Top 5 natural sights in New York
New York Botanical Garden
Explore over 50 gardens and 30,000 trees only 20 minutes from Manhattan. Enjoy the fall foliage on a walk through the Thain Family Forest or experience something new through Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden. If you are feeling festive, check out the Haunted Pumpkin Garden, an annual tradition that merges Halloween fun with artful jack-o-lanterns. Take the B, D or 4 to Bedford Park Boulevard Station.
Minnewaska State Park
Sitting atop Shawangunk Mountain ridge at 2,000 feet above sea level, Lake Minnewaska offers waterfalls, lakes, forests, streams and rocky trails with magnificent views. The park boasts a few striking sights, such as Awosting Lake, Awosting Falls and Rainbow Falls. A simple walk around the lake offers beautiful views, but trails diverge for more adventurous sightseers. To get there, take a Port Authority Bus to New Paltz, which is about a two-hour ride.
Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve
Acres of woodland, beautiful gardens and a scenic view of the Hudson Sound sit in Lloyd Neck, Long Island. Located on a rocky peninsula, the park’s native Matinecock name, “Caumsett,” means “place by a sharp rock.” Visitors can explore salt marshes, meadows, shrublands, forests and the beach, as well as a diverse concentration of migratory birds, including the endangered Piping Plover. To get there, take the Long Island Rail Road from Penn Station to Huntington, which will take a little over an hour.
Rockefeller State Park Preserve
Less than an hour away from the city awaits the serenity of scenic forests, valleys and hills. Rockefeller State Park Preserve’s landscape is covered with tall, 150-to-200-year-old trees that contrast the familiar skyscrapers of the city. Instead of hurried people on streets, wildlife — including beautiful bluebirds, wise owls and flying squirrels — nestles in the holes of trees. In the park, one can find Swan Lake surrounded by a shoreline of wildflowers and waterfowl, as well as breathtaking views of the Palisades on the Hudson. To get there, take the Metro-North from Grand Central to Pleasantville.
Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center
Take an hour train ride to Oyster Bay to listen to the songbirds at the first Audubon Songbird Sanctuary in the United States. In the woods of the north shore, find 17 different birds of prey including hawks, owls, falcons and vultures. Learn about conservation, bird research and habitat restoration through the offered environmental education programs and guided tours. Or, just relax and listen. To get there, take the Long Island Rail Road from Penn Station.
A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, Oct. 9 print edition. Email Carley Tsiames at [email protected].