Prospect Park launches first formal nature trail system

The Prospect Park Alliance this week unveiled the first formal nature trail system through the park’s bucolic waterways and woodlands. The five routes are marked by signage and blazes on trees, guiding visitors through 250 acres of the park’s most scenic natural areas while protecting its fragile wildlife habitats.

The natural environments found throughout Prospect Park are by design. When Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed the over 500-acre public park in the 1860s, they incorporated two areas of forest and a network of wetlands.

Olmsted believed a park should be a “tranquil, rural landscape” and an escape from fast-paced city life. With Prospect Park Alliance upholding Olmsted and Vaux’s vision, the park remains a peaceful retreat today, thanks to the rich forest, waterfalls, rolling green meadows, and Brooklyn’s only lake.

The Alliance partnered with NYC Parks to map the trails in the park’s natural areas to include official paths as well as “desire lines,” created informally by park-goers. Some unofficial paths were formalized, while others were closed through eco-friendly techniques, like downed branches and planting of native trees, plants, and shrubs.

Each trail is marked with clear signage and blazes. Bloomberg Connects also launched a corresponding website that includes tours of the routes, along with stops for scenic viewpoints.

Park officials say formalizing the trail system will help protect the park’s forest and its native plants and wildlife by keeping visitors on designated trails.

“Getting lost in our woodlands is part of the beauty and magic of Prospect Park,” Morgan Monaco, president of Prospect Park Alliance, said.

“Since the pandemic, Prospect Park has seen a boom in park visitors exploring these scenic natural areas. While these connections are critical for the health and well-being of our community, it also places this fragile ecosystem at risk. Through this formalized trail system, we welcome the public to enjoy these special places while also protecting wildlife habitats.”

The official trails include the Fallkill Trail, which the Alliance created in 2023. The path leads to the Fallkill Waterfall, which had been behind fencing since 1995 until the trail opened.

The five trails include:

• Midwood Loop, a 0.5-mile path that moves through the forest and has a steep segment overlooking the watercourse.
• Ravine Loop, a 0.42-mile paved path that runs along the watercourse, with a view of the Ambergill Cascade and a series of staircases into the oak canopy. From the top of the Boulder Bridge, enjoy views high above the Ravine.
• Peninsula Trail, a shaded trail with some of the most scenic views of the Prospect Park Lake. At the furthest tip of the Peninsula, enjoy views of the lake from inside the rustic shelter.
• Lullwater Trail, a 0.9-mile trail with paved paths and spurs along the water’s edge. The northern part of the trail crosses the Lullwater Bridge, with views of the historic Boathouse and Binnen Falls.
• Fallkill Trail, a short, unpaved trail with two views of the Fallkill Falls, the freshwater source for the park’s 65-acre watercourse. The route starts at the foot of the waterfall and moves uphill to an overlook above the falls.

In addition to the new trails, the Old Growth Forest Network also designated Prospect Park as Brooklyn’s official Old Growth Forest, meaning it is the oldest known forest in Brooklyn.

“It is with pleasure and pride that we welcome Prospect Park into the Old-Growth Forest Network as the forest representative for Kings County. To honor and celebrate this extraordinary forest is to honor and celebrate the extraordinary people who have valued and protected it,” Sarah RobbGrieco, Old-Growth Forest Network’s Northeast Regional Manager, said.

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