you’ll pass the Seuffert Bandshell on your right, named after the Brooklyn-born son of Bavarian immigrants who began hosting concerts here in the early twentieth century. It can host up to 3,500 people and continues to provide free concerts during summer months.
When you reach the Forest Park Golf Course up ahead, stay right to cycle through the golf course parking lot, continuing westward. Then follow the bikeway to the right, skirting the edge of the golf course, and cycling through a grove of red and black oaks. After ducking underneath a shallow overpass up ahead, you’ll turn left and reach the playground and park building that mark the western end of the park. Make a U-turn here to retrace your route along Forest Park Drive back to the Overlook.
When you reach the Overlook once more, the second part of your journey ensues. To visit the planned community of Forest Hills Gardens, exit Forest Park onto Park Lane and enter through the gates at Union Turnpike. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (Olmsted’s son) and Grosvenor Atterbury, this planned community was established in 1909 and feels far removed from New York City. Bike along tree-lined streets with Tudor-style, red-roofed houses, passing manicured yards and picturesque stone churches along the way. You’ll then soon reach Station Square, a redbrick town plaza where the Long Island Railroad makes a stop. Stop off for a drink at one of the cafe terraces along the square before retracing your route through Forest Hills Gardens back to Forest Park’s Overlook.
The Overlook
The Overlook was designed in 1911 to house the headquarters of the newly established Queens Parks Department. Until then, the Brooklyn Parks Department had managed all Queens parks, including Forest Park, called Brooklyn Forest Park at the time. The Spanish Mission–style building was named for its sweeping views across Forest Park and originally was just a one-room house. One of its most noteworthy residents was the author Henry Miller (1892–1980), who worked for the Queens Parks Department for some time, first as grave digger and later as office assistant. One anguished night in 1927, after his wife, June, had left him for Paris, he reputedly stayed up all, tormentedly typing thirty-two pages that shaped much of his literary work to come.
MILES AND DIRECTIONS
0.0 From the Overlook, turn left onto Forest Park Drive.
1.7Cross Woodhaven Boulevard and catch the greenway on the other side.
1.8The Carousel is on your right.
2.4Veer slightly right off Forest Park Drive to go straight through the golf course parking lot (with the golf course on your right).
2.5At the end of the parking lot, follow the bikeway to the right, continuing along the golf course. Follow the bikeway as it veers right up ahead.
2.9After the underpass, turn left.
3.0The park building at the west end of the park is your turnaround point. Make a U-turn to retrace your route to the overlook.
3.1Duck underneath the overpass. Follow the greenway as it skirts the edge of the golf course.
3.6 Turn left through the parking lot, continuing along the greenway.
3.7Exit the parking lot straight ahead onto Forest Park Drive.
4.5Cross Woodhaven Boulevard and enter the east section of the park next to Victory Field.
6.2Exit Forest Park and turn left onto Park Lane.
6.3Cross Union Turnpike and enter Forrest Hills Gardens on Markwood Place. Markwood Place becomes Greenway North. Continue straight as Greenway North becomes Greenway Terrace.
7.1Circumnavigate redbrick square of Greenway Terrace, also called Station Square. Take a break here. Then make a U-turn to return across Greenway Terrace square. Stay right of the triangular island at the center of the road. Turn sharply left and then right at its end to catch Greenway North back toward Markwood Place.
7.4Stay left when the road splits to take Markwood Place back to the entrance of Forest Hills Gardens.
7.7Cross Union Turnpike onto Park Lane.
7.9Turn left onto Forest Park Drive.
8.0Arrive at your starting point.
RIDE INFORMATION
Restrooms
Start/end: There are restrooms at the Overlook.
Mile 3.0: There are restrooms in the park building at the west end of Forest Park.