Skip to content
Gateway National Recreation Area, Queens, NY

Photo: GK tramrunner at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor Adventure

Gateway National Recreation Area

Watch birds at Jamaica Bay, swim at Jacob Riis Park or camp inside New York City at this national park spread around the harbor.

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, Queens, NY 11693 · Queens, NY

About Gateway National Recreation Area

Gateway is a national park of 26,607 acres spread across New York City and the Jersey Shore, created in 1972. In Queens and Brooklyn you can walk around West Pond at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest bird habitats in the Northeast, swim at Jacob Riis Park, or camp at Floyd Bennett Field. There is no entrance fee, but beach parking at Jacob Riis is charged in summer and the park does not take cash.

  • #national park
  • #bird watching
  • #beaches
  • #camping
  • #wildlife refuge

What's around here?

The closest stops to Gateway National Recreation Area, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Shopping

    Gateway Center

    Check prices

    Brooklyn shopping center with more than 45 retailers and eateries, plus regular deals and events.

    3.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Nightlife
    Local Gem

    Resorts World New York City

    No admission fee

    Play slots and live table games in Queens, with a Hyatt Regency hotel and a skybridge to the subway.

    3.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Nightlife

  • Shopping

    Kings Plaza

    Check prices

    A large shopping center in Brooklyn's Mill Basin section with many national retail brands and dining options.

    5.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Local Gem

    Marine Park

    Check prices

    Walk the Salt Marsh Nature Trail along Gerritsen Creek, launch a kayak or play a round of golf in Brooklyn's largest park.

    5.6 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Family Favorite

    Betsy Head Park

    No admission fee

    A Brownsville park from 1915 with a landmark WPA-era pool and bathhouse, plus a running track, skate park and ball courts.

    5.6 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Local Gem

    Maria Hernandez Park

    Check prices

    Spend an afternoon in Bushwick's busiest park, with a rainbow playground, dog runs, courts and a plaza that hosts neighborhood events.

    7.9 mi awayMore like this

Near Gateway National Recreation Area

More of the same kind

Keep exploring