Fort Tryon Park Hiking Trails

Containing one of the highest points in Manhattan, Fort Tryon Park towers above the Hudson River, offering magnificent views of the Palisades and the lower Hudson Valley. Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., son of the co-designer of Central and Prospect Parks, and his half-brother John Charles Olmsted spent four years transforming the site’s rocky topography and thin soil into a manicured landscape. The Olmsted Brothers designed Fort Tryon Park with promenades, terraces, wooded slopes, and eight miles of pedestrian paths, carefully preserving open areas and the spectacular views of the Hudson and the Palisades.

Alpine Garden Trail: Enter the park from Dongan Place and Broadway to enjoy a walk on the trail of just under 0.5 of a mile. Turn right, then follow along to the left around the vine-covered building. When you pass the stone slabs with drill holes, turn right onto the path that heads up the hill. In a short distance, look on your left for a stone staircase. After climbing it, continue to the right on this narrow, undulating path in the side of the hill. When you come to the end, proceed up the staircase to your left, making a U-turn on this loop and continue along the path, enjoying the plantings and the shallow cave built into the hillside. At the end of this trail, you’ll turn left and then keep right to follow your footsteps back to where you started.

Overlook Path: This 0.5-mile loop begins at the park entrance at the intersection of Broadway and Arden. Turn right to walk around the top of the Anne Loftus playground. At the next intersection, turn left and follow the path as it rises steadily along the edge of the park. As you walk, you will pass massive slabs of Manhattan schist, the metamorphic rock that underlies much of Manhattan including Central Park. Follow the trail as it U-turns and reaches its highest point. As you continue, staying left to remain on the trail, you will pass three overlooks with benches. You’ll reach a set of stairs on your left and descend to return to Anne Loftus playground.

Interactive Map

Points of Interest

Alpine Garden

The alpine garden, on the Eastern slope of Fort Tryon Park below the Cloisters, was part of the designer’s original plan for the space. Subtle staircases and narrow paths wind up and down between plantings on the hill's steep slope.

View Alpine Garden on the map

The Met Cloisters

The Cloisters, an extension of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, showcases an extensive collection of Medieval art in a structure inspired by Romanesque monasteries. Established in 1938 at the north end of Fort Tryon Park, it originated from philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s acquisition of sculptor George Grey Barnard's medieval art collection. The architecture features cloisters, or courtyards, from European monasteries, each containing a themed garden. Rockefeller also financed the creation of Fort Tryon Park and the Palisades across the Hudson River, to improve the beauty of the setting.

View The Met Cloisters on the map

Columnade Installation

Columnade by Eduardo Ramirez Villamizar is a permanent contemporary sculptural installation in the park. It was commissioned as part of Mayor Lindsey’s Neighborhood Action Program in 1972 and installed in 1973. The artist was a Colombian painter and sculptor working at the height of geometric abstraction in Latin America. Temporary art installations can also often be found throughout the park.

View Columnade Installation on the map

Rock Outcropping

Fort Tryon Park contains many geological points of interest, and it was designed to respect and accentuate the unique topography of the park. In the northern end of the park, embedded in a massive slab of grey Manhattan schist above the Anne Loftus Playground lie the remnants of New York City’s largest glacial pothole, half of which was blasted away during initial construction of the park.

View Rock Outcropping on the map

Glacial Striations

Evidence of Fort Tyron’s glacial history can be seen in glacial striations, scrape marks, and smoothness on many rock surfaces throughout the park including those found in the Heather Garden. All of these features formed as the mass of glacial ice embedded with rocks advanced from the north and exerted pressure on the Manhattan schist.

View Glacial Striations on the map

The Heather Garden

A signature element of the Olmsted Brothers' design for Fort Tryon Park, the 3-acre Heather Garden opened in 1935 as a distinct place of beauty and repose with spectacular vistas of the Hudson River and New Jersey’s Palisades. Built into the side of the rocky ridge as a series of terraces with American elm trees lining a 600-foot promenade along the top. Stone sitting areas, set at an angle to minimize noise and visual intrusions, permit passersby to contemplate the panorama and low-growing heaths and heathers were chosen as the predominant plants so as not to obscure the scenery. A series of historically appropriate renovations and investments dating back to 1985 have transformed the garden into the crown jewel of Fort Tryon Park. With over 650 varieties of trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, the four-season Heather Garden is the largest public garden with unrestricted access in New York City.

View The Heather Garden on the map

Hiking in NYC Parks

Visit our Hiking in NYC Parks page to find more nature trails in parks across New York City.