If you’ve coveted photos of the most gorgeous waterfalls in other parts of the country (or world), you may not know you can actually get a taste right here in NY. And not only in New York, but within the city itself!
Our beloved Central Park contains a few different kinds of environments within its great expanse. You can stroll through large grassy fields like the Great Meadow, hike through woodsy trails in the Ramble, look over a stunning lake at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, or even spy a medieval castle!
What many New Yorkers may not know, however, is Central Park contains a hidden oasis of mini waterfalls that are completely picturesque and enchanting.
Tucked away in the Ravine, the stream valley section of the North Woods that spans 40 acres at the top of the Park, there are at least five different waterfalls.
If you’re wondering how they came to be, they haven’t been passed down through Mother Nature. They are all man-made but look completely natural, and are just as stunning as if the Earth itself created them.
Because they are man-made, the water that flows through them is actually NYC drinking water, according to CentralPark.com! It comes from a 48-inch pipe hidden by the rocks at the Pool Grotto on West 100th Street.
To make it even more magical, charming stone bridges round out the scene.
Here’s how to find them:
- Enter from the West Side through the Glen Span Arch around 102nd Street
- Follow the moving water down the dirt pathways in an Eastern direction (called the “Loch Walking Path”)
These bodies of water in the Park are called the “Loch,” which of course is Scottish for “lake!” The Loch winds through the Ravine and connects to the Harlem Meer, the man-made lake in the Northern-most area of the park. The waterfalls and lake were all part of park designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux’s “naturalistic vision for the park.”
You may not feel quite like you’ve been whisked away to another country, but you definitely won’t feel like you’re in Manhattan anymore!