Riverdale Park

When you think of New York City's pressurized real estate market, the amount of dedicated parkland along New York City's Hudson River shoreline is pretty astounding. There's Robert F. Wagner Park down by the Battery, Rockefeller Park to the north of it, and then Hudson River Park, which snakes its miles-long way up the riverside. Hudson River Park runs into Riverside Park, which continues lining the river all the way up to the West Harlem Piers. Riverbank State Park juts out over the the water, and Riverside Park continues northward to Fort Washington Park, by the Little Red Lighthouse and the George Washington Bridge.

Further up Manhattan we have Fort Tryon Park, and finally, at the tippy-top of the island, Inwood Hill Park with its remnants of old-growth forest. Continue north and cross Spuyten Duyvil Creek into the Bronx, and before you know it, behold: Riverdale Park, hugging the river for more than a mile.

The city began acquiring these stretches of riverfront property as far back as 1888 to preserve them from development. The New York Central Railroad came through in the 1850s, making the Riverdale neighborhood popular among rich folks who wanted summer mansions. Many beautiful houses on scenic properties remain to be gawked at today.

But Riverdale Park is a marked contrast. Note the trail marker: You can hike a marked trail all the way through the long, thin, 144-acre park.

Trains still run through, but for long stretches of your walk, they might be the only sound you hear, aside from birds, small mammalian wildlife, and the occasional urban hiker or dog walker. The Parks Department website notes that 27 species of birds have been confirmed as breeding in Riverdale Park, including the screech owl.

About 50 of the park's acres are forested, according to the Parks Department, but the impression one gets hiking through is that almost of it is wooded. All is definitely green in the height of summer—so much so that only in a few spots can you get a good glimpse of the river.

The above marker notes, I think, a restoration project that has improved the Alder Brook (or Alderbrook) wetland and surrounding forest, unclogging the sediment from the stream, compacting soil, and replacing invasive vegetation with native varieties.

The Wikipedia page on Riverdale Park details the different sections of the park. The information there is all sourced from a "Riverdale Park Map and Guide" published way back in 1984. (And I feel bad about linking to merely 10-year-old posts on this blog!) So take the info with a grain of salt (or a speck of sod). The Wikipedia page itself was only created in 2022, though, so I would guess that the writer knows of what he speaks. Wave Hill, the beautiful "public garden and cultural center" that adjoins the northern part of the park, published the original map and guide.

Sources mention ruins and relics, like lime kilns. If I saw any, they didn't register as such. I did come upon these witchy-looking structures, though. "Welcome!"...but to what? There was no one inside, not that I could see anyway, but I sure didn't dare enter.

The best way to get to Riverdale Park by public transportation is via MetroNorth. The Riverdale station is at the park's northern end. The Spuyten Duyvil station is near the southern, and also near Henry Hudson Park and the Half-Moon Overlook, as well as Villa Charlotte Brontë. (Spuyten Duyvil Park (or Spuyten Duyvil Shorefront Park) is here too, but when I tried to access it I found it closed, or at least the entrance I found was closed—what dangerous mystery lurks within?).

Above: the view from Half-Moon Overlook
Above: A glimpse of Villa Charlotte Brontë, a fanciful apartment building dating from the 1920s

However you go, wear hiking shoes. There's no climbing to speak of, but a walk through Riverdale Park is a walk on a real forest trail.

All photos © Oren Hope