Staten Island Highlights - Mount Loretto Unique Area
Mount Loretto Unique Area in the Pleasant Plains neighborhood is one of the most popular weekend day trips for residents on Staten Islands South Shore. With easy access from Hylan Blvd this park offers serine walking trails, calm ocean breezes and, a panoramic view from a short walk up the 85ft bluff to the Princes Bay Lighthouse. Originally this land was home to the largest orphanage in New York State started in the 1890’s by Father John Christopher Drumgoole. In 1999 the area that is the Mount Loretto Unique Area was purchased from the Archdiocese of New York by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Today Staten islanders enjoy 200 acres of this park that includes almost 1 mile of shoreline and multiple trails good for walking, jogging and bird watching. The Princes Bay Light located within the park is one of NYC oldest active lighthouses (built in 1864) and sits on the highest ocean-facing bluffs (85ft) in New York State.
