GUIDE: National park sites in the tri-state area

It's National Park Week! Check out this guide to the national park sites and trails of Long Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York City and the Hudson Valley.

Brian Heyman

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Jul 31, 2023, 8:30 AM

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Updated 213 days ago

NEW YORK

Governors Island National Monument

Castle Williams on Governors Island (Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12)

The National Park Service manages 22 acres of Governors Island in New York City, including early American fortifications Fort Jay and Castle Williams.

Ferry locations:

Manhattan - Battery Maritime Building 10 South St., New York, NY

Brooklyn - Pier 6 Atlantic Avenue and Brooklyn Bridge Park

Click HERE for more info on ferries to Governors Island.

Standard operating hours: Fort Jay and Castle Williams open on Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Park website

Federal Hall National Memorial

(Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12)

Federal Hall in New York City served as the home of the first Congress, the Supreme Court and executive branch offices. President George Washington took the oath of office there.

Location: 26 Wall St. New York, NY 10005

Standard operating hours: Open year-round, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Website

General Grant National Memorial

Visitors leave the General Grant National Memorial. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

General Grant National Memorial contains Grant's Tomb and serves as a tribute to the Civil War general who roess to president of the U.S. in the years following the war.

Location: Riverside Park in Manhattan, near Riverside Drive and West 122nd Street

Hours: Open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Website

Statue of Liberty National Monument/Ellis Island

The Statue of Liberty (Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12).

The Statue of Liberty sits in New York harbor and has been a symbol of freedom and America. Ellis Island was a major immigration hub in the late 1800s and early 1900s and now houses a museum to those immigrants' experiences.

Liberty Island and Ellis Island are open every day 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.. It is advised that visitors board a ferry from Battery Park or Liberty State Park before 1 p.m. The last entrance to the Statue of Liberty's pedestal is at 3:30 p.m.

Liberty State Park - 1 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City, NJ 07305

Battery Park - 1 Battery Place, New York, NY 10004

Statue of Liberty website

Ellis Island website

Statue Cruises - ferry info

Castle Clinton National Monument

Castle Clinton National Monument in New York's Battery Park (AP Photo/Richard Drew).

Castle Clinton has served a number of functions since its original purpose as a fortification during the War of 1812. It's served as an entertainment hub, an aquariium and an immigration depot. It today serves as a launching pad for many of the visitors to the Statue of Liberty.

Location: Battery Park - 1 Battery Place New York, NY 10004

Standard operating hours: Open every day but Thanksgiving and Christmas - 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Website

Home of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site

FDR's home (Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12).

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park and the location played a role in much of the rest of his life. Adjoining the home property is FDR's presidential library.

Location: 4097 Albany Post Road Hyde Park, NY 12538

Standard operating hours: Click HERE for seasonal schedules and tour schedules.

Website

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

Val-Kill

This site pays tribute to Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the most influential women in U.S history, and preserves her home.

Location: 54 Valkill Park Road Hyde Park, NY 12538

Website

Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

Vanderbilt Mansion (Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12)

Vanderbilt Mansion is among the oldest Hudson River estates, built just before 1900 for Frederick William Vanderbilt, grandson to American business magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Location: 119 Vanderbilt Park Road Hyde Park, NY 12538

Standard operating hours: Click HERE for tour info.

Website

St. Paul's Church National Historic Site

St. Paul's (Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12)

St. Paul's is an 18th century church in Mount Vernon that served as a hospital during the Revolutionary War. The adjoining historic cemetery contains gravestones dating back to the early 1700s.

Location: 897 South Columbus Ave. Mount Vernon, NY

Standard operating hours: Early Jan. - late June: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and second Saturday of each month, 12-4 p.m. Early July - late Dec.: Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Website

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

Roosevelt's trophy room (Photo: Xiomáro)

President Theodore Roosevelt's Long Island home was known as his summer White House. The National Park Service preserves his home, an accompanying museum and the grounds of his estate - including trails through the adjoining woods and down to the beach.

Location: 12 Sagamore Hill Road Oyster Bay, NY 11771

Standard operating Hours: Grounds of Sagamore Hill open daily year-round from sunrise to sunset. There is no fee to visit the grounds. House tours by advanced reservation only. Old Orchard Museum open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Website

Hamilton Grange National Memorial

Hamilton Grange (Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12)

Though founding father Alexander Hamilton lived at Hamilton Grange for only two years before his death, the home is preserved to honor Hamilton's legacy and role in shaping the nation.

Location: Saint Nicholas Park in Manhattan - 414 West 141st Street between Convent and St. Nicholas avenues

Standard operating hours: Visitor center open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday year-round. Access to the historical section of the home is offered on tours only (tickets are walk-up and first come, first served).

