Van Cortlandt Park

Croton Weir Building

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0.3 mi

Vault Hill Overlook

A popular stopping point for hikers and runners the large rock outcropping provides a natural vista which offers sweeping views of Manhattan, the George Washington Bridge, the Van Cortlandt Park Parade Ground and other Bronx landmarks. A short walk away is the burial vault from which this area of the park gets its name.

0.3 mi

Scenic Rock Outcropping Northwest Forest

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Although the vernal pool is visible only during the winter and spring, the buttressed roots of the sweetgum and red maple trees stand year round showing the sign of standing water. If visiting during the spring, one may hear the mating call of the spring peeper, a small chorus frog that resides in the wetlands.

0.4 mi

Putnam Bridge

Bridge

The Putnam greenway crosses over Van Cortlandt Lake. The Lake, a result of Tibbetts Brook being dammed in 1699 to create a grist mill and saw mill, was also used in the past for harvesting ice and a popular ice skating location. Now the lake is a fishing haven and provides habitat for many waterfowl, turtles, frogs and fish.

0.4 mi

Grand Central Stones

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In 1905, the New York Central Railroad placed fifteen stone samples that had potential to be used as the exterior wall of Grand Central Terminal along the railroads right of way of the Putnam Branch to assess the effects of weathering. Today, thirteen of the Grand Central Stones still stand. If standing on the Putnam greenway, the third stone from the right, Stony Creek granite, was the sample selected for the Terminal.

0.5 mi

Vernal Pond/Wetland Northeast Forest

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Although the vernal pool is visible only during the winter and spring, the buttressed roots of the sweetgum and red maple trees stand year round showing the sign of standing water. If visiting during the spring, one may hear the mating call of the spring peeper, a small chorus frog that resides in the wetlands.

0.7 mi

Jerome Wetland

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Along the Jerome wetland trail, a vernal pool can be seen during wet months that contains a population of Pumpkin ash, a rare tree in New York. Following the trail leads to interpretive signage and drops off in the Allen Shandler Recreation Area, a location for picnicking.

0.9 mi