Car Rental New York City and Gateway National Recreation Area

If you are looking to get away from the busy city life full of noisy traffic and concrete buildings, then Brooklyn car rentals suggests a fun filled retreat to Gateway National Recreation Area. Established in 1972, the Gateway National Recreation Area is a 26,000 acre park owned by the United States government. The activities that you can enjoy include, but are not limited to, camping, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, bird watching, swimming, boating and fishing. It is operated by the National Park Service and consists of four separate units. Three of the units are boroughs in New York City (Breezy Point Unit, Jamaica Bay Unit and Staten Island Unit), while the fourth unit extends to northern New Jersey (Sandy Hook Unit).

Jamaica Bay Unit

Arrive in no time in Brooklyn car rentals at the Jamaica Bay Unit which is located on the south part of Brooklyn and Queens. It includes a large part of the shoreline below the Shore Parkway beginning at Plumb Beach and ends at JFK International Airport. There are many different destinations within the Jamaica Bay Unit that you can explore. The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is the only wildlife refuge designated in the National Park System There is a visitor contact station nearby that is accessible by Brooklyn car rentals and also happens to be the only section of the refuge that allows access to the general public, all of the remaining islands are prohibited. The Jamaica Bay Unit is the only unit that does not have beaches, but if you are looking to go fishing, boating, cycling or sailing, then you will not be disappointed as you will find the Jamaica Bay Unit the perfect destination for these fun activities. The unit also has a visitors center named for William F. Ryan who is the congressman who fought for the creation of the Gateway National Recreation Area. This area has been under development for many years at the historic former airport, Floyd Bennett Field, where many civilian aviation records of the "Golden Age of Aviation" were set and broken, and which later became a Naval Air Station during World War II.

Breezy Point Unit

Breezy Point Unit is located on Breezy Point in Queens. It extends to the tip of Rockaway Point and includes Jacob Riis Park and Fort Tilden. It preserves, in part, some of the last remaining natural dunes in the area, and is home to at least two endangered species, the piping plover and the beach tiger beetle.

Staten Island Unit

Located on the south shore of Staten Island within the Lower New York Bay this is a great place for the history buff in your family. It includes Fort Wadsworth, and other historic collections of masonry fortifications on the site of much earlier fortifications. Miller Field, a former airfield south of New Dorp, as well as Great Kills Park on Great Kills Harbor can also found within this unit. But not only can you experience these historic fortifications at the Staten Island Unit, you can also enjoy the calm surroundings of nature by taking part in a morning class of tai chi or yoga, or go for a cool sail on the waters of the New York Harbor. Brooklyn car rentals can bring you to enjoy many activities that are offered by the park year round.

Sandy Hook Unit

The only unit not located in New York City, the Sandy Hook Unit is in northern New Jersey. For the perfect weekend trip in your Brooklyn car rental, pack up the car and head down to the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. The park boasts seven miles of ocean beaches, salt marshes, hiking trails and a maritime holly forest. Built in 1764, you cannot miss seeing the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, which is the oldest operational lighthouse in the United States. With year round opportunities for bird watching, hiking, fishing and exploring the park, you will be glad you made the trip to the Gateway National Recreation Area in Brooklyn car rentals.