If you look at a map of Manhattan, you will no doubt notice that a large chunk of it is occupied by a patch of green known as Central Park. Well, so just how big is Central Park? Is it something that you can cover in a day?
New York City’s Central Park is huge. What may surprise some people who may be gawking at how large it is is that Central Park isn’t the largest park in New York City. That honor goes to Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, which is 2,772 acres or 11.22 square km in size.
The next three spots, i.e. the second to fourth largest, go to:
- Greenbelt in Staten Island at 2,316 acres or 9.37 square km;
- followed by Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx at 1,146 acres or 4.64 square km; and
- followed by Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens at 897 acres or 3.63 square km.
How Big is Central Park: Measurements, Distance and Area That You Need to Know
So where does that leave Central Park? Well, Central Park is the fifth largest park in New York City at 843 acres, which is the equivalent of 341 hectares or 3.41 square km.
Does that mean that Central Park isn’t big? Just how big IS Central Park?
Central Park’s Area
At 843 acres, Central Park is still a huge place.
It is the equivalent of 637 football fields.
Or put another way, it is the equivalent of 478 soccer fields.
Or you can think of it as 7,812 NBA basketball courts.
Within the park, you will find artificial lakes, waterfalls, meadows and wooded areas. It is also so large that it has attractions such as the Central Park Zoo, as well as a fishing pond and much more.
It would take a full day to see all the attractions within Central Park.
Central Park Distances
The distance of the length of Central Park, running from north to south, is 2.5 miles or 4 km.
The distance of the width of Central Park, from west to east, is 0.5 miles or 0.8 km (800 meters).
With these boundaries, Central Park measures 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from north to south and 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from west to east.
The perimeter of Central Park is 6 miles long.
A fun fact that you may not know is that the perimeter of Central Park is cared for by the Perimeter Association, a program of the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy that cares for the park.
On foot, based on the an average person’s walking pace of about 3 to 4 miles per hour, it would take about 1.5 to 2 hours to travel the 6 mile perimeter on foot.
If you are good runner who can manage an average running pace of 8 to 10 minutes per mile, it would take about 48 to 60 minutes to cover the 6 mile perimeter around Central Park.
On bicycle, it would take about 25 to 30 minutes to travel 6 miles, based on a cycling speed of around 12 to 14 miles per hour.
Where are the boundaries of Central Park?
From North to South, Central Park is bordered by Central Park North at 110th Street and Central Park South at 59th Street.
Looking at it from West to East, the borders are Central Park West at Eighth Avenue and Fifth Avenue on the east.
To the north of the park is neighborhood of Harlem. Midtown Manhattan can be found to the south of Central Park.
To the west is the Upper West Side neighborhood and the Upper East Side lies to the east of the park.
Central Park can be divided into three sections:
- the “North End” extends above the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir;
- “Mid-Park” lies between the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in the north and the Lake and Conservatory Water in the south; and
- “South End” is the section of Central Park that is below the Lake and Conservatory Water.
How Long Does it Take to Walk Across Central Park
Even though the distance from the north to the south of Central is 2.5 miles, because the paths running through the park meander here and there, it will be more like 3 miles or 5 km for you to make your way across the length of the park.
If you were to just walk through the park without stopping, you would take around an hour or so. However, factor in stopping to admire the sights, or taking photos, or finding out more about the various attractions within the park, and you could easily spend two or two and a half hours making your way through the park at a leisurely pace.
If you wanted to walk across the width of Central Park, you could probably do the the half mile walk (or 800 meters) in around 10 minutes if you walk briskly.
If you adopt a more leisurely pace, it would take you around 15 minutes to walk across the width of Central Park.
The Most Visited Urban Park in the United States
Even though it may not be the largest park in New York City, Central Park still holds the record for being the most visited urban park in the entire United States.
It receives as many of 42 million people every year.
Beside native New Yorkers, many of the visitors to world famous Central Park are also tourists from around the United States and the globe.
How to Explore Central Park
You can choose to explore Central Park on foot or on a bicycle. There are also horse carriages that you can hire but those are expensive.
The best way to explore Central Park would be on foot as it allows you see all the sights and attractions within the park.
However, if you are pressed for time, a bicycle can also be a good way to take in all the sights in a fast and efficient way. It also allows you to get a feel of Central Park and to cover more ground than you could probably do on foot.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Now you know all that you could possibly want to know about how big Central Park is. We trust that you have been informed with all the facts that you may want to know to address the question “How big is Central Park” and now you can plan out your visit to this world famous green lung in the middle of Manhattan.
If you enjoyed this story, we think that you will also enjoy this one on must-know parks in New York City or this other one about National Park sections in New York City.
