Map of the East Garden Trail at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (click to enlarge)

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Jamaica Bay Unit Home Page | Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Home Page

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Length: 1-mile loop from Visitor Center
Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: easy

The East Garden Trail leads out to the East Pond at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Gateway National Recreation Area. During the summer this is the only way to see East Pond. While there is a trail around the pond, the East Pond Trail, access to it is seasonal. When the birds arrive during migration season, the water level of the pond is lowered to expose the muddy bottom near the shore, creating a mud flat. Birds love to hunt in the mud for things to eat. When the water is lowered, the trail around East Pond is exposed, though it is very muddy—knee-high boots are recommended. When the birds aren’t migrating through the area, the water level is raised and the trail ends up being flooded. I visited in the summer and therefore could not hike around the pond. However, you can still get a view of it by hiking the East Garden Trail at any time of the year.

The East Garden Trail starts directly across the street from the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. It is what I call a “lollypop trail,” meaning that you hike out on the stick before coming to the loop. In this case, the loop is Figure-8 shaped, and in addition to taking you to East Pond, it also passes Big John’s Pond.

Start of the East Garden Trail at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Gateway National Recreation Area

The trail is as flat as a pancake and exposed to the sun most of the time. If avoiding the sun is important to you, be sure to wear a hat and apply sunscreen. It cuts through an area of small trees and lots of brush, which is why shade is often hard to find.

Boardwalk through a wet area along the East Garden Trail at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Gateway National Recreation Area

The start of the loop comes at .1 mile into the hike. You can keep straight and hike around in the clockwise direction or take a right and head counterclockwise. I took a right because this is the most direct route to the pond.

The trail dead ends at a second intersection about .2 miles later. This is the start of the upper loop. As before, taking a right gets you to the pond the quickest. A left just takes you around the larger, lower loop and you’ll never see East Pond.

As soon as you turn right you will see a boardwalk. This takes you out to the pond, and this and a bird blind a little farther around the upper loop are the only access points. By the time you reach the East Pond you will have walked a little over three tenths of a mile.

Boardwalk leads to East Pond in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Gateway National Recreation Area

When you reach the pond, there’s not a lot of wiggle room, and you are pretty much stuck in one place. Thus, distance to any birds that might be in the area is a matter of pure luck, for there is no way to walk along the shore in an attempt to get a better view. I had luck on my side, for a bevy of swans (that’s a bunch of swans in bird talk) was right near the spot. I only had a 70mm lens, so even though they were close, I still couldn’t get a great shot. I was overly impressed with the number of birds, so I returned the next day with a 210mm lens. I’m not a wildlife photographer, so that’s the longest lens I have. However, the swans were close enough that I was able to get some really nice close-ups of the birds.

Swans on East Pond of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Gateway National Recreation Area

Swans on East Pond of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Gateway National Recreation Area

Swans on East Pond of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Gateway National Recreation Area

When done, head back out to the main trail, this time taking the first trail to your right, the upper loop. There is a bird blind just a hundred yards down, though it doesn’t offer any better views. It may help when trying to view skittish birds, but the swans couldn’t have cared less about my presence, so there was no need to hide from them.

Bird blind on the upper loop of the East Garden Trail at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Gateway National Recreation Area

View of East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge through the window of a bird blind on the East Garden Trail, Gateway National Recreation Area

Continue around the upper loop until you get back to the lower loop intersection. You’ll be just a few yards west of where you first hit the upper loop, and if you look to your left you can see the boardwalk to the pond. To continue around the lower loop, take a right.

You don’t walk fifty yards before coming to a boardwalk that leads to another bird blind, this one on Big John’s Pond. When I visited, the pond had a lot of algae on it, and I did not see that many birds.

Boardwalk to Big John’s Pond at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Gateway National Recreation Area

Big John’s Pond at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Gateway National Recreation Area

Just another fifty yards past the Big John’s Pond boardwalk is a three-way intersection at a clearing. The trail to your right is the East Firebreak that leads to the north end of East Pond. If you were hiking around East Pond, this would be part of the loop. You also have a choice to walk out to the main road, which you can clearly see straight ahead. To get back to the Visitor Center, just follow the trail as it curves around to the left.

There is nothing more of interest to see on the hike. You’ll return back to the stick portion of the trail in a tenth of a mile. Just keep straight and you will be back to the main road and the Visitor Center in another five minutes.

Typical terrain of the East Garden Trail at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Gateway National Recreation Area

If you like birds, the hike to East Pond is not to be missed. In fact, I heard bird song during the entire hike. The East Garden Trail is short and easy, and if all you want to do is see birds, you could just walk out to the pond and back—there’s no need to hike around the entire trail. My only complaint was that I was constantly bothered by biting flies (late June). If you have a hat and a mosquito net, wearing them, along with long pants, wouldn’t be a bad idea.

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