Central Park: What Most Visitors Miss

The most used park in the United States receives about 42 million visits annually. Most of those visits concentrate in roughly a quarter of the park: the Bethesda Fountain, the Sheep Meadow, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir path, and the area around 72nd Street. The rest of the 843 acres is consistently quieter, and some of it is genuinely excellent.

The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who won the 1858 design competition with their “Greensward Plan.” Much of what looks natural in the park is in fact carefully engineered: millions of tons of soil were moved, rock was blasted, and hundreds of thousands of plants were installed over years to create what appears to be an organic landscape. This matters because it means the park is maintained as Olmsted and Vaux intended it to be maintained, with ongoing stewardship by the Central Park Conservancy.

The Parts Worth Finding

The Ramble (36 acres of deliberately wild woodland in the park’s midsection) is the best birdwatching spot in New York City. More than 200 species have been recorded here during spring and fall migration. Early morning in May, when warblers are moving through, produces the kind of sightings that birders from outside the city make specific trips for.

The Conservatory Garden (enter through the Vanderbilt Gate on Fifth Avenue at 105th Street) is the only formally designed, gated section of the park. Italian, French, and English gardens in adjacent enclosures. Spring in the crabapple allee here is one of New York’s better seasonal spectacles and most visitors in the southern part of the park never know it’s there.

The North Woods (between 100th and 110th Streets) is the quietest significant stretch in the park. A stream runs through a forested ravine with relatively little foot traffic. The Huddlestone Arch, a massive uncut stone arch spanning the stream, was constructed in 1866 and is one of the park’s engineering details that goes almost entirely unnoticed.

The Mall and Literary Walk (the only formally straight path in the park, lined with American elms) has one of the largest intact American elm canopies in North America. Most American elms were destroyed by Dutch elm disease in the 20th century; Central Park’s elms were intensively managed to survive.

What to Actually Do

Rent a rowboat at the Loeb Boathouse (April through November, around $20 per hour, cash) and spend 45 minutes on the lake. The view from the water back toward the park’s dense tree canopy with the surrounding skyline just visible above is one of the better perspectives on both the park and the city.

Free Shakespeare in the Park productions at the Delacorte Theater run each summer, typically with well-known actors. Tickets are distributed free through an online lottery and in person at the theater. The demand is genuinely competitive.

The Wollman Rink in the southern section of the park opens for skating from October through April. The skyline backdrop is the standard promotional image for the rink, and it is that good in person.

Practical Notes

The park’s main loop road is closed to motor vehicles during most hours (check current schedules, as they vary by season). It is 6 miles and one of the more pleasant urban running routes available in any city. Bikes are available for rent near the Loeb Boathouse. The Central Park Conservancy offers free guided tours on a regular schedule; these are worth taking for the historical detail alone.