I came here to explore and clear my head on my lunch break, and just how in the world did I not know about this place before???
My little hike started with balancing on stones to cross a small creek and then locating the entrance to the trails in a local neighborhood. This was followed by an excellent, very steep, heart-pumping climb to the top of the "mountain". After about another 1/2 a mile I came to the LaTourette Golf Course and cut across a small parking lot.
In the next leg of the hike, I encountered many deer, robins, woodpeckers, big blue jays. bright red cardinals & squirrels. There was a section of the park which turned out to be burned down, I am not even sure if the FDNY is aware of this.
I really enjoyed the solace of this place and the way the birds sings and calls echo throughout the forest. There are large trees, some of the largest I have seen on Staten Island. Please be aware of the abundance of poison ivy - stick to the trail! read more