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

Ewen Park

Bridging the Bronx neighborhoods of Kingsbridge and Riverdale slopes Ewen Park, eight-ish hillside acres that used to be the estate of Brigadier General John Ewen.

A New York State Militia commander during the Civil War and a successful businessman, Ewen later became Comptroller of the City of New York. This property in what was then rural Westchester County was his country abode.

Entering from Riverdale Ave., you immediately see you're in for quite a climb to the top. It's no surprise the New York Times wrote that Ewen Park is "considered one of the city's best for sledding."

You can't see the whole way up, but a plaque in the ground tells you how many steps lie ahead: CLX (160 in Roman numerals).

Actually there are 158; two steps were removed during a stairway reconstruction. But the name "CLX Steps" stuck.

A mower was hard at work – well, at work – on the large green sward south of the entrance.

Meanwhile near the top, a lone basketballer practiced basketing.

As it was a hot weekday afternoon, few people were using the park. I saw only that guy on the court, a few people on benches just inside the park (including a young beggar who asked me for money – not the same person in the photo in this article about Ewen Park becoming a homeless encampment) – and a couple of people walking dogs.

The backstory – why John Ewen's spinster daughter Eliza donated the land to the city – is more interesting than the park itself, whose layout dates from 1935 when Eliza died. The blog History Underfoot, inspired by visible remnants of the estate's driveway, spins a detailed narrative of spinster daughters, gold-digging fraudsters, even a Broadway starlet. It just goes to show what I find again and again: Do a little digging (figuratively or literally) and even the most ordinary-looking park reveals a colorful history.

All photos © Jon Sobel, Critical Lens Media