A 6.1-mile drive right round the park, a 5.2-mile version that skips the worst hill, and a flat 1.7 miles round the south. All car-free, all one-way — here’s how each loop rides.
Full loop
Marked loops
Riding hours
To ride
The park drives are closed to cars and open to anyone on wheels. Nothing to book, nothing to pay. Bring a bike or hire one at the gate, and go.
The catch: the drives run one way. Everybody rides counterclockwise — north up the East Drive, south down the West — and going against it puts you head-on into runners, pedicabs and every other rider in the park. Get that one thing right and the rest is a pleasant hour. Get it wrong and you will be told, repeatedly.
The drives make three natural circuits. They’re not interchangeable — the distance, the climbing and the time it takes are different at each.
The southern end of the park, cut across at the 72nd Street Transverse. Flatter and easier to navigate than anything else here, which makes it the one for a first ride, a rusty rider or anyone towing a child.
Where
Conditions
Most of the park without the punishment. Cut across at the 102nd Street Crossing and you skip Harlem Hill entirely — a proper ride with real scenery and none of the steepest climbing.
Where
Conditions
The whole drive, Harlem Hill included. The longest climb in the park sits at the north end and it is the only part that asks anything of you — the reward is the view coming over the top.
Where
Conditions
Every loop in the park, drawn to its length. Solid where you follow the drive, dashed where you cut across.
Three different answers depending on who’s riding. Pick the one that matches your group.
Choose the closest match.
Start at Grand Army Plaza, head north on East Drive to the 72nd Street Crossing, cut across, then south on West Drive and onto Center Drive. Flat the whole way, 30 to 45 minutes, and it still passes Bethesda Terrace and the Mall. See the full park map before you set off.
Grand Army Plaza, north on East Drive as far as the 102nd Street Crossing, cut left across the park, then south down West Drive onto Center Drive. About 45 minutes, real scenery, and it avoids Harlem Hill entirely — the best value ride in the park.
Join the drive anywhere and ride the complete circuit, though the most satisfying version starts at Grand Army Plaza and heads north on East Drive. Roughly an hour, with Harlem Hill at the north end — the only climb in the park that asks anything of you, and the best view once you are over it.
The drives run one way for everyone on wheels — north up the East Drive, south down the West. Going against it is the single most common mistake visitors make, and the fastest way to a near miss.
Bikes and scooters belong on the park drives, not the pedestrian paths or the bridle path. Yield to anyone on foot wherever the two meet, and remember runners and horse carriages share the same road.
Required by New York law for children under fourteen, and included free with every rental. Worth wearing whatever your age — the descent off Harlem Hill is faster than it looks.
The park closes to riders from 1:00 AM to 6:00 AM. Outside that it’s open year-round, and weekday early mornings are the quietest and best riding of the week.
You don’t need to own anything to ride here. Hire is available all year within a couple of minutes of the park gates, and if you’d rather someone else picked the route and told you what you’re passing, both bikes and scooters run as guided tours.
Distance, time and how much climbing. Worth deciding before you clip in at the gate.
Harlem Hill is the one that hurts. The climb at the north end of the Full Loop is the steepest ground in the park — short, but it catches out anyone who set off thinking six miles sounded flat. Drop a gear early, or cut across at 102nd and ride the Lower Loop instead.
Counterclockwise — north up the East Drive, south down the West. It applies to bikes, e-scooters and everything else on wheels, and it isn’t optional. Riding against the flow puts you head-on into every other rider, runner and pedicab on the road.
About an hour at a steady pace for the full 6.1 miles, including Harlem Hill. The 5.2-mile Lower Loop takes roughly 45 minutes, and the 1.7-mile Short Loop 30 to 45. Add time for stopping, because you will stop.
Mostly gently rolling, with one genuine climb: Harlem Hill at the north end, on the Full Loop. It is short but steep. If you’d rather not meet it, cut across at the 102nd Street Crossing and ride the Lower Loop instead — same scenery, none of the hill.
Required by law for riders under fourteen, and strongly advised for everyone else. Every rental includes one free, so there’s no reason not to.
No. Bikes and e-scooters stay on the park drives. Pedestrian-only paths and the bridle path are off limits, and you should always yield to people on foot where the routes cross.
Any time except 1:00 AM to 6:00 AM, when the park is closed to riders. The drives are car-free and open year-round. Weekday early mornings are the quietest hours of the week by a distance.
Three of them cut the loop short. Center Drive crosses the southern end, running north from the end of West Drive to join East Drive. The 72nd Street Transverse links West and East Drive past Bethesda Terrace, the Mall and Strawberry Fields. The 102nd Street Crossing cuts east to west and bypasses Harlem Hill.
Yes, within a couple of minutes of the gates. Bike hire comes with a helmet, lock and map; e-scooters run in 1, 2, 3 and 5-hour blocks. Guided tours are available on both if you’d rather not plan the route yourself.
The drives & the Reservoir · free
The Lake, off the 72nd cut · hourly
Wollman & Lasker · seasonal
Tell us how long you’ve got, who’s riding and whether anyone would rather avoid the hill. We’ll tell you which loop to take and where to pick the bikes up.
