High Bridge

Nice park in Washington Heights. It was a lot of people this Sunday since the weather was so nice. Sat, relaxed and watch some baseball.

Die älteste Brücke der Stadt, die ein Äqudukt war.
Extrem schlechte Subway Anbindung. Man sollte sich auf einen langen Spaziergang durch triste Straßen der Bronx einstellen, vor und nach der Brücke.
Architektonisch sehr schön, aber kein Vergleich zu den anderen Brücken der Stadt.
Der Turm auf der Harlemer Seite kann nicht besichtigt werden.

The High Bridge is a great piece of architecture connecting the Bronx with northern Manhattan. After having been closed to the public since the 1970’s it is once again accessible after reopening to pedestrians in 2015. It first opened in 1848 as an aqueduct, connected to the Croton Aqueduct which brought water to NYC and only stopped carrying water in 1949. For anyone who has studied architecture its relationship to classical Roman design such as the surviving Pont-​du-​Gard in Nimes, France (which opened as an aqueduct and bridge in 60 CE!) will be readily apparent. As originally constructed the entire structure was composed of graceful Roman stone arches, although unfortunately to facilitate traffic on the Hudson River below it lost five arches which were replaced with a single steel arch in 1928. Particularly seen from below, whether on the MetroNorth railway or a roadway, especially the Major Deegan Expressway section of I-​87, it connects New Yorkers with the architectural heritage of western civilization. Since its reopening it is also particularly striking when illuminated at night.

I love my bridges! Haha: P This one has a nice view so you can walk along the bridge and snap some fun photos. There’s some good restaurants around the area as well, so you can go explore!

Greatest park around me! It’s peaceful. Great places to eat right in front. BEAUTIFUL VIEW. Also great for kids or when you want to play any sport with your friends. I highly recommend.

Great views all around, I love the cliffs and it’s pretty convenient the way it is laid out. Lots of businesses on both sides of it.

So glad this little park was open the walk /​hike was very nice. Once we got to the Bronx we decided to walk back to manhattan and then hike the GWB. Great view of the river and a hidden NYC gem every one should visit.

Finally this piece of NYC history was opened again this past summer. This isn’t too hard to get to; just take the C to 163^rd street and then you can work through High Bridge park for a lovely walk to this bridge. The bridge has different plaques located on different spots on the bridge explaining it’s place in history. The bridge offers a lovely view of Manhattan and the Bronx. This is a great history spot to stop by. I had been warned that it gets really hot in the summer with the sun beating down on you. This was not the case today in the fall. It was a sunny day and I wasn’t uncomfortable at all!

This bridge ain’t so high. I’ve seen bigger and higher, but this is cool in that it’s a short subway ride and you can walk over to da bronx.
Sure, there’s Legionaire’s disease going on right now, but we went and came back. I’m still living to write this review.
If you need wheel chair or stroller access, go to 167^th street for a ramp down to the basketball courts and walk on the bike path.
The view is pretty nice and you can watch all of the traffic and the river down below. I would say the view from the GW bridge and pretty much any car bridge are better, but with this one, it’s pedestrian only and brick lined. You also don’t get the nasty crowds of the brooklyn bridge.
Bring the friends and fam and then eat at a nearby local restaurant for a nice day (or half day) trip.

Awesome place to visit, just be smart & mind your appendages

** This review was for the visit to the park as well as the high bridge itself. I posted the review below in the «High Bridge Park» attