If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else … Yogi Berra
Some hours and fees are noted in the descriptions. Please check the website for the facility, since these may change without notice.
New York State Parks often charge fees, either 5 or 7 days a week, sometimes only during the summer. Check this website for fees and hours. Fees are waived for persons aged 62 and over from Monday through Friday. You may also purchase a NYS Empire Pass to avoid vehicle entry fees at all times.
APEC – Alley Pond Environmental Center – new building (Queens County). – Google Map .
Alley Pond Park (Queens County). QCBC trips usually start in the 76th Ave Parking lot. Google Map. 2019 NYC Parks map of Alley Pond Park trails TRAILS
Baisley Pond Park (Queens County). Google Map. Good for ducks in the winter and breeding Yellow-crowned Night-Herons.
Bashakill Marsh (Sullivan County). Usual meeting place is the bridge at Haven Road Google Map. Take New York Thruway then route 17 to Wurtsboro exit 113. Turn left and drive to Haven Road. Turn left and follow road across bridge. Look for a narrow road on the left side, leading to the parking area. This location has too many great things to list here.
Belmont Lake (Suffolk County). Google Map. The lake has been a reliable night roost for winter rarities including Barnacle Goose, Cackling Goose, and Greater White-fronted Goose.
Betty Allen Twin Ponds Nature Park (Suffolk County). Google Map. Town of Huntington park. From Route 110, turn east on Route 25A (Main St or Fort Salonga Rd) towards Centerport. Entrance is on your right; watch for sign. Park on opposite side of street.
Blue Chip Farms & Shawangunk National Wildlife Refuge (Ulster County). The place upstate for reliable grassland species in breeding season such as Upland Sandpiper, Bobolink, E. Meadowlark, Grasshopper Sparrow; and wintering birds like Short-eared Owl, Kestrel, and Rough-legged Hawk. 2017 had Henslow’s and Dicksissel.
Breezy Point (Queens County). In winter, we meet at the Fisherman’s Parking Lot (requires permit in summer). Google Map.
New York Botanical Garden (aka Bronx Botanical Garden, Bronx County). Google Map. From Whitestone Bridge, take Hutchinson River
Parkway to Pelham Bay Park/ Parkway exit, or from Throgs Neck Bridge, bear right and take Throgs Neck Expressway/Bruckner Expressway to
Pelham Bay Park exit 1. Head west on Pelham Bay Parkway and after the park on your right, bear right into Southern Boulevard. Entrance is on
your right.
Caleb Smith State Park (Suffolk County) Google Map. Take Northern State Parkway or I-495 to the Sunken Meadow Parkway. Head north to exit
SM3, then east on Jericho Turnpike. Look for the park on your left after driving approx. 2 miles. Park is closed Mondays, in winter also Tuesdays.
Forest Park (Queens County) Excellent for spring migrants especially Warblers. The famous water-hole is a magnet for warblers and other
migrants. From Grand Central Parkway going west, take Jackie Robinson (Interborough) Parkway to the Metropolitan Avenue exit. Turn left and
park on the right side of Metropolitan Avenue or along Park Lane South which crosses several blocks ahead. Watch for parking restrictions. Club
meets Park Lane South between Grosvenor Road and Mayfair Road. Google Map.