About a third of 151-square-mile Staten Island is devoted to parks; in 1900, Silver Lake Park was the first among them. The park surrounds Silver Lake, a spring-fed reservoir that formed at the end of the last ice age (approximately 10,000 years ago) and served as a source for the ice industry in the nineteenth century. The oaks that line its banks are so thick that three children forming a circle around the trunk cannot reach one another’s hands. You don’t see many trees this big in the other boroughs.

Enter the park on Victory Boulevard near Forest Avenue, and follow the paved paths that slope toward the water. Turn right, and begin walking around the lake by crossing over the wooded northern rim. This connects to a paved path that follows Silver Lake Park Road. The reservoir along this side is encircled by a high chain-link fence, except for an opening where pedestrians and cyclists can traverse the reservoir on a high stone bridge. On the other side, you can explore more than 2 miles of trails that loop along the well-shaded bank.

One of Staten Island’s two newest playgrounds, opened in summer 2011, is located at University Place and Revere Street. The facility joins tennis courts, ball fields, and an 18-hole golf course to make Silver Lake Park a destination for people of all interests.

Remember: The seventh fairway of the Silver Lake Golf Club, adjacent to the park, is open in winter for sledding. The dog run is located along Victory Boulevard, across from the Parkview Apartments.

Clove Lakes Park (Trip 55) has paved paths marked by blazes that offer a good introduction to hiking and reading trail signs.

A restaurant is at the golf club, and if you are driving, others dining options are along Victory Boulevard.