Map of bike paths / walking paths in the New York City area

Recreational trails for walking, running and cycling in New York City, New York

New York City has a number of recreational trails for walking and bike riding. There is a system of pedestrian and biking paths that wrap around Manhattan, the pathways within Central Park and Astoria Park, trails along the waterfront of Brooklyn and trails around Roosevelt Island and Randall's Island. Most of the bridges heading into the city have a pedestrian walkway adjacent to the roadway.

Manhattan Waterfront Greenway

The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway is a 32-mile long system of paved pathways that wraps around the perimeter of Manhattan along the waterfront of the Hudson River and the East River. The trails go past a number of parks and other points of interest and connect to the pedestrian paths on the bridges coming into the city and allow access the streets of Manhattan. These trails provide a way for residents to move about the city and also are great for sight seeing as they have views of many of New York City's most popular attractions.

Most of the trail system consists of pathways that are separated from the roadways and have lovely landscaping, benches, signage and other amenities. There are some sections of the trail system that required traveling along local streets.

The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway starts at Innwood Hill Park along the Hudson and north of the George Washington Bridge. The trails then follow alongside the Hudson River all the way to the southern tip of Manhattan to Battery Park. The trails continue to the north following the East River connecting to trails on the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge and the Williamsburg Bridge. There is a gap in the trail system from E. 37th to the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. The trails pick back up on the north side of the bridge and extend to the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. A separate portion of the trail system extends along the Harlem River from W. 155th to Dyckman Street and 10th Avenue to the north end of Harlem River Park.

Read more about the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway

Central Park

Central Park is an oasis of greenery in one of the most densly populated cities in the world. The park has miles of walking paths for pedestrians only, but allows bicycles within the bicycle lanes on Park Drive which wraps around the entire park. The Park Drive loop is around 6 miles long and takes you past many of the parks attractions.

Roosevelt Island Trails

Roosevelt Island is a long narrow island that is siturated to the east of Manhattan and west of Queens in the East River. The island has a 3.3 mile long paved pathway that wraps around its perimeter. The pathway has fantastic views of the skyline of Manhattan Upper East Side and the boats out on the East River. Because the island can not be accessed via the Queensboro Bridge, car traffic is low and much of the island in a designated "car free zone".

Some of the attractions on Roosevelt Island are the tram ride over from Manhattan, Franklin D. Roosevelts Four Freedoms Park, the North Point Lighthouse, Southpoint Park and the ruins of the Smallpox Memorial Hospital.

Prospect Park Trails

Prospect Park is a 585-acre park located in Brooklyn. The park has miles of paved walking paths, a bike path and numerous attractions including the Prospect Park Zoo, the Audubon Center, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the LeFrak Center.

Prospect Park is also adjacent to the Eastern Parkway Pedestrian Path.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park Trails

Flushing Meadows Corona Park is a large park located in Queens along the Grand Central Parkway. The park was the location for the 1964 Worlds Fair and has the Unisphere, the famous globe sculpture, along with miles of walking paths. Attractions in the park include the New York State Pavilion, the Queens Zoo, the Arthur Ashe Stadium and the New York Hall of Science.

Resources

Following are links to official off-site resources to find out more details about the recreational trails located in New York City.