5 Best Hiking Trails in New York (2026)

Tallman Mountain State Park sits on the easterly slope of the Palisades overlooking the Hudson River and Piermont Marsh, just north of the city in Sparkill. The park offers a mix of paved road, flat gravel path and wooded trail with moderate ups and downs, alongside a playground, ball field and pool. It is set up for a range of visitors, from a stroller-friendly walk to a proper woodland hike.

Shirley Chisholm State Park is a former landfill site turned Brooklyn park, named for the first Black Congresswoman, with paved and gravel trails across two entrances near Fountain and Pennsylvania Avenues. It runs a free seasonal bike-loan program with roughly ten miles of car-free paths, alongside walking trails rated easy to medium. Reviewers describe it as a large, open green space unusual for the borough.

Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Trail is a Brooklyn hiking area centered on a nature center, with a roughly one-mile loop through salt marsh and grassland terrain. It is run alongside the NYC Bird Alliance, which hosts regular free birdwatching events for beginners. Reviewers describe it as an easy, level-one trail suited to kids, teenagers and anyone newer to hiking.

North Woods is the largest of Central Park's three woodland landscapes, a 40-acre section in the northwest corner of the park designed by Olmsted and Vaux to feel like an escape from the city. It includes the Blockhouse, an 1812 fortification and the oldest structure in the park, along with ponds, small waterfalls and rustic bridges. Reviewers consistently describe it as quieter and less touristed than the park's southern half.

High Rock Park is a Staten Island greenspace with ponds, wetlands and marked trails through actual woodland, including a route up Moses' Mountain with wide views. It sits within the Staten Island Greenbelt and is reachable from a parking lot on Nevada Avenue. Reviewers repeatedly describe it as feeling far removed from the rest of the city despite the short trip.