Hudson River Park - Amenities

Amenities

Recreational facilities of many kinds are located throughout Hudson River Park, catering to organized and individual sports, leisure activities, and activities for children. A defining physical feature of Hudson River Park is the 5.0-mile bike and running path that runs the park’s length, connecting northward to Riverside Park South at West 59th Street and southward to Battery Park.

Scattered throughout the park are numerous fields and courts, with Chelsea Waterside Park (West 23rd Street and 11th Avenue) being one center of sports activity. The park contains a sports field, basketball court, a playground with water features during the summer months, and a dog run named “Best of New York” by New York Magazine in May 2005.

Pier 84 at West 44th Street is also packed with activities. Free fishing with Big City Fishing is available on the pier as well as rowing, boat building, and other maritime related activities, including a water taxi stop. Also on the pier are a dog run and playground, and the casual restaurant PD O’Hurleys.

Other sporting facilities include basketball courts at Canal Street and another at Harrison Street, Tennis courts south of Pier 40 between Houston and Canal Streets, and a temporary skate park at West 30th Street. The Trapeze School of New York operates on the roof of Pier 40.

The largest sporting complex in Hudson River Park is the Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex, which holds a variety of athletic spaces. Chelsea Piers sports a batting cage, bowling lanes, playing fields, a driving range, an ice skating rink, rock climbing facilities, and gymnastics space, among other exercise and fitness related spaces. Along with these indoor recreational facilities, Chelsea Piers offers boating activities and several restaurants on premises.

In keeping with the maritime heritage of the park, Hudson River Park has opportunities for outrigger canoeing on Pier 66 at West 26th Street, rowing and sailing on Piers 40 and 66, and free kayaking on Piers 96, 66, and 40.

Abundant open grassy areas in the park permit non-athletic leisure activity. Sun tanning is a popular pastime in many areas. Clinton Cove (W. 55th St.), Pier 84 (W. 44th St.), 14th Street Park, and Pier 45 all present wide unobstructed green spaces for sunbathing, and are popular locations.