what's here
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| Getting around in NYC
This page focuses mainly on the section between the Staten Island
Ferry and the George Washington Bridge. But it connects to lots
more -- see NYC Parks department page and other links
below.
- Length: The distance depends on where you start and
finish. About 12.5 - 13 miles from the Staten Island Ferry to the
street access by the George Washingon Bridge.
Mostly pretty flat except the steep hill just north of the George
Washington Bridge. Between Staten Island Ferry and GWB, it's about 250-300 vertical feet
of climbing in the South-to-North direction, 50-100 vertical feet in the
North-to-South direction. Round trip hill
index 0.7
- Highlights: Long pleasant stretches of flat riding right next to the Hudson
River -- grass and trees, views over the water, interesting path by
the buildings of the World Financial Center. [
Photos
]
Freedom from motor vehicle traffic: This off-road pathway along the Hudson river puts a whole new perspective on
riding in Manhattan -- especially south of 72nd St.
- Characteristics: Path is paved (except for a short
unrepaired section as of June 2002). Almost all off-road, except for the access from
the George Washington Bridge, the section around 132nd to 138th
streets, and a few places where it crosses a
driveway or street extension. But there can be lots of
non-motorized users. Flat, except for the access from the
George Washington Bridge.
Hill climbs: (South-to-North direction): About 200 vertical
feet of steep climbing to get from the North end of the path up to
Fort Washington Ave. A steep downhill from Fort Washington Ave
to the South Walkway of the GWB.
(North-to-South direction): No climbs worth mentioning --
except for the street from the GWB sidewalk access entrance up to Fort Washington
Ave.
Downhills: (North-to-South direction) Some short very steep downhills on 181st St
and on the paved path North of and underneath the George Washington.
Traffic -- Streets: Typical heavy urban Manhattan motor vehicle
traffic on the streets between the GWB walkway and the North end of the path,
and on the required detour onto the streets somewhere around 132nd -
138th Streets. If you are not sure you have the skills and
judgment to handle this kind of traffic, then turn around before you
get to these sections.
Traffic -- Path: The path itself is mostly off-road except for a few places where
it crosses a driveway or street extension -- special care is required
in crossing those. The rest is normally free from motor
vehicles -- except occasional maintenance and patrol vehicles.
But there can be lots of non-motorized users, especially on
weekends and nice evenings, and especially outside the North
sections: walkers, runners, skaters, bicyclists, etc -- sometimes
at high speeds, sometimes oblivious to other users, sometimes not following
rules or the directions of signs.
Need to take seriously the risk of interactions and collisions with
them.
It is worth thinking about how to choose days and times to ride on
it when there is less traffic.
For hints about current conditions and openings and closings of
sections of this path, see the links under Getting around in NYC with
your bicycle and Trip Reports.
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Although this route is mostly off-road, it is
still good to have a map of Manhattan when doing this route (see Maps)
-- for at least two reasons: (a) currently there is at least one
detour for bicyclists, and in the past there were other closed sections
which required finding alternate routes on the streets; (b) to get access
to the route.
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- Access from Manhattan streets:
see Reports
| Links
From Staten Island: The ferry connects with the southern end
of this route.
From the other boroughs: See links and info on the Getting
Around with a Bike in Manhattan page. [
NYC Overview Map ]
From New Jersey: It is straightforward to ride across the
George Washington Bridge. See the GWB
to Central Park route. [ NYC
Overview Map ]
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- North from the George Washington Bridge
The sidewalk running along the Henry Hudson Parkway has been newly
paved up to where it crosses over Riverside Drive just a block south
from Dyckman St (as of October 2003). It's about another 1.3 miles
to get to Dyckman St from the footbridge access at the top of the hill
north of the GWB.
The path ends a block south of Dyckman St, and some steps take you
back down to the street, where you can go east under a bridge on
Riverside Drive, and there are signs for Bike Route and for Pedestrian
Route that lead on other streets north or northeast to Dyckman St
(as of October 2003).
- to the northern East side from Dyckman St
Signs for the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway lead east on Dyckman to
other streets that go to the East side with more riding alongside the
Harlem River.
But the quality of the path and access to it on much
of the East side is rather different from what you might expect from
riding on the West side path (as of October 2003) -- see
reports on the Manhattan
Waterfront Greenway.
- Tubby Hook and Inwood Hill Park
West on Dyckmen St goes underneath the Henry Hudson Parkway to the
bank of the Hudson River at a place called "Tubby Hook". There's a
fishing dock there for a nice view out across and up and down the river
-- of the Palisades in New Jersey, and of the GWB to the south.
Sometimes a place for drinks and food is open.
And from Tubby Hook it is possible to enter Inwood
Hill Park and go north on a paved path (less than a mile) to a view
point where you can see the railroad bridge at the north tip of
Manhattan island, where the Amtrak trains go across the Harlem River
into the Bronx near Spuyten Duyvil.
Pedestrians in that part of Inwood Hill Park could
climb the stairs nearby to a paved path which goes east underneath the
Henry Hudson Bridge to a beautiful tidal cove -- and eventually to 218th
St and Broadway, by the
Broadway Bridge. (about 2 miles from Tubby Hook, with a
climb). Or there's an earlier dirt path that splits off steeper
from near the stairs that goes up to the pedestrian sidewalk across the
Harlem River on the west side of the
Henry Hudson Bridge.
- southern East side from Staten Island Ferry
Signs for the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway lead east and north up
the East side with more riding alongside the East River and later the
Harlem River.
Much that route is off-street up from the Staten
Island Ferry to around 34th St -- though there is lots of construction.
North of 34th St there are several sections that require riding on the
streets. Overall the quality of the path and access to it on much
of the East side is rather different from what you might expect from
riding on the West side path (as of October 2003) -- see
reports on the Manhattan
Waterfront Greenway.
back to Top | Route ideas
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| Getting around in NYC
see also: Route ideas
- Reports - Photos
- Manhattan Greenway
reports
back to Top | Route ideas
| Reports | Photos
| more Routes
| Getting around in NYC
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