215th Street (1): Inwood Hill Park & Isham Park
This is the last Manhattan stop on the 1 train, and it brings you to a relatively quiet, mostly Latinx area dominated by the presence of the Department of Sanitation. With a short walk, this stop brings you to Isham Park, Inwood Hill Park, and the home of my favorite french toast in New York (read on for the rec).
Though you can access Inwood Hill Park from a few stations (like Dyckman Street A, Inwood-207 A, or 207 Street 1), I’ll leave my review of it here.
The Department of Sanitation building is the primary presence right out of the station. Wild that you can walk to Isham Park from here in 5 minutes, and to Inwood Hill Park in 10 minutes.
With its Indigenous history on display, Inwood Hill Park is one of the city’s best options for access to nature. The trails here are nice enough to warrant a trip to Manhattan’s northern tip, though beware that the closer you get to the Hudson river, the more car noise you’ll get.
Originally home of the Lenape Native Americans, the park includes a few descriptive plaques reviewing the land’s history, and it has maintained some historical formations, like its natural caves. There are also some interesting rock formations throughout the park. It’s no Yosemite, but in this city it’ll pass as an interesting work of nature.
The park has two well-marked loop trails: the orange trail and the blue trail. Trail signs and Google Maps will help point out some landmarks on both trails, like an Osage tree with orange bark you would have probably overlooked had it not been brought to your attention. In my opinion, the landmarks aren’t too exciting; the real draw of the trails is simply that they bring you into nature
Runners may particularly appreciate some elevation changes throughout the park, as it’s a bit of a climb from its entrances to its center.
Young kids and nature or history enthusiasts will likely appreciate the park’s small nature center, with touchable pelt samples, a snake in a tank named Pumpkin, park history books, and simple trail maps that show you the orange and blue routes. Of note, the nature center is a 3-minute walk from The Inwood Farm, which is half-restaurant and half-cafe, and you can order their french toast in either section.
A winter-time peek into Bruce’s Garden.
Isham Park
Accessed via stairs, this park offers some tree-blocked skyscraper views and an expanse of grass for a nice picnic.
Between April and October, you should be able to access Bruce’s Garden, which is a small enclave with a small gazebo and interesting tree ornaments.
And, if you’re around here, why not get that french toast just a few blocks away at The Inwood Farm!
What did I miss? Scroll past the map to let me know.
I told you about the french toast, right? P.S. spot the cat!
Hint: look around the cushions.
