The Queens Giant - NYC's tallest tree.
In the woods of Alley Pond Park in Queens stands the tallest tree in New York City. At 134 feet tall, the tulip poplar dubbed the 'Queens Giant' is estimated to be between 350 and 450 years old. In fact, the tree may be the oldest living thing within the city. I grew up near the park and often visited for school trips and little league games. I didn't learn about the tree until I began exploring the parks trails several years ago.
Created in 1929, Alley Pond Park occupies 635 acres and is the second largest park in Queens. The park borders Bayside to the west, Douglaston to the east, Little Neck Bay to the north, and Union turnpike to the south. The Grand Central Parkway (GCP) and the Long Island Expressway (LIE) run east-west through the park, while the Cross Island Parkway (CIP) runs north-south.
Alley Pond Park is home to old growth forest, glacial ponds, a lake, wetlands, and many species of animals. Further to the north, Alley Creek flows through marshlands into Little Neck Bay. The Alley Pond Environmental Center (APEC), located near Little Neck Bay, is a nonprofit environmental education organization which works to educate and conserve this diverse ecosystem. I can recall visiting APEC on an elementary school trip.
The park contains ballfields, tennis courts and wooded trails. A paved bike/walk Greenway follows the route of the old Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, a private highway built in 1908 by William Kissam Vanderbilt. Following a series of connected Greenways through Queens, I've biked from Alley Pond Park to Flushing Meadows Park.
Visitors seeking the Giant must follow the Tulip Tree Trail which descends into a valley near the intersection of the LIE and the CIP. The location is marked on the park's trail map as well as on Google maps but there are no signs to aid visitors in finding it. Stepping off the path and searching around reveals the Giant's trunk, protected by a fence.
I spent many years walking, running and biking the park's trails before I visited the tree. Several years ago, I made my way down into the grove around dusk; the thick vegetation made the area darker. Aside from the expressway noise, I was alone in the woods. I searched around a bit before locating the tree. I was surprised to see a fence around it. I remember feeling that I owed the tree an apology, for not visiting sooner.
KW
Sources
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/Q001/history
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/Q001/highlights/19645
https://www.nycgovparks.org/park-features/hiking/alley-pond-park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alley_Pond_Park
https://www.alleypond.org/mission--history.html
https://ny.curbed.com/2016/6/9/11891372/nyc-parks-alley-creek-queens-photo-essay
https://naturalareasnyc.org/map
https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2009/06/where-are-new-yorks-oldest-living-trees.html
https://untappedcities.com/2015/02/20/this-is-the-oldest-and-tallest-tree-in-nyc-the-queens-giant-in-alley-pond-park/