Crocheron is a Destination - Find more to enjoy here!

1 - Walk on the trail around Golden Pond

In 2022, NYC Parks and Student Conservation Association (SCA) reinforced and improved the trail around Golden Pond. SCA  is a nonprofit conservation group that trains young people on land management, including trail construction. In 2025 we continued this work, bringing in SCA to work with a local Girl Scout, Emi, and our local Oakland Gardens chapter of ASYLU to do further work on the trail. We are currently pushing for NYC Parks to restore Golden Pond, truly the gem of the park, and would appreciate your help to ensure that the park remains beautiful. Please click here to sign the change.org petition.

2 - Visit the Witness Gingko Tree

This ginkgo tree is the last surviving witness to Boss Tweed's great escape from New York City to Spain in 1875. The tree is located at the top of John Golden Park, overlooking the ballfields. It is one of NYC Park's Great Trees, at over 150 years old. For more on Boss Tweed, one of New York City's most corrupt Mayors, see the  US House History website here.

3 - Enjoy free yoga on the lawn

We are grateful to have found a neighborhood yoga instructor among our volunteers. During 2021 Ambeka began to host yoga classes before our monthly events. She still leads classes in the park - she hosts yoga select Saturdays in the fall and spring through Friends' Yoga Centering Series, sponsored by NewYork-Presbyterian and FJC. Ambeka  is also a volunteer instructor for Shape Up NYC, leading classes every Monday night in Crocheron Park. In cooler months classes are held indoors. See more about yoga in Crocheron, like the two locations where the above classes are held, on our website here.



4 - Have a picnic in the gazebos

The gazebos were built during the original construction of the park. They are the perfect place to relish the park, even if the tree overgrowth block the view of Little Neck Bay. Nearby benchs face the wall of trees, locals know that this was once the overlook, and a sign of underfunding in the parks department. The have the twin gazebos are almost done with their much a needed renovated, thanks to capital funding from our Concilwoman, CM Vickie Paladino. For a picnic snack, if you looking for take-out, check out Bell Blvd restaurants on the Bayside BID website here or restaurants in Bay Terrace Center website here.

5 - Check out the park's history in the Tennis House

This park map highlights some of the historic photographs our volunteers found in local archives. From the construction of the Cross Island Parkway to John Golden's home, you can learn a bit more about the park and our community's history of stewardship.



6 - Come out to an event

Crocheron Park has tons of events all year round. During the summer there are a number of events, some hosted by Friends of Crocheron. Along with yearly clean up with our premier sponsor, Cord Meyer Development, Friends' hosts International Yoga Day at the end of June and John Golden Day with the Urban Park Rangers, which includes a history tour and outdoor exhibit. Other amazing summer events are Hip to Hip Theatre Company's Shakespeare in the park, most recent production brought Macbeth and As You Like it to the Big Hill. NYRR hosts Open Run NYC on Saturday mornings. The hill has seen some large concerts, including a reported 35,000 for the Met Opera in the 1960s, and recently events hosted by NYC Parks. Queens College frequently partners with NYC Parks for an annual children's show during the summer. Check out our website's event page for more or NYC Parks' website.

7 - Ride your bike to the park

Crocheron Park's wide paths welcome bikes and the new bike lanes in Bayside bring you directly to the park. The park also has a connection to Joe Michaels Mile. The footbridge over the highway is just that - a bit better for pedestrians, bringing a bike over requires a bit of maneuvering. Joe Michaels Mile is part of the Queens Eastern Greenway, a connection of parks and bike lanes that help people safely travel throughout their neighborhood. Learn more about the nonprofit, Queens Eastern Greenway, that stewards and advocates for biking on their website here.



8 - Walk up John Golden's driveway

John Golden purchased his Little Neck Bayside estate from Pearl White, the first female action film star, he opened the gates to the community. Golden built ballfields, held singing competitions, and hosted The Lambs yearly retreat as their Shepherd. His love for his town and connection to powerful men, like LaGuardia, gave him the name of Mr. Bayside. There is a plaque honoring him on the 215th Place and 33rd Road, the entrance into the park here lead you up his former driveway toward the land that held his cliffside home.

9 - Bird Watching

The park has a wide variety of birds and landscapes for them to enjoy. From the thicket area in John Golden Park to Golden Pond and Little Neck Bay, birds frequently stop at Crocheron as it is close to the bay and relatively close to other large parks nearby. Friends of Crocheron is fortunate to have collaborated with Queens County Bird Club on a number of events, for more on this nonprofit please see their website here.

10 - Learn the names of trees

Crocheron is a Level I Arboretum which not only has a tree map but tree tags on dozens of trees throughout the park. Our volunteers worked with NYC Parks, including the Urban Park Rangers, to achieve this distinction. In 2023, we were thrilled to have the NYC Parks Graphics Division designed 25 tree tags, using the tree's leaf, the common name, the scientific name, and the Chinese name of the tree. This new educational tool, to show the diversity of our park's tree canopy, also reflects a bit of our neighborhood's diversity. Along with an interpertive board by the comfort station in John Golden Park, you can see more about the arboretum and map here on our website.

About Friends of Crocheron:

Volunteers in Bayside formed Friends of Crocheron & John Golden Park, a grassroots volunteer community group, began in 2020, but the park has always had advocates and stewards, they were just operating without a formal structure. Baysiders advocated for the construction of Crocheron Park and benefited from the benevolence of John Golden when he bequeathed his land to the city for a park. Today we have a number of Super Stewards working around the park, including Dana and John, that care for the land and work with parks collaborate on conservation practices.  We have also been blessed with Girl Scouts and Eagle Scouts that did projects in the park to showcase their knowledge to improve their community, along with volunteers that give their time to cleanup the park during annual events.