The Great Parks of Manhattan

Belvedere Castle, Central Park by Stig Nygaard

Manhattan has about 70 Parks.  Most of the parks are relatively small.  We are all fortunate to have the number and great variety of parks that are owned and maintained by the City.  There are about a handful of these parks that are really great parks. Parks that make New York a really great city to live in.

Certainly, the gem of the collection is Central Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. It is a man made park and it opened in 1857. It encompasses 843 acres in the center of Manhattan. It is one of the most famous parks in the world and boasts 25 million visitors each year.

There are other truly important large parks on the island.  Here are 7 more:

Riverside Park, along the Hudson River on the West Side, also designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
Hudson River Park, 550 acres. It extends from Battery Park up to 58th Street along the Hudson River.
High Bridge Park, which extends from 155th St. up to Dyckman St. along the Harlem River. It is approximately 120 acres. It is the site of the arrival of the Old Croton Aqueduct on the High Bridge onto the island.
East River Esplanade, about two miles long along the East River.
East River Park, from the Esplanade to about 12th St.  It is about 57 acres.
Inwood Hill Park, in the northern part of the island is about 196 acres.
Fort Tryon Park, in northern Manhattan, home of The Cloisters, is about 67 acres.



last modified 7/27/13