Brooklyn · Kings County
Marine Park
Flagship Park / Nature Preserve
- Location
- Flatbush Avenue to Gerritsen Avenue, Avenue S to the creek, Marine Park
- Size
- 798.00 acres
- Hours
- 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
- Type
- Flagship Park / Nature Preserve
Marine Park is a 798-acre park in southeastern Brooklyn, making it the largest park in the borough and one of the largest in all of New York City. The park encompasses a vast salt marsh, athletic fields, a golf course, and extensive natural areas along the shores of Gerritsen Creek and Jamaica Bay.
The park's salt marshes are among the most ecologically significant natural areas in New York City, supporting populations of shorebirds, wading birds, fish, crabs, and other wildlife. The marshes are part of the greater Jamaica Bay ecosystem, a nationally recognized Important Bird Area that supports hundreds of avian species throughout the year.
Marine Park's upland areas include the Marine Park Golf Course (an 18-hole public course), numerous athletic fields for baseball, soccer, football, and cricket, tennis courts, a running track, playgrounds, and picnic areas. The athletic complex serves organized leagues and informal recreation for the surrounding neighborhoods of Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, and Flatbush.
The park's nature trail winds through salt marsh habitat along Gerritsen Creek, providing opportunities for birdwatching, nature study, and quiet contemplation in an environment that feels remarkably wild for its location within the city limits. The Salt Marsh Nature Center, operated by NYC Parks, offers environmental education programs.
Marine Park's history includes use by the Canarsee Lenape people, colonial-era farming, and 20th-century development as public parkland. The park's vast scale has allowed it to accommodate both intensive recreational use and ecological preservation, a balance that many smaller parks cannot achieve.
Marine Park represents Brooklyn's most significant commitment to preserving natural habitat within the urban landscape. Its 798 acres of marsh, meadow, and playing fields provide an invaluable public resource: a place where families can play soccer, golfers can tee off, birders can spot herons, and children can discover that nature thrives even in the heart of the nation's largest city.