Low-Key Spots Near Forest Hills For Outdoor Fun On Memorial Day

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — This Memorial Day in New York City will look different from years past due to social-distancing measures in place to curb the spread of the new coronavirus: City beaches are closed, NYPD officers are being deployed to crack down on large gatherings and everyone is asked to wear a face mask.

With warm weather and partly cloudy skies in the forecast for Memorial Day, many New Yorkers will likely want to spend the holiday outside. That means many of the city's hotspots are bound to get crowded and make it hard to keep away from others.

So, Patch — and some readers — compiled a list of low-key places near Forest Hills where it may be easier to enjoy the outdoors this Memorial Day without running into large crowds.

Check some suggestions out below:

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Pat Dolan Trail in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

The Pat Dolan Trail crosses the Willow Lake Forever Wild Preserve and goes around Willow Lake, the smaller of the two lakes inside Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Originally known as the Willow Lake Trail, it was renamed in honor of the founder and first president of the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Conservancy after her death. Head to Mauro Playground to enter the trail.

Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

A 1.5-mile stretch of Meadow Lake Drive, which encircles this lake inside Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, is open only to pedestrians and cyclists under a citywide program to create more room for social distancing, making it a perfect destination for outdoor recreation.

Forest Hills Gardens

The Gardens may not be a traditional green space, but the beautifully landscaped residential community is the perfect spot to get those 10,000 steps. The 175-acre neighborhood dates back to 1909, when the Russell Sage Foundation commissioned the architect Grosvenor Atterbury and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (son of the landscape architect who helped design Central Park) to plan a new town.

Forest Park

Head to Forest Park to make the most of City Hall's Open Streets program, which has portions of three streets inside the park closed to traffic: Freedom Drive between Park Lane South and Myrtle Avenue, East Main Drive between Metropolitan Avenue and the Overlook parking lot, and West Main Drive between the bandshell and golf course lots. Another idea? One reader suggests checking out the abandoned railroad tracks inside the park.

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