Walking the length of Manhattan was a bucket list item for me, as it is for many NYC locals and visitors alike. It’s a lofty goal, combining a physical feat with a cultural experience. Watching the city change — from the physical construction to the unspoken energy — as you move through neighborhoods is a unique and thrilling way to experience New York City.
Walking Manhattan from tip to tail requires a little bit of prep first, and this post is a great place to start. This guide is packed with first-hand experience and tips that will help you craft your own perfect walk of Manhattan.
We’ll start with some different route options and highlight some of the sights you want to be sure to incorporate. We’ll share timestamps from our walk and actual distances, to help you set expectations. Plus, I completed the walk with our 5-year-old, so we’ve peppered in some notes and tips for families, too. And because I can’t help myself, there are some fun facts and history along the way, too.
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but walking the length of Manhattan is absolutely a good idea! If you want to hear all about it while planning your own perfect adventure through Manhattan, keep reading.
How Long is the Full Length of Manhattan?
Let’s address the most important question first.
The full length of Manhattan from the northern tip of Inwood Hill Park to the southern tip of Battery Park is about 13.4 miles as the crow flies. The actual walk is a few miles longer and will vary depending on your exact route and how good your GPS tracker is.
We plugged our exact route into Google Maps (the route we’ll share in this post), and the total distance was 16.7 miles. My Garmin clocked me a little higher at 18.85, but that is my total walking distance, which includes all the extra steps like going into a coffee shop, walking to the bathroom, taking a wrong turn, etc. (These add up over such a long route!)
The short answer? Walking the full length of Manhattan will likely be between 14 and 18 miles.
Design Your Route
While the middle part of the route will vary, the end points are fixed.
The northernmost point of Manhattan is technically here, on a tiny strip of rock that is barely accessible. There’s not even an actual path to get there. A more reasonable northern point is along the main Inwood Hill Park walking path here, just below the Henry Hudson Bridge. It’s a scant 300 feet further south, but we decided it counted.
On the south end, you’ve got Battery Park. The southernmost point that is currently accessible to the public is about here, between the Statue of Liberty ferry loading area and East Coast Memorial. The actual southernmost point is somewhere inside the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Again, we decided our spot counted.
Everything between these points is open to interpretation, including the direction. You can walk it either way, but north-to-south is easier. Though this direction starts off with some big climbs, it’s overall downhill. If you go south to north, you’re walking gradually uphill most of the way. (We talked to a friend who did it in this direction and didn’t recommend it.)
One classic route is to follow Broadway the whole way. If you really wanted to commit to Broadway, you could skip Inwood Hill Park and instead start at the furthest north intersection, which is Broadway and 9th Ave. (This is the *only* excuse to skip Inwood Hill Park.) This route is the most direct, and comes in right around 14 miles.
Fun Fact! Broadway is the oldest north-south route in Manhattan, having originated as an Indigenous trail well before the 1600s. Later that century, British imperialists described it as a broad way and aptly named it Broad Way. Eventually, it was shortened to Broadway and here we are. (Source)
The Broadway route is fine, but if you’re looking for vibes, neighborhoods and attractions along the way, it falls a little short. Instead, we’d recommend park hopping. Inwood Hill Park to Fort Tryon Park to Highbridge Park to St. Nicholas Park to Central Park … you get it.
Walking through the parks is more than scenic; it’s also faster because you can walk through long stretches without stop lights. The parks along this route are also in the hearts of neighborhoods. They are centers of communities, where people are and activities are happening. They’re also often adjacent to the neighborhood main arteries, where you’ll find local cafes and shops. Plus, a lot of them have playgrounds, which keeps things fun for kids.
The best route to walk through Manhattan is one that combines efficiency with experience. Also, be sure to leave some room for spontaneity. Grab a coffee here. Eat a snack there. Walk the extra block to scope out the source of that live music. My Type-A self likes to call this “wander within reason.”
Highlights on the Walk Through Manhattan
Here is a list of key sights and attractions that anchored our walk through Manhattan. You can read our full recap below to learn more about them, and whether they were hits or misses for us. Favorite these landmarks on your map, and then navigate between them in sections as you go.
