Scenic Walking Trail Near Me: Shirley Chisholm State Park Hilltop Paths in Brooklyn

Type scenic walking trail near me from almost anywhere in southeast Brooklyn and you should end up on top of a hill that did not exist sixty years ago. Shirley Chisholm State Park covers 407 acres on the edge of Jamaica Bay in East New York, and its ten miles of hiking and biking paths climb over what used to be the Pennsylvania Avenue and Fountain Avenue landfills. From the top you can see the Empire State Building, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the whole spread of the bay, and there is no vehicle use fee to get in.

The backstory is the reason to come. New York City's Department of Sanitation operated the Penn and Fountain landfills from 1956 to 1983. After they closed, the mounds were capped and rebuilt with more than 1.2 million cubic yards of clean soil, then planted with over 35,000 trees and plants. The state opened the land as a public park in 2019, and it is now open every day of the year.

The name honors Shirley Chisholm, the Brooklyn-born politician who became the first African American congresswoman and the first woman and first African American to run for president. Naming the city's newest state park after her, on the edge of a neighborhood she knew well, gave the project a sense of place that a typical waterfront park lacks.

There are two entrances, and they lead to very different walks. The Penn Avenue entrance at 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue opens onto the larger western hill, where the main loop climbs gradually to the summit meadows. The Fountain Avenue entrance at 950 Fountain Avenue serves the eastern mound and the Fountain Pier. If you only have an hour, start at Pennsylvania Avenue, walk the loop to the top and come back down to the water at Penn Pier.

The paths are wide and shared by bikes and walkers, so stay to the right and listen for bells. The climbs are gentle by hiking standards but they are long and fully exposed, with very little shade on the upper slopes. That openness is the whole point, since nothing blocks the view across the bay, but it means a hat in summer and a windbreaker the rest of the year.

The summit meadows are planted with native grasses and wildflowers, and by late October they have gone bronze and rust, rippling in the wind off the water. To the northwest the Empire State Building stands up out of the skyline; to the west the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and New York Harbor stretch along the horizon; and to the south the open water of Jamaica Bay runs toward the Rockaways. On clear days the planes coming into JFK cross the sky in a slow procession.

Down at the waterline there are three spots to linger. Penn Pier and Fountain Pier push out over the bay, and the Hendrix Creek Patio looks over the creek that runs between the two hills. Picnic tables are spread through the grounds, and the Fountain Sky Bowl gives groups a sheltered place to eat. Pack your own lunch and use the tables rather than the grass slopes.

One of the best deals in the city is the park's Bike Library, which lends bikes to visitors of all ages at no charge. The loan season runs from April 30 to November 1, with time slots between 10 am and 4 pm that you can reserve online or sign up for in person on the day. That makes late October the last chance of the year, so plan accordingly if you want to cover all ten miles in one visit.

State park staff also run environmental education programs, including public guided hikes, fishing clinics and kayaking sessions on the bay. Those programs change by season, so look at the park's events calendar before you go if you want to join a guided walk rather than wander on your own.

The park opens at 8 am and closes at dusk, so do not plan a picnic that runs into the dark. Dogs and other pets are not allowed; the park asks visitors to leave them at home. Bikes share every path with walkers, so ride slowly on the descents. Stay on the trails, since the slopes are still young landscapes that need their plantings to take hold, and carry out everything you bring.

The Penn Avenue entrance sits at the southern end of Pennsylvania Avenue, below the Belt Parkway, and the Fountain Avenue entrance is a short way east along the same shoreline. Drivers can use the parking near each gate. On public transit, plan on a subway ride to East New York followed by a bus or a longer walk south, which is why the free bike loans are so useful once you arrive.

East New York and Starrett City are not tourist neighborhoods, which keeps the park blissfully uncrowded on weekday mornings. Just north of the Belt Parkway, the Gateway Center shopping complex has chain restaurants if you forgot snacks. For a longer day on the water, the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Broad Channel and Canarsie Pier on the bay's northern shore are both a short drive away, and together the three make a fine tour of a side of New York that most visitors never see.

Addresses: Penn Avenue entrance, 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11239; Fountain Avenue entrance, 950 Fountain Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11239. Hours: open year round, 8 am to dusk. No vehicle use fee, and the Bike Library is free from April 30 to November 1, with slots between 10 am and 4 pm. Size: 407 acres with ten miles of hiking and biking trails. No dogs or pets. Bring water, sun protection and a windproof layer. To combine the walk with dinner in Canarsie or Howard Beach, ask Karpo in the Karpo APP.