Looking for a easy ride with great views and a bit of history right in Queens? I would recommend the bike/pedestrian path along Little Neck Bay to Fort Totten. Travelers can get there either by the Queens Greenway or by driving there. When I drive, I find there is plenty of parking near Oakland Lake on Cloverdale Blvd. or just outside Fort Totten at Little Bay Park.

I would recommend the Greenway. From the Maspeth area it passes through Flushing Meadows, Kissena, Cunningham, Alley Pond parks and is fairly easy with not many hills. Lately my knees have been hurting on long rides, so I’ve been driving to a place to ride. I like to park near Oakland Lake and it’s a short pedal to the bike path that runs along the Cross Island Parkway. It is noisy from all the cars but there are no trucks and in the other direction there is Little Neck Bay and Great Neck in the distance. The path is about 2.5 miles and takes you to Bayside Marina (top) where there are a snack bar, restrooms, and benches to sit and enjoy the view.

A little further you’ll come to Fort Totten. This former army base built during the Civil War is now home to many city agencies and is open to the public for use as a park. The base was like a village with buildings for living quarters, barracks, recreation, houses of worship and its own power plant. Today there’s a large presence of FDNY and other city agencies and many vehicles for the army reserve group. Also, there is a swimming pool that’s open in the summer and great views of the Throg’s Neck Bridge and the Bronx across Long Island Sound.

After all that riding I like to take a nice easy walk around Oakland Lake (below) and enjoy watching nature. It is a natural spring fed kettle pond and to walk around the lake is about 3/4 of a mile. A good place to sit and relax after a long ride.