- Inwood Hill Park
- Fort Tryon Park and The Met Cloisters
- Coffee in Washington Heights
- The High Bridge
- Morris-Jumel Mansion and Sylvan Terrace
- Lunch in Harlem
- St. Nicholas Park and Hamilton Grange National Memorial
- Apollo Theater and MLK Jr Blvd
- Central Park (North Woods, Reservoir, the Met, Central Park Zoo)
- Times Square
- Dinner in Midtown
- Washington Square Park
- Soho
- The Battery
There’s obviously much more to see and do along this route. When you’re trying to cover 16 miles in a day, though, you’re kind of limited to walk-by attractions.
Pack Your Bag
We described walking the length of Manhattan to our child as urban hiking. In some ways, it’s like hiking: it’s a long walk and demands a level of respect. But unlike hiking, you are never more than a short walk to the nearest 7-Eleven.
It’s not exactly roughing it. You can pretty much buy whatever you need along the way, from coffee to emergency Band-Aids. However, there are a few things that you will definitely need, so you might as well just bring them.
If you bring one thing, bring a portable charger. Your phone will absolutely die as you navigate your way through the entire length of Manhattan. Especially if you’re taking photos the whole way, which you will be, because Instagram-or-it-didn’t-happen.
The next most important thing is sun protection. You will be outside the entire day, so be sure you have sunblock, sunglasses and hats.
I’d also recommend bringing some cash. Most restaurants will take card, but food trucks and snack carts are often cash only. On a day like this, you’ll want to be snacking as you go, and having cash adds some extra flexibility.
Finally, pack water and snacks. You’ll totally buy more of both along the way, but it’s nice to have a few things on hand for when you’re deep in the parks or passing through those residential areas between more bustling hubs.
Tip! If you’re traveling with a child, may we suggest calling this a snack crawl? Our child measured this walk in terms of snack breaks. “Just gotta get from smoothie bowl to egg’n’cheese, then I get Dippin’ dots before Pizza, and then it’s straight on to mini muffins before wrapping up with mango spears.”
Our Walk Through Manhattan
In this section, I’m going to break up our walk into segments. I’ll include the highlights in each section, what we liked or what we’d change, and how long it took, with time stamps. Breaking the trip up into segments like this makes it a lot easier to map and navigate on your phone, versus trying to keep track of the whole route at once.
This route is 16.7 miles total, with an elevation gain of 1,200 feet and took us about 8.5 hours (including stops and breaks.)
Starting Point: Inwood Hill Park under the Henry Hudson Bridge
Time: 10:43 AM
Total Distance: 1 mile
Map Link: Here
The northernmost (publicly accessible) point on Manhattan is in Inwood Hill Park below the Henry Hudson Bridge.
To get there, we took the 1 train to 215 Street. This was no short journey for us, and took about 1 hour and 20 minutes coming from our home in Astoria. From the train station, we walked over to Inwood Hill Park. It was about a mile from the station to the starting point under the bridge.
Tip: If you start earlier than we did — which you should — consider getting breakfast at The Inwood Farm. It looked so vibrant when we passed, but we needed to get started.
Inwood Hill Park to Fort Tryon Park
Time (end of segment): 11:30 AM
Segment Distance: 1.9 miles
Total Distance: 2.9 miles
Map Link: Here
Highlights: The Met Cloisters, Jacob Javits Playground
On a spring Saturday morning, the park was buzzing. It was filled with kids’ soccer practices, runners and dog walkers, all enjoying one of those rare perfect spring days. We also happened to be completing our walk the same day as The Great Saunter — so we passed by several other urban hikers as our paths crossed in the park. (Though as we were climbing the steep trail through its woods, it felt much more like an actual hike.)
Leaving the bridge, we followed the path down the west side of the park. There are several youth baseball fields over here, which were all in full swing. At Riverside Drive, we left Inwood Hill Park behind and moved onto Fort Tryon Park.
I’d run the Washington Heights 5K here a few months ago, so I knew this park was going to be hilly. The park itself is wooded and hilly, and is overall quite lovely.
We opted to climb all the way up to The Met Cloisters, which I had wanted to see. I have to say, I don’t think that’s necessary. If you’re not actually going into the museum, the building itself isn’t worth going out of the way for. (It was also under construction at the time.)
If you’re ready for a short play break, the Jacob Javits Playground at the south of Fort Tyron Park is great.
Fort Tryon Park to Highbridge Park (Washington Heights)
Time (end of segment): 12:56 PM
Segment Distance: 2.5 miles
Total Distance: 5.4 miles
Map Link: Here
Highlights: Buunni Coffee, Bennett Park (highest natural point in Manhattan), The High Bridge, Sylvan Terrace & Morris-Jumel Mansion
As we ventured into Washington Heights, it was time for coffee. I chose Buunni Coffee, which lured me in with their Ethiopian macchiato but then sold me on the cardamom latte. It was delicious for the first few sips until a pigeon pooped literally right on it as I was walking under the George Washington Bridge. (How poetic for a New York City day, right?)
Next, we passed by Bennett Park. I got to share my fun fact that I learned from my race that this is the highest natural point in Manhattan. (Which also meant that most of the steep hills on this walk were past us.) What I didn’t know at the time, though, was that there is actually a plaque in the park commemorating this. So be sure to look for that if you pass by.
By now, our kiddo had to use the bathroom (because of course they didn’t mention it at the coffee shop.) We were walking straight toward the Highbridge Recreation Center, which despite the giant restroom signs on the building does not have public restrooms. If you walk south 10 minutes to the Adventure Playground, though, there are free public bathrooms there.
While you’re in Highbridge Park, you might want to see or walk across the High Bridge. It’s a (you guessed it) high bridge and a pedestrian walking path between Manhattan and the Bronx. It is a little out of the way and does require climbing a bunch of stairs, but I’ve heard the views are stunning. We felt like we were already behind and needed to hurry a bit, so we didn’t make the detour.
The detour we did take was over to Sylvan Terrace. It’s a single block of 19th century style townhouses that feels very 1800s Stepford. It’s pretty though, and worth popping over to. The Morris-Jumel Mansion — the oldest house in Manhattan — is just across the street. That building was closed for refurbishments during our walk, though.
Highbridge Park to St. Nicholas Park
Time (end of segment): 1:45 PM
Segment Distance: 1.4 miles
Total Distance: 6.8 miles
Map Link: Here
Highlights: Red Kup (cafe)
I still needed coffee — since the aforementioned pigeon ruined mine — and we also realized we were starving. After leaving Highbridge Park, we beelined to Red Kup for fuel and boy did it deliver. I got a butterscotch and sage (!!!) latte, which was life changing. We also ordered a few egg-n-cheese bagels, because what is more New York City than that?
St. Nicholas Park was fine, though fairly uneventful. The most interesting thing for us was finding all the chalk marks and realizing this was a popular spot for bouldering. We later referenced our NYC Bouldering book to confirm that it is packed with notable routes.
St. Nicholas Park to Central Park (Harlem)
Time (end of segment): 2:30 PM
Segment Distance: 1.1 miles
Total Distance: 7.9 miles
Map Link: Here
Highlights: Apollo Theater, MLK Blvd
We quickly found ourselves in the heart of Harlem, and it flipped on like a switch! This was one of our favorite parts of the walk. The energy shift was palpable as soon as St. Nicholas Ave hit MLK Boulevard.
The street was lined with vendors selling apothecary concoctions, music spilled out from stereos and storefronts, and there were so many people out and about. We only came down MLK to see the Apollo Theater. As it turned out though, the street itself was far more interesting than the theater facade — which like many sights on this walk, was also getting refurbished.
If you eat meat, it’s probably a good idea to plan to eat here. (We’re vegetarian, womp womp.) Places like Jerk House, Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster, and Harlem Shake all looked so good. Or just ask someone in the neighborhood for a recommendation, because I’d bet there are some hole-in-the-wall joints that are even better.
Central Park — North to South
Time (end of segment): 4:10 PM
Segment Distance: 3.2 miles
Total Distance: 11.1 miles
Map Link: Here
Highlights: Playgrounds (everywhere), The Loch, The Reservoir, Belvedere Castle, Bethesda Terrace, Central Park Carousel, Central Park Zoo
Walking the length of Central Park is a bucket list activity in its own right. There are plenty of people who would consider this to be a huge accomplishment — which it is! We have spent many years running the Ted Corbitt Loop around the park though, so we felt very much at home now.
I’ll start by saying there are so many ways to do the Central Park bit. You can take a direct route, or you can weave between the iconic sights as you go. There are also several public bathrooms in the park, as well as snack vendors.
Read more! If you’re looking for inspiration, be sure to check out this post with 10 Things You Must Do in Central Park.
We entered from the northwest corner, and one of our first stops in the park was the Tarr Family Playground. Despite walking almost 10 miles already, they were still asking to play at every playground we passed.
We mostly stayed off the main loop, to avoid the crowds and bike traffic, and stuck to the side trails. Eventually, we got to the reservoir, which we hugged for a while before taking the Bridle Path toward the east side of the park. Now it was a pretty straight shot to the highlight of our child’s day: the Central Park Zoo.
My kid and I go to Central Park often. Our favorite part is always getting Dippin’ Dots and watching the sea lions. When it came to motivating my child to go on this hike, I knew that adding a step here was going to be clutch. They were looking forward to it all morning, and it gave them just the afternoon boost they needed.
Note: If you’re not a WCS member, it’s definitely not worth it to buy a ticket for a short visit. The zoo cafe (Dancing Crane Cafe) is open to the public. You can get Dippin’ Dots there and see the sea lions from the sidewalk.
Getting through Central Park was a huge turning point. We were more than halfway done, and we were much more familiar with the remaining route.
Central Park to Herald Square (via Times Square)
Time (end of segment): 5:00 PM
Segment Distance: 1.6 miles
Total Distance: 12.7 miles
Map Link: Here
Highlights: Fifth Ave, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Herald Square
We were now on home turf. (Not technically — we live in Astoria — but Midtown is where we spent most of our time in Manhattan.) At this point, we were sort of soaking in the vibes, but we were mostly just trying to make forward progress.
After spending most of our day so far in parks or adjacent to parks, we were now realizing why that was so smart: no intersections. The stretch down Fifth Ave was painfully slow. It felt like no matter how fast or slow we walked, the light changed to Don’t Walk as soon as we got there.
We turned west at the Lego Store, but I’d recommend going a block further to pass by Rockefeller. Then we turned onto Seventh and made our way through Times Square. I know everyone loves to hate on Times Square, but I love the chaos and cheekiness of it. (I’ll never forget walking through Times Square as a kid. It was Christmastime and we got there at dusk when the lights were the most beautiful. It still hits for me.)
It’s an easy walk from Times Square to Herald Square, where we got to see the Macy’s windows decorated for their annual flower show.
Mostly though, this stretch was about getting to dinner. Continuing our theme of New York staples, we knew we’d be getting pizza slices for dinner. We ended up at Quality Pizza Co — a place we’d been to before and it is as good as any New York slice.
Herald Square to Washington Square Park
Time (end of segment): 6 PM
Segment Distance: 1.5 miles
Total Distance: 14.2 miles
Map Link: Here
Highlights: Madison Square Park, Union Square Park, Flatiron Building, Washington Square Park
The stretch from Herald Square to Washington Square Park was probably the only lull of our day. Our energy was starting to wane as we passed through a relatively calm part of the city. (No offense to the NoMad stans.)
We followed Broadway to Fifth straight down, but you could easily add a short detour through Union Square Park. My husband plays chess at The Marshall, so we instead took a short detour to swing by there.
Otherwise, nothing too memorable about this leg.
Washington Square Park to The Battery
Time (end of segment): 7:05 PM
Segment Distance: 2.5 miles
Total Distance: 16.7 miles
Map Link: Here
Highlights: NYU Campus, Soho, Tribecca, FiDi, The Battery, Statue of Liberty, SeaGlass Carousel
This was it! Our final stretch of Manhattan! I would first like to point out that it was here, shortly after Washington Square Park that our 5-year-old first said “I’m tired.” We asked if they wanted to stop — it was a genuine offer. They chose to keep going, but did request mini muffins. You got it.
This was my second favorite part of the walk. Leaving Washington Square Park and walking into the heart of the NYU campus on a beautiful Saturday evening was such a vibe. Bars were overflowing, patios were full, the energy was high! We explained college to our kid and talked about our college experience, and it was really great.
As we entered into Soho, the average patron age went up but the crowds and energy stayed the same. We aren’t in Manhattan at night very often, so it was fun to walk through the hip and trendy areas and see how the cool kids lived.
The Financial District was a bit of a blur, but we passed the line of people at the Charging Bull and before we knew it, we were walking into The Battery. (This park is always a bit of a letdown to me — it should be such an epic park, but there is always so much blocked off. Hopefully they fix it after all the construction.)
We walked straight to the battery and found a spot along the water that wasn’t fenced off. We had reached the southernmost publicly accessible point on Manhattan!
After a few pics, we left the park and walked over to the Staten Island Ferry terminal, where we officially stopped our watches. As one final New York staple, we let our kid buy a cup of fresh mango from the fruit vendor and then jumped on the W train for the long trip back home.
What a day! 10/10 recommend.
Tips for Walking the Length of Manhattan
We actually did very little prep before walking the length of Manhattan. It had been on our list for a while, but we only decided to actually do it that morning. I basically did all my planning while my husband was in the shower and then we left. Having done the walk now, I definitely learned a few lessons that I think are worth sharing. Here are a few tips if you’re planning this walk.
- Walk north to south. Manhattan is hillier than you think, and there will be some ups and downs in either direction, but walking from north to south is overall a net downhill for most of the way.
- Don’t let the hills at the beginning deter you. If you start at Inwood Hill Park and include Fort Tryon and Highbridge Park, it will feel like a lot of hills. Rest assured that once you get past these, it will get easier.
- Divide the route into segments. It’s hard to plan, organize and even look at the full route at once. Make a list of smaller segments, and then map the segments as you go.
- Have a plan, but be flexible. This plays right into the segment strategy. Map out start and end points within each segment to stay on track, but leave room to sidestep to a tempting restaurant, reroute through an ongoing farmers market or veer down a particularly charming street.
- Start early. We didn’t reach the starting point at Inwood Hill Park until 10:43 AM, which made for a 7:05 PM finish. I’d suggest starting closer to 9 for a more relaxed day and earlier finish.
- Pick a cool, cloudy day. It’s a hard walk and a hot, sunny day would make it even harder. This is the kind of activity you want to plan for the spring or fall.
- Plan your meals. You’re in NYC! You’d think there would be restaurants on every corner, but there are definitely residential stretches that don’t have a ton of good, quick options. It’s worth sketching out the neighborhoods where you plan to eat and bookmarking a few options in advance.
- Wear good shoes. This is a 15ish mile urban hike — do not underestimate it. You probably don’t need true hiking footwear, but you will need at least a pair of athletic trainers.
- Know your bathrooms. There are tons of public bathrooms in NYC, but you have to know where to look. There are lots of free apps and maps available that you might want to have on hand. As a general rule of thumb, public parks are often a good (and often surprisingly clean) option.
- Bail if you have to. It is a long walk! There’s a real chance it might be too much for you this time. (That’s okay! Walking any segment is still fun, and you can always try again.) The beautiful thing about urban hiking in Manhattan is that you are never far from a subway — which is a luxury you won’t have if you get tired halfway through a trail in, say, Yosemite.
Walking the Length of Manhattan with a Child
As we mentioned in this post, we completed this walk with our kindergartener. At the time, they were 5 years and 9 months old. They walked the full route on their own feet, clocking 52,722 steps. (Tip: I don’t recommend lending an Apple Watch to a child. Mine came back with a nice new scratch.) It took us a total of 8.5 hours, which included breaks and meals along the way.
This worked for our kid because they are used to walking a lot. They’re a city kid (read: they walk everywhere all the time), theme park kid (read: they walk multiple full days in a row, often in Florida heat) and hiker kid (read: they are used to walking being the activity.) They’ve inadvertently been training for this their whole life.
It also worked because we tailored the walk to their experience. We made it fun by incorporating lots of snacks, special treats and playgrounds along the way. They got to bring their camera and take photos along the way. We kept the conversations flowing with topics that they loved to talk about. All of these things matter for a kid.
Ultimately, they didn’t complain once about being tired until nearly the end, when they were given the chance to stop and chose not to. (We chose to start, but the choice to keep going and finish was always truly theirs.)
This walk is definitely a lot for a child, and probably isn’t right for everyone. At that age, it certainly requires some prior experience, endurance and buy-in from the child. I don’t have any older children, but I would bet they might complain more vocally. (Does anyone else feel like their children complain more despite getting more physically capable as they age? It can’t just be me.)
The good thing about this walk, which we’ve mentioned, is that there is always an option to bail. Subway lines run the length of borough too, so you can always jump ship and hop on the train if you must. You might also want to bring a scooter, stroller or carrier to offer some relief if necessary.
This is a very rewarding experience for a young urban hiker, though, if your kid is up to the challenge. If you can keep them entertained, fed and motivated, you might just be able to distract them from the fact that they spent all day walking. If they choose to embark on this journey and make it to the finish line, that is an accomplishment worth celebrating.
We’d Love to Hear Your Thoughts
Did you walk the length of Manhattan? What route did you take? Which highlights would you add to this list? Tell me all about your adventure in the comments! We’re already planning to do this again next year, so I’d love your tips for next time.
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