Central Park may get most attention from New York runners, but the city's expansive geography includes waterfronts, islands, and hills, offering unique opportunities to run across all five boroughs.
Using data from fitness app Strava and other trail route sources, we found the most popular, interesting, and challenging routes within the city limits of the Big Apple.
Central Park
Manhattan
It's obvious—and great. The most popular urban park in the country includes a famous 6.0-mile loop that loosely follows its perimeter. A series of elevation changes provide a varied workout, and numerous other runners help with motivation. The lakes, landscaping, wildlife, city skyline and tapestry of humanity will give your run a dramatic backdrop, and amenities like coffee shops and bathrooms make rest stops easy and convenient. For a shorter, flatter, and faster route, try the 1.5-mile Central Park Reservoir loop, located between 86th and 96th streets.
Prospect Park
Brooklyn
Brooklyn's stately alternative to Central Park features a picturesque 3.4-mile loop of relatively flat ground. Along the way, you'll pass a Revolutionary War battlefield site, a lake, numerous monuments, and an original piece of forest from before Europeans arrived. If the Long Meadow, which stretches across the park's northwest side, reminds you of a classic landscape painting, it should. The park was intended to emulate the English countryside look, which was popular in the mid-1800s.
Randall's Island
Manhattan/Queens/The Bronx
New pedestrian bridges and trails have made Randall's Island more accessible to nearby boroughs in recent years, opening up eight or so miles of flat trails to anyone looking for a change of scenery. A series of looping routes allow you to run 2.0, 2.5 or 4.9 miles around the island's sports, entertainment and civic complexes. Though the island is known for its major music festivals and tournaments, days without events offer relative peace and quiet, views, and nature.
More details via the Randall's Island Park Alliance >>
Roosevelt Island
Manhattan/Queens
You'll have to take a train or tram to access this long stretch of land between Manhattan and Long Island, but the result is a residential run of nearly four miles that passes through decades New York history. Abandoned buildings around the island once housed a smallpox hospital, a mental institute, and other civic institutions. Today, the island is mostly residential, with some portions slowly being converted to parkland. The route, at around 4.0 miles, will take you on a flat trail around the perimeter of the island, providing a new view of the cityscape.
More details via The New York Times and MapMyRun >>
LaTourette Park/The Greenbelt
Staten Island
Staten Island has a series of often overlooked parks in its center, collectively known as the Greenbelt. If you're looking to get off the beaten path, you'll find surprisingly rugged and varied trails in a less urban setting than other parts of the city. Latourette Park, which anchors the Greenbelt, includes a 4.0-mile loop trail that's relatively flat. The island's ridgeline, though, is surprisingly steep, and longer routes willtake you either 7.6 or 12.3 miles around its main feature, Todt Hill.