Website

African Burial Ground National Monument

The memorial at African Burial Ground National Monument (Photo: AP).

Construction at the site in the 1990s led to the rediscovery of a burial ground containing "upwards of 15,000 intact skeletal remains of enslaved and free Africans who lived and worked in colonial New York." The site honors the memory of the free and enslaved Africans buried there and puts into focus the role of slavery in New York.

Location: 290 Broadway New York, NY 10007

Standard operating hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Outdoor hours extended to 5 p.m. in summer.

Website

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

Theodore Roosevelt's birthplace in New York City (Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12).

President Theodore Roosevelt was born in a town house in New York City. Though the original home was demolished, Roosevelt's boyhood home was recreated and serves as a tribute to his life, with a special focus on his early days.

Location: 28 E. 20th St. New York, NY 10003

Standard operating hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Public house tours available at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Website

Fire Island National Seashore

High Dune Wilderness and Salt Marsh. (Photo: Xiomáro).

Fire Island National Seashore preserves the ocean and bay shorelines of Fire Island as well as its dunes and maritime forests. The site also includes the historic William Floyd Estate and Fire Island Lighthouse.

Visit website for car, ferry and train travel options to areas and visitor centers.

Click HERE for more info on hours for visitor centers, sites and areas.

Stonewall National Monument

Statues at Stonewall National Monument (Photo credit: Brian Heyman, News 12)

Stonewall National Monument is one of the newest national park sites and the first dedicated to spotlighting the LGBT rights movement. The park is seated across from the Stonewall Inn, the site of the historic Stonewall Uprising.

Standard operating hours: Christopher Park is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Website

CONNECTICUT

Weir Farm National Historical Park

Weir Farm National Historical Park

Weir Farm preserves the home, studio and property of American artist Julian Alden Weir. Visitors can immerse themselves in the home and property that inspired much of Weir's art.

Location: 735 Nod Hill Road Wilton, CT 06897

Standard operating hours: Grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset, year-round.

Burlingham House Visitor Center open 1-4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. weekends in May. Open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday in June through October. Weir House and Studio tours available 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on May weekends. Available 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sundays in June through October.

Website

NEW JERSEY

Paterson Falls (Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12).

Paterson Great Falls National Historical Site

Paterson Great Falls spotlights Paterson's history as America's first planned industrial city and the Great Falls for which it's named.

Location: 72 McBride Ave. Extension Paterson, NJ 07501

Standard operating hours: Park staff available on site 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Park rangers available 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday as staffing permits. Grounds always available.

Website

Thomas Edison National Historical Park

Edison's workshop (Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12).

Thomas Edison's home and workshop were in New Jersey. The National Park Service preserves these buildings and marks Edison's life and the technological advancements that grew forth from his workshop.

Location: 211 Main Street West Orange, NJ 07052

General operating hours: Laboratory and visitor center open Thursday - Sunday - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Visit website for more info.

Morristown National Historical Park

Morristown NHS (Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12).

Morristown National Historical Park honors the New Jersey winter encampment of Gen. George Washington's army during the Revolutionary War.

Park grounds open daily 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Washington's Headquarters Museum and Ford Mansion

30 Washington Place Morristown, NJ 07960

Standard operating hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to Sunday. Mansion open by guided tour only.

Jockey Hollow Visitor Center

586 Tempe Wick Road Morristown, NJ 07960

Standard operating hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to Sunday.

Check website for further information on grounds and seasonal hours.

TRAILS/RECREATION

New England National Scenic Trail

New England National Scenic Trail (Photo: Xiomáro).

Over 200 miles from the Long Island Sound to mountain summits in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Visit the trail website for more info.

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Appalachian Trail at Bear Mountain State Park (Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12)

The 2,180-mile trail passes through New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.

Trail website

Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Gateway National Recreation Area

Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island. (Photo: Brian Heyman, News 12)

Gateway National Recreation Area is comprised of three units: Staten Island and Jamaica Bay in New York and Sandy Hook in New Jersey. The sites comprising Gateway total 27,000 acres and include spots such as the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and Fort Wadsworth.

Standard operating hours: Jamaica Bay and Staten Island units are open daily from 6 a.m. - 9 p.m., except Canarsie Pier and Jacob Riis Park (open from 6 a.m. - 10 p.m.) Sandy Hook Unit open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jamaica Bay Visitor Center open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Friday through Monday. Ryan Visitor Center open 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Fort Wadsworth Visitor Center open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Friday through Monday. Sandy Hook Visitor Center open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Visit park website for travel information.

Photos of New England National Scenic Trail, Fire Island National Seashore and Sagamore Hill National Historic Site provided by Xiomáro. Visit his website for more details on his work and his other collections.

MORE: 3 local national park sites great for junior rangers and BARK rangers