Why visit
The Staten Island Greenbelt forms a broad network of public natural areas across the borough's central hills. Its roughly 2,800 acres preserve oak forest, swamps, kettle ponds, streams and glacial terrain that survived suburban development through decades of conservation campaigning and municipal acquisition.
What to see
Marked trails link places such as High Rock Park, LaTourette Park, Willowbrook Park and the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge. Elevation changes, exposed rock and wet lowlands create distinct habitats along routes used for walking and running, while the LaTourette golf course occupies a more managed opening within the system.
Plan your visit
The Greenbelt Nature Center interprets local geology, plants and animals, but the protected land itself is the central collection. Its scale allows ecological connections between parcels and gives Staten Island an interior landscape where woodland, water and wildlife remain continuous enough to be experienced as a system rather than isolated neighborhood parks.
