High Line
| Park Overview: | A most unique rail-to-trail conversion. Many regional trails have views of the Manhattan skyline from afar; this one travels through that skyline 30 feet above the streets of Manhattan’s lower west side [Chelsea/West Village]. |
| Trail Uses: | Hiking, Handicapped |
| Dogs: | No dogs |
| Trail Miles: | 2 miles |
| Park Acreage: | |
| City/County/ State: | New York City/New York/NY |
| Park Description: | From 1934 to 1980 an elevated rail line connected the rail yards of mid-town Manhattan to an industrial district along the lower West Side of Manhattan. Constructed 30 feet above the ground it avoided dangerous street crossings, and routed between 10th and 11th streets in its more northern sections the railway avoided association with the unpopular elevated sections of New York's subway system. After much controversy and considerable effort -- this is New York City -- the High Line opened to the public in June 2009. More than 2M people visited it during the first year. The High Line is part of the New York City Parks & Recreation Department, but is managed by the Friends of the High Line [Contact Information below]. It is open 7:00am to 10:00pm daily [last entry at 9:45pm]. |
| Trails Overview: | The initial section of the High Line extends one-half mile from its southern terminus at Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District north to 20th Street. Section 2 opened to the public on June 8, 2011. The Friends of the High Line marked the occasion by observing: "The opening of the new section doubles the length of the public park. After years of planning, design and construction, the High Line is now one mile long, running from Gansevoort Street to West 30th Street, connecting the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea, and Hell's Kitchen." A video peak at Section 2 during construction in December, 2010 can be viewed by clicking here. The northernmost section's future extending to the Rail Yards at 34th Street remains uncertain [if completed it will be 1.45 miles long]. Along the High Line are gorgeous views of the Hudson River and even Manhattanites might be tempted to look upwards from this unique, elevated perspective to take in New York City's celebrated skyline. It is beautifully designed and according to Rails to Trails Conservancy, "... the High Line incorporates many of the visual characteristics of the old abandoned corridor with sections of the original track still remaining visible in areas which in turn are incorporated into the concrete slab designs that make up the surface of the path. Other sections of the trail reveal art-deco railings and modern wooden benches that organically connect to the concrete surface. The landscape design itself includes much of the original wild self-seeded plant life and flora that used to naturally inhabit the abandoned corridor and the overall effect is a wholesome combination of organic beauty and stylized form that never fully diverts from the history and beauty of the old abandoned railroad corridor." Dogs are currently not permitted. A printable trail map is available on-line, follow the "Park Information" link under Contact Information. Listen to a walking tour of the High Line by Joshua David and Robert Hammond, the Co-Founders of Friends of the High Line. They were interviewed on NPR's "All Things Considered," September 3, 2011. The tour begins as the High Line does, at the corner of Gansevoort and Washington Streets in the Meatpacking District. [This verson is 80 minutes; at the NPR site is also a 12 minute interview.] Want to look over the park before you go? Use the "Street View" feature on Google Maps. Either search for "High Line, NYC, NY" using Google Maps in a new window, or click to enlarge the map at the top of this page. If you are unfamiliar with using Street View simply drag the orange-colored icon of a person atop the zoom in/out buttons to a desired location along the High Line pathway. |
| Directions: | Access points are at: Gansevoort Street, West 14th Street [elevator access], West 16th Street [elevator access], West 18th Street and West 20th Street. New access points for Section 2 are located at West 23rd Street [elevator access planned], West 26th Street, West 28th Street, and West 30th Street [elevaor access]. For public transportation information [NYC subway and bus lines] follow the "Park Information" link under Contact Information. If coming across the Hudson River from New Jersey, the nearest PATH stations are at Christopher Street or 14th Street [Click on Map Tab above and enlarge it to see PATH station icons]. |
| Contact Information: | Friends of the High Line 212-500-6035 |
| Region: | New York City |
| Fees: | None |
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Before the High Line, Death Avenue
Why was the High Line built in the first place? Here's some background from the New York Times, December 25, 2011:
"THOUSANDS of kids are going to find model train sets under the tree on Christmas morning — freight trains, circus trains, Wild West trains, military trains, express trains, commuter trains. ... But one train setup you won’t see is a replica of the street-level freight line that plied the West Side from 1846 to 1941. The line killed and mutilated hundreds of people, and its path well earned the name Death Avenue.
In 1846, what was then the Hudson River Railroad negotiated a charter with the city to run tracks on an irregular route down 10th and 11th Avenues to a freight terminal at Beach and Hudson Streets and then to a final stop at Chambers Street. The trains were sometimes several blocks long, interfering with crossing traffic. Pedestrian deaths along the way were fairly common. The New York Times reported at least one each in 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854 and 1855, describing one victim as “shockingly mangled.”
At some point, trains were required to send a man ahead on horseback waving a red warning flag, at a pace of six miles per hour."
The article continues by clicking here (it has a great pre-High Line photo with a mounted escort preceding a train on 11th Avenue about 1900).