Central Park

Choose the entrance nearest your destination: 59th Street for the Pond and Heckscher area, 72nd Street for Bethesda Terrace and Strawberry Fields, 79th Street for Belvedere and the Ramble, or the north end for Harlem Meer and the Davis Center. Do not route to the park center.

No public visitor parking is available inside Central Park. Use a nearby commercial garage, legal street parking, subway, or bus, and select an arrival point near the exact destination because the park is more than 50 blocks long.

Central Park is open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day of the year. Individual visitor centers, restrooms, gardens, playgrounds, attractions, fields, and concessions close earlier and may be seasonal.

Restrooms are distributed across the park, and some close in winter or follow facility hours. Use the Conservancy restroom guide or accessibility map for the closest open option; Heckscher Playground's accessible restroom is normally open 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m. year-round.

The park has mapped barrier-free routes, accessible entrances, restrooms, playground features, and visitor facilities, but historic arches, rock outcrops, bridle paths, woodlands, and slopes vary greatly. Use the official accessibility map for a destination-specific route.

Central Park has 21 playgrounds. Heckscher Playground near West 61st-63rd is the largest and includes an accessible surface, adaptive swings, water spray, and nearby accessible restrooms; choose another playground when it is closer to your planned landscape.

Dogs must be leashed from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Off-leash use is allowed from 6-9 a.m. and 9 p.m.-1 a.m. only in designated areas. Playgrounds, ballfields, water bodies, Sheep Meadow, the Great Lawn Oval, and several sensitive landscapes remain off limits.

Use the Conservancy's live alerts page before a feature-specific visit. Lawns, ballfields, playground sections, restrooms, water activities, roads, and attractions may close for weather, restoration, algae, maintenance, or events.

The Conservancy recommends the tree-lined borders of the Great Lawn and Sheep Meadow and the area around Harlem Meer; Arthur Ross Pinetum and the park's wooded landscapes also provide substantial canopy. Shade moves during the day, and visitor centers are not emergency cooling centers. On extreme-heat or thunderstorm days, follow City guidance and move to an air-conditioned building outside the park.

Central Park mixes smooth paved drives and walks with crushed-gravel running track, soft dirt bridle path, woodland trails, rock outcrops, stairs, bridges, and both gentle and steep grades. The six-mile paved Drive is the most continuous hard-surface route but is shared with runners, cyclists, skaters, and authorized traffic. The Conservancy accessibility map identifies stable accessible trails, curb cuts, stairs, and slope severity; use it for a wheelchair or stroller route because scenic shortcuts through the Ramble, North Woods, and rocky landscapes can be uneven or inaccessible.

The Conservancy recommends Great Hill, East Meadow, Sheep Meadow, Great Lawn, Arthur Ross Pinetum, and the Harlem Meer area, with picnic tables or nearby restrooms varying by location. Casual small picnics do not need a reservation, but a birthday, field day, game, or other organized activity with 20 or more people requires an NYC Parks special-event permit. Barbecuing is allowed only on specifically announced holidays and never in playgrounds, athletic fields, woodlands, fenced landscapes, or directly under trees.

Most of Central Park's 21 playgrounds have seasonal water features; the only playground the Conservancy identifies without one is Pinetum Playground. Strong choices include Heckscher, Bernard Family, Tarr Family, Adventure, and the East 110th Street playground. For swimming, the free seasonal Gottesman Pool at the Davis Center by Harlem Meer is open on its published summer schedule, currently 11 a.m.-7 p.m. with a 3-4 p.m. cleaning break. Never swim in the Lake, Reservoir, Pond, Pool landscape, Harlem Meer, or other park water bodies.

Choose the station for your destination because Central Park is 2.5 miles long. B and C trains serve Central Park West; Columbus Circle at the southwest corner has A, B, C, D, and 1 service; N, R, and W serve the southeast corner; and 2 and 3 trains serve Central Park North. Fifth Avenue buses serve the east edge, the M10 serves the west edge, and crosstown buses cross near major latitude points. Check the Conservancy map first, then plan to the nearest gate.

Choose one latitude cluster. Around 59th-65th Streets, see Grand Army Plaza, Gapstow Bridge, the Zoo, Wollman Rink, Dairy, and Carousel. Around 67th-75th, follow the Mall to Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, then Bow Bridge, Conservatory Water, Alice in Wonderland, and Strawberry Fields. Around 79th-86th, combine Belvedere Castle, Shakespeare Garden, Turtle Pond, the Great Lawn, and the Obelisk. Northern landmarks such as Conservatory Garden, the Blockhouse, Harlem Meer, and the Ravine require a separate visit.

General park, paths, lawns, playgrounds, landscapes, and most public landmarks are free. The zoo, carousel, skating, rentals, performances, food, and some programs charge separately.