Many people don't know this but New Jersey has alot of parks. Some are real good finds. Flat Rock…read moreBrook is a hidden gem. It is tucked away in a residential neighborhood. We went on Friday afternoon and we were lucky to get a parking space. The parking lot is small with only about 15 spots. Hiking was very easy even though it was not marked. It was nice to be able to enjoy the great outdoors without having to drive a long distance. The highlight of the visit was the aviary. The aviary housed 1 falcon and 2 owls. It was really cool to see these birds close up!

Flat Rock is more rustic than I expected given the location and relative lack of hype. It offers…read moremore varied terrain than some other suburban spots like Emerson Woods Preserve. The sign mentioning NYC being 4.3 miles away is a clever comment on the unexpected location, unclear if that's a "crow files" metric or an actual journey involving walking over the GWB. (click here for my "Fear of Heights" podcast on Audacy). At least one of the wooden bridges across the water wasn't in good shape. If it fails you won't drown but you might get muddy. And in one major advantage over other quirky NJ nature spots is the existence of a bathroom (depending on the hours of the nature center building, which are shorter than those of the overall preserve). Geography notes: you won't want to walk all the way to/from downtown Englewood as I did, the 166 bus gets relatively close but is a relatively slow ride.

Lovely park right off main street…read more There is no parking lot but lots of metered street parking in the immediate area. The park has a large field with a baseball diamond there. There is a paved path around the perimeter of the park. There is an exercise area as well as a sizeable playground, focused on children 5-12 years old. Along the main path, there are also some less intensive exercise stations...they even have wheelchair accessible options. The park is very well-maintained and safe.

Beautiful little park with workout stations along the paths. Should take a minute and stop by every…read morestation, try it out, and read the workout tips offered. There's also a neat little playground on the far end. Very clean areas. Lots of parking outside the park as well.

This is a wonderful place to bring the whole family. They have about 12 different trails, all…read moreseparated in different levels of difficulty. The trails are free to enter but they do request for volunteer donation for non members. Different tiers of annul membership available to purchase at main office that comes with some wonderful perks, such as free access to trails and special events. The main office also has some of the exhibition items like insect box and turtle box. Outside the office there's also bird and butterfly cages. We went to the center for our daughter to participate in butterfly feeding event. Upon arrival we found out we had to buy the tickets for one of the two scheduled events. Luckily there were slots available to the second event on the day. The ticket was reasonably cheap, only $8. It also came with an additional bird's exhibition that took place right in front of office deck. All the stuff members were very friendly, informative and interactive. We spent wonderful couple of hours here on beautiful warm summer day.

This place is huge!!!! Visit and buy a membership and go often! The staff is kind, dedicated and…read moreknowledgeable! Sign up for a program or hike today!

These trails, nestled right in the Riverdale neighborhood, are an absolute gem and a perfect, easy…read moreescape from the city hustle and bustle! They offer spectacular views of the Hudson River, often feeling like you are literally touching it, while gazing across at the dramatic cliffs of the New Jersey Palisades, which absolutely adds to the view. It's especially beautiful in the fall for the foliage--the trees burst with color, creating a vibrant backdrop to the river gorge. The trails themselves are easy, quick, and simple, with minimal elevation gain (no limited hills), making them accessible for just about anyone. You can enjoy a relaxing walk or seek out a more "ruggedness when needed" feel in certain sections. I constantly see people enjoying them: biking, walking, and even taking conference calls while soaking up the view! Important Dog Owner Warning These are great trails for walking your dogs. I often see dogs enjoying being off-leash here, but if you choose to do so, please be hyper-aware! The trail runs right alongside the Metro-North Hudson Line tracks (the stretch between the Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil stops), and the fence isn't aligning the whole way. A distracted dog chasing a rabbit or squirrel can easily run right onto the active tracks. Keep a tight watch or use a long lead--it's not worth the risk, even if your dog is well-behaved. Overall, a highly recommended spot for a scenic, simple, and convenient outdoor experience!

Spent the day in Riverdale on Sunday and got an amazing workout. The trail was really nice even…read morethough it felt like 1,000 degrees out that day. My dad and I had a great time, and we got all of our steps in that day. There was one part of Riverdale Park with branches leaning against a tree and it kind of looked like a scene out of The Blair Witch Project. It was a beautiful day, and I'm glad I got to enjoy it at the park.

Great space with a beautiful view to the Hudson River. Very fresh air with long walking trails. Not…read morevery recommended if you have children. There are a lot of stairs and hills. Great for picnics or spending some time with friends.

Our friends took us to this park, which was not too far from their place in Riverdale....what a…read morefind !!! This is a beautiful park with lots of flowers, trees, benches and vistas. Free parking. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. began acquiring private parcels in 1917 as part of his vision of developing a beautiful park with majestic views of the Hudson River and Palisades for the public. Rockefeller gifted the land to the City of New York in 1931, and construction began soon after. The park is about 70 acres in area. Decades after its creation, park goers can run or walk on the park's 8 miles of pathways, play on the lawns, and enjoy the city's largest garden with unrestricted public access, the Heather Garden. We saw tons of nice flower beds and blooming plants. Fort Tryon Park is home to the Cloisters (separate Yelp review), a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that houses nearly 5,000 medieval works in a building comprised of several structures from Europe. Fort Tryon Park is home to Manhattan's largest dog run, complete with a gazebo for dog owners to sit and socialize, as well as two playgrounds, volleyball courts, and built-in ping pong tables. The pristine views of the Hudson River make the park the perfect setting for exploring, meandering strolls, and picnics. The George Washington bridge can be seen from one of the vintage points. If you are in the area, check it out...it's located on the northern part of Manhattan close to the border with the Bronx on the NW corner of the island.

Tough times. I'm semi-homebound for a few days and ran out of Yelp ideas, and was delighted when it…read moreseemed that I never reviewed the River-to-Ridge Trail in New Paltz and spent way too much digging up photos from 2022 and workshopping an aphorism inspired by the band Pulp. But it turns out there's a duplicate listing under the name River-to-Ridge. Even my fans might not want another PATH train rant, so I'm glad I found one more thing to review. Central Park and Prospect Park are meticulously crafted, but Inwood Hill Park includes a legit old-growth forest. Visually, these massive trees provide an almost startling wilderness appearance, even if the highway noises break the spell. The non-forest area still offers a decent amount of colorful-in-October trees and great Harlem River/Spuyten Duyvil reviews. And if you're one of those Yelp fanatics who reviews Metro-North, you can get some scenic train videos from the park.

Went to the Pow wow as I go every year. The merchandise is beautiful and the performances are so…read morenice. The dressing is beautiful. There was such a big selection of food. Definitely worth going. Cant wait till next year.

Great park with huge playground area with areas for various age ranges. Plenty of parking and…read morewalking options. This park also has pickleball courts. The only downside is that the park has minimal trees so hardly any natural shade from the sun.

Forth of July celebration awesome music awesome food awesome people-crowd is amazing-police are…read morefantastic will go again next year for sure

These gardens are lovely to visit for fresh air and a stroll. Admission is a bit pricey at $15 per…read moreadult so you'll want to stay for a few hours to make it worth the fare. Parking fills up quickly. They have an overflow lot a few blocks away, but it's an uphill walk to get back to the park. It's a great place to have a picnic. Lots of families and kids. We ate lunch at the cafe, but weren't super impressed by the food. The chipotle chickpeas were bland. The paper menus also didn't match what was actually available at the register. The line to order was quite long, but the wait for the food wasn't the worst. They had lots of seating indoors and a nice outdoor patio with more tables. We walked a few of the trails. Most were unpaved. We managed fine with a stroller, but the paths were a bit rocky. To see several sections, you need to climb stairs so a stroller was not the most convenient. The view of the Hudson, from both the upper and lower terraces, is wonderful and great for taking pictures. It was spring so they had tulips in bloom. Their shady grove of trees was cool to check out. I also loved the upper gardens.

Wave Hill Public Garden is a beautiful oasis nestled on the Hudson in the Riverdale/Fieldston…read moresection of the Bronx. The property is well maintained with splendid manicured gardens containing thousands of varieties of flora and arbors on 28 acres overlooking the Palisades. Open daily 9AM to 5:3OPM Wave Hill also hosts various educational tours and events throughout the summer listed on their website: https://www.wavehill.org/calendar We were here late in the evening (8-10PM) for 'Life Among the Raptors' where Christine's Critters of Weston CT brought Owls, Falcons and Hawks for us to view. . Christine educated us on the history of these beautiful birds and how they rehabilitate many who have been injured. Christine's Critters is a wonderful organization for the sustainability of wildlife in the northeastern region of the country. Please check out Christine's Critters website: https://www.christinescritters.org/ Both non-profits are well worth experiencing. Thank you for reading