A little out of the way spot for the locals to enjoy a dip or to cast a fishing line…read more Would earn four stars if the area was free of litter. Perhaps a neighborhood effort is in order to perform regular cleanups.

So, we heard from our dog walker there's a secret-ish beach. At Gerritsen, there are no signs that…read moresay "no dogs," so it's technically the only "dog friendly beach" in Brooklyn. In fact, there aren't really any signs at all. The entrance to the bay is location at a dead end where people illegally park. It's a small sandy area where people were setting up fires, grills, a smoker, having parties, with dogs and kids running everywhere. There were about a dozen people jet skiing - right up to the sand on the shore - while little kids were swimming very close by. There was even a guy on a water hovercraft - totally solo - flying 30ft in the air. It was a pretty interesting scene. TBH, there was tons of garbage everywhere and I definitely wouldn't swim at this beach. The dog friendly part was just OK. If you have your dog and want to bring them off leash, walk to the very end where the bay curves. There's a lot more space and it's less crowded. There weren't really other dogs to interact with once you got away from the crowds of people. Just as an expectation- since this is basically an undesignated beach - there are no amenities like a bathroom, hose/shower onsite, or lifeguard. The quality of the water looked questionable. I think people come here because they can get away with doing illegal beach stuff without the risk of beach rangers catching you, and less because of the quality of the beach that's been clearly neglected.

The path along the Belt Parkway is just beautiful. New bridges, new paths, lush greenery with…read morerabbits sometimes skipping along side; you can forget where you are. It's a terrific walk, or run, or bike ride.

they repaved portions of the greenway so biking is more fun! no more bumpy roads which my bike…read morecan't handle :) thanks NYC

Great park for alone time! Good inclines!…read morePeaceful! Friendly staff! Plenty of parking! Clean porta potties! Lots of butterflies at this time of year@

This park is extremely breathtaking..Very clean and inviting..Great place to visit or have a…read morepicnic..

Not a bad area. The porta potty smells horrible...but other than that it is a nice little area to…read morehang out in. We came there when it was about to rain so it was not sunny the entire time, it started pouring just as we were leaving.. which made for a super beautiful view of the sky, with sun rays shining through. There are TONS of bushes with different fruits there, which I did not expect.. and also a TON of glass in the sand which is horrible, so BE CAREFUL! There are also spiky plants in the sand as well that hurt if you step on them so at least wear slippers. If you come there with your bike, just know you will have to climb around to get to the beach area. Tons of people windsurfing there which was a pretty cool thing to watch, them being raised up into the air and falling into the water. The view is gorgeous there as well so I naturally had to take tons of photos. There generally ARE people there and you will see them pass by but you can find spots where you are out of view if you want to sunbathe there. Overall a nice little spot to stop by every once in a while while biking by the belt.

What Happened to Plum Beach?…read more Two years ago, I gave Plumb Beach five stars. It was a peaceful little Brooklyn treasure where individuals, couples and families relaxed, people walked their dogs, windsurfers enjoyed the water, and others simply came to enjoy nature. After visiting last weekend on July 28, 2026, I barely recognized it. The issue wasn't the normal sounds of people enjoying the beach. It was extremely loud amplified music from large speakers that could be heard far beyond the groups using them. A senior beachgoer objected when a massive 4'x 3' speaker, positioned only about 10 feet from him and his wife, was turned on at full blast. This couple, along with dozens of other individuals and families, had already been peacefully enjoying the beach before a group of approximately 20+ people, (including babies) arrived and set up beside them with a large tent, enormous speaker and barbecue grills. When the gentleman objected to the volume, the music was initially turned down. Shortly afterward, however, the entire group packed up their tent, speaker and belongings and relocated approximately one city block farther down the beach, near where I was sitting. They then turned the music up extremely loud again. What demonstrates just how excessive the volume was is that even after moving that considerable distance, their music could still be clearly heard back where the gentleman and his wife had been sitting. Near me, it was so loud that I couldn't hear my small personal radio sitting beside me. I watched other beachgoers become frustrated, pack up their belongings and leave what had been a peaceful beach before this group arrived. TO BE CLEAR, this is not about the type, language, or culture of the music. It could have been American, Caribbean, Chinese, Pakistani, Russian, or any other genre or language. The issue is not the music itself--it is the VOLUME. No one person's music should be so loud that everyone around them is forced to listen to it or leave. Public spaces are meant to be shared respectfully so everyone has the opportunity to enjoy them. A few days later, I returned to Plumb Beach hoping my experience had been an isolated incident. Unfortunately, what I found was even more discouraging. The area where the large gathering had been was covered with garbage. There were beer bottles (including broken glass), food containers, disposable plates and cups, plastic bags, charcoal remnants, citrus fruit, and even soiled diapers scattered throughout the sand and among the protected dune vegetation. These aren't just cosmetic issues. Broken glass creates a hazard for people, pets and wildlife, and trash left in the dunes damages one of the most environmentally sensitive parts of the beach. My concern has never been about families gathering or people enjoying themselves. It's about respecting a public beach that belongs to everyone. If you can carry coolers, grills, diapers, food, beverages, and supplies onto the beach, you can carry the empty containers and garbage back off the beach. Plumb Beach WAS one of Brooklyn's peaceful hidden treasures. I sincerely hope stronger enforcement of littering, noise, grilling, and dune protection can help restore the beach so future visitors can enjoy the natural beauty that once made this place so special.

This is an awesome place to visit but due to recent hazardous and dangerous conditions this beach…read morehas been closed to visitors by the National Park service. Radioactive contamination is very dangerous so please consider visiting the Jamaica Bay wildlife preserve instead.

A pretty trippy, cool place that is unfortunately still closed due to 'Emergency Conditions' if…read moreyou're willing to pay a toll by car or a metro card ride by bus, you can get similar experiences at Riis Park or Plumb beach.

Filthy, the parking lot is full of mud and very old dead leaves and huge puddles. This place is…read morevery neglected. Litter in the parking lot, looks like a third world here. Try another park.

This is the park closest to my home and the one I always come to when I don't want to go too far…read more This is the lovely, cool and tranquil Marine Park.

Aside from the colorful bees and butterflies you see as your walking in, you feel welcome. There…read moresomething about butterflies and bees that seem to say to me when we meet "we are friendship and community and love" Then we swat at them - please refrain from swatting, they'll comprehend quickly that your no pretty flower or a newly sprouting seed. As I'm kicking around in the daisy's, big dog has other ideas of a hoot and a holler. He jailbreaks at an unsuspecting hound, a sizable hound at that, tall leggy proportions, trim at the quarters -- thinner necked and bigger headed. Catastrophe averted somehow and the AstroTurf is the closest replica to real grass, stringy as this breed might be - which it is. Like Poa Anna turf that's prominent in Hawaii. And we continued on towards the main soccer field the grass field looked quite the same with exceptional bounce and spring, I felt the decathloner in me and bounced along to the other side. With it's understandably poor upkeep, ya know -- cutbacks, cutbacks, the park has a spirit to it, like a drunkard whose not been home for a day or so and is in bad need of a shower, a shave and a change of clothes.

First time here, not bad! Nice looking over to the sand bar and seeing the hills and other sea…read morebirds. Someone was parasailing, the ocean was pretty choppy on a windy day. There are huge enclosed fields, some with artificial turf for soccer. I saw people running track, exercising and walking their dogs. It is a Loop trail, I started at the parking lot and went around the front through the little walkway that leads to the fields. I let my dog into a giant field where the gat can be closed and let her run. Then we walked towards the water and you see a trail start. A little ominous on a cloudy day and not many people but we kept going. The trail goes along the water line. Carcasses of boats along the coast probably from Sandy but interesting to see. Trail loops back to the parking lot. Not a hike but a nice walk, we did 1.41 miles. The only thing I didn't like was not a bench anywhere along the trail. I have a dachshund that likes to sit on benches when she's getting tired. I have to say it's pretty clean! Olive usually finds every chicken bone or other garbage, she found none here so it was a good walk. I'm using bending down twenty times to pull something out of her mouth Nice place to exercise your dog in the field, clean, garbage cans along the trail. I'll be going back.

The Salt Marsh Nature Center is very educational and definitely worth visiting before heading out…read moreon the Salt Marsh hiking trail. Inside, you'll learn about the different insects and wildlife you might encounter, which makes the hike even more engaging. They also post a schedule of activities like hiking and camping programs right on the door. A big plus is that they have restrooms available, something you won't easily find nearby. I really enjoyed seeing the turtles, snakes, stick insects, and more. Kids will absolutely love it here, so it's a great spot to bring the little ones. On top of that, the center offers beautiful views of the water and surrounding trails.

Total time to walk the squared loop around White Island -- maybe twenty minutes (in flip-flops mind…read moreyou) and total number of humanoids encountered -- just two. Two, in the entire vacinity from the main road, around the public services building (closed due to Covid-19) and into the salt marsh trails, and don't ask why -- as it's beyond my comprehension. Not did we encounter a pest of any genius - family- species, not winged not crawling not hopping or dive bombing. As I entered thru the gate and past the sign of rules I figured the following. "Skeeters don't take to my blood at all and anywhere and the dog is immune to all insect bites and stings (true for all Rhodesians), let's get it!" If I were to be swarmed by anything, it was beauty, fresh sweet salty air and two types of butterflies orange/black and white and a few hummingbirds. It was as if snow began to fall in the form of fluttering wings and hums of wanting to stay and never to fly away from here.

Large and beautiful park. Friends chose it for an easy social hike and chose/followed along the…read morepaths using a trail app. (There is also a map available at the visitor's center but the app makes it easy to detour without getting lost, plus it details length of the hike and other trail details.) This park is SO lovely. While there we saw ducks, frogs, goats... Some took the train from Manhattan and an Uber to the park from there. If you drive it is only $6 to park. There are restrooms and water fountains in the main parking lot. Bring a bag to keep any garbage! In this park there are no trash cans, you take out what you bring in.

Rockefeller State Park has some nice walking trails. They are pretty low impact which is nice if…read moreyou're not looking for something too intense. There are also beautiful views of the Hudson River. There is a small parking lot, but not too many spaces so try to come early to find a spot.