The postcard Central Park in a compact loop – skyline over Sheep Meadow, the elm tunnel of the Mall and the Lake – the same route the Conservancy's guides use for first-time visitors.
Photo: Will Steacy/NYC Tourism + Conventions
Distance
2.1 km
Time
90 minutes
Difficulty
Easy to moderate: a few inclines and some stairs
Start
Doris C. Freedman Plaza, the south-east entrance to Central Park at East 60th Street and Fifth Avenue
Past
Sheep Meadow and its skyline view, The Mall under its American elms, the only straight line in the park, with the Literary Walk statues of Shakespeare, Burns and Scott, The Lake and its boathouse
Season
All year. In late October and November the Conservancy's Fall Foliage Tracker maps where the park's 19,000 trees are at peak colour.
With children
Good for children who can manage a few inclines and stairs; the Conservancy rates this route as not wheelchair accessible.
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