The Terminal Moraine (Eastern), Second Glacial Epoch and the Geology of Long Island are some of the forgotten areas of New York.

What is that, now?The Terminal Moraine is a pile of rocks and soil pushed up by glaciers.

Long Island is made up of two moraines.The spine of Long Island is formed by the Ronkonkoma Moraine, which runs from Greenwood Cemetery to Prospect Park to Forest Park.You can see the lower elevations of south east Queens from the south side of the Grand Central Parkway.

The Harbor Hill Moraine is located on the north shore of Long Island and intersects the Ronkonkoma Moraine at Lake Success.

There are several points of interest today and the Brooklyn Queens Greenway follows much of the ridge.We will highlight some points of interest from the western edge of Brooklyn to the eastern part of Queens.

The Battle of Long Island was the first major battle after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.The stage was set with the revolutionary army taking up multiple positions on high ground in Brooklyn from Gowanus to what is now Cemetery of the Evergreens.They didn't know that the high ground was made of glaciers.

The British began the fighting with a diversionary assault.The result was a decisive victory for the red coats and a retreat to Manhattan by Washington's army.

Monuments and markers to the event can be found on or near the Greenway.Here are their locations.

There is a Dongan Oak marker on East Drive near the Prospect Park Zoo.

The Old Stone House in Washington Park, 3rd Street between 4th and 5th Avenues, is a reconstruction of the original building where the Maryland Militia of 400 put up a stand but lost.

Can you picture it?The entrance to Cemetery of the Evergreens is on Bushwick Avenue.

The story of how a local tavern owner was forced by General Howe to lead the British troops up the Rockaway Footpath to ambush the American troops is in the Juniper Park Civic Association magazine.There were a few sentries at this location.

The City of Brooklyn constructed three basins between 1856 and 1858 to collect water and feed the towns below by gravity.

We come up to a scenic location as we travel further east.The Golf Course Club House is now a Parks Administration Building.There is a scramble hike uphill from the former model airplane field to the edge of Cypress Hills Cemetery that leads to a scenic vista that includes the entire southern tier of Brooklyn.

Past Woodhaven Boulevard and the heavily wooded area of Forest Park, we come to the unused portion of the Long Island Railroad.Maybe this will become an official rail to trail someday.

We come to a ravine as we exit Forest Park.The Union Turnpike will take you to the south end of Flushing Meadow Park and Main Street.The Grand Central Expressway parallels the Ronkonkoma Moraine and leads us to Cunningham and Alley Pond Parks.The elevation changes can be experienced by the pedestrian on Francis Lewis Boulevard and Springfield Boulevard.

You have felt the burn of two drastic ups and downs if you have ever tried to bike or jog along Douglaston Parkway.There is a good hill climbing training area between the Ronkonkoma Moraine and the Harbor Hill Moraine.You can start at the end of the Motor Parkway trail.Go north on Winchester Boulevard and see the name change.Just past the Grand Central Parkway overpass is the top of the Ronkonkoma Moraine.Go downhill past the center and then turn right at the bottom.The peak of the Harbor Hill Moraine is just past the Long Island Expressway.The Long Island Railroad Station is located at Douglaston.

The resident of the Moraine is between 350 and 450 years old and stands 133 feet tall.The Queens Giant is located in a park near the Long Island Expressway.The tree is protected by a fence and accessible through paved paths.

This tour spans over 22 miles and is more than just a hike.It is more than a long day.

Patrick O'Connor is a lifelong resident of Queens and a subway enthusiast.He received a degree in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of New York and is a professional engineer.He is a licensed New York City sightseeing guide who will go anywhere to get a great view.

Before the park was built, there was a kettle pond.When glaciers calve large blocks of ice and lakes are suddenly drained, kettles are created.Peat was mined for use along NYC's roads.Peat can form in kettle ponds.

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