High Rock Park

High Rock Park is a 90-acre nature preserve within the Staten Island Greenbelt, one of the most pristine natural areas on the island. The park preserves a landscape of mature hardwood forest, swamp, meadow, and kettle ponds formed by glacial activity during the last Ice Age.

The park's kettle ponds, created when blocks of glacial ice were buried in debris and later melted, are among the most ecologically significant freshwater habitats on Staten Island. These small ponds support populations of amphibians, turtles, and aquatic insects that are increasingly rare in the metropolitan area.

High Rock Park's trail system winds through varied terrain, passing through cathedral-like stands of tall oaks and beeches, along the edges of swampy lowlands, and past the still waters of the kettle ponds. The trails offer some of the finest nature walking in the five boroughs.

The park has been a center for environmental education since the 1960s, when local conservationists established programs to introduce Staten Island's children to the natural world. This tradition continues through the Greenbelt Nature Center and affiliated organizations.

High Rock Park represents the ecological core of the Staten Island Greenbelt, preserving habitats and landscapes that have been continuously wild since the glaciers retreated. The park's survival within the boundaries of the nation's largest city is a remarkable conservation achievement.