The Amundsen Trail, named for Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen is a 4.5-mile section of the White Trail of the Staten Island Greenbelt trail system located in the Oakwood section of Staten Island.
Nearby the start of the Amundsen Trail is Amundsen Circle (officially, the Captain Roald Amundsen Plaza), a traffic circle and 1.05-acre park bounded by Amboy Road, Clarke Avenue and Savoy Street. The park was acquired by the city in 1928, and named in 1929. In the park, there is a stone plaque, erected by the Norsemen Glee Club of Staten Island and the Norwegian Singing Society of Brooklyn in 1933 when there was a large Norwegian population in Oakwood.
Roald Amundsen (1872-disappeared 1928) led the Antarctic expedition of 1910–12 which was the first to reach the South Pole, on December 14, 1911. In 1926, he was the first expedition leader for the air expedition to the North Pole. Amundsen is recognized as the first person, without dispute, as having reached both poles. He is also known as having the first expedition to traverse the Northwest Passage (1903–06) in the Arctic.
Amundsen disappeared on June 18, 1928 while flying on a rescue mission in the Arctic. He and his team were seeking missing members of the airship Italia, which had crashed while returning from the North Pole. It is believed that the plane crashed in fog in the Barents Sea, and that Amundsen and his crew were killed in the crash, or died shortly afterward. The search for Amundsen and team was called off in September 1928 by the Norwegian Government and the bodies were never found.
Help locate Amundsen’s lost plane! This is a 4-stage multi along the Amundsen Trail in Oakwood. Park at the parking waypoint and enter the trail at the provided waypoint. Stage 1 is located at the posted coordinates and contains the information you need to find Stage 2. On your journey you must think like Amundsen would!
