The Jamaica Bay Greenway is a 19-mile loop multi-use recreational path that connects the city to more than 10,000 acres of federal, state, and city park land. Destinations including Floyd Bennett Field, Fort Tilden, Jacob Riis Park, Canarsie Pier, Rockaway Beach, and the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge invite people to observe and explore. These connected park sites offer opportunities for healthy outdoor adventures, including biking, hiking, birding, sunbathing, and swimming. Marine Park features the Salt Marsh Nature Center and the Gerritsen Creek Nature Trail along the salt marsh in Jamaica Bay, with birding and wildflowers. The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge offers walking trails, migrating birds, ranger-led programs, and exhibits. Fort Tilden combines natural habitats, scenic views, and military history as a former part of New York City's harbor defense that is now used for recreation. Rockaway Beach includes New York's only surfing area, a boardwalk for strolling, and a popular place for swimming, fishing, sunbathing, and volleyball. Riis Beach includes the historic 1930s bathhouse, boardwalk, and beach. Floyd Bennett Field includes the Dead Horse Bay nature trails with views of lower New York Harbor, the North Forty trails through marsh lands and a newly planted forest, and a collection of historic aircraft maintained by volunteers and interpreted by people who once flew them. Plumb Beach offers views of threatened horseshoe crabs and shorebirds, kayak launching, and access to tidal flats at low tide.
