The good NYC cycling paths
Updated 2024-11-19
There's a lot of bike infrastructure in NYC which is usable for getting around, but which parts are so good you can really enjoy yourself on a bike? Most of the spots are obvious, but here they are, so far:
Brooklyn
- The path along Belt Parkway, and how it continues on Jamaica Bay Greenway, all time MVP bike route. Smooth, totally separated from the road, and really well-maintained. Kinda reminds me of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail from DC, but much longer.
- Prospect Park. There are always road cyclists doing hot laps, but as long as they don't give you any trouble, it's just a really damn nice park, and constantly filled with life.
- Eastern Parkway and Ocean Parkway, though both require a lot of stopping.
- 4th Ave – as a way to access the Belt Parkway, mostly. Far enough south, the tire shops start to take over the bike lane, so it's not that great, but still, it's a long, useful, marked bike lane. But why are there so many tire shops? How many tires does a car go through every year?
- Flushing Ave / Kent Ave, which takes you up to Williamsburg. It's a bike lane and feels like "the city," but it's relatively safe and there's good people-watching.
Queens
- Forest Park: nice smooth, car-free roads.
Manhattan
- The Hudson Greenway / Empire State Trail. Often flooded with tourists and people who have not ridden a bicycle in years re-learning how to ride a bicycle. But once you get north of the Intrepid Museum, it starts to get much nicer and smoother.
- Central Park. I've honestly only ridden it a few times, but… it's Central Park.
Long Island
- The trail alongside Wantagh State Parkway.
- The Massapequa Trail.
New Jersey
- Henry Hudson Drive in Palisades Park, accessible by biking up the Hudson Greenway and crossing the George Washington Bridge. Blissful smooth roads with minimal car traffic. Super popular with cyclists.
What am I missing? I want to ride all the (nice) paths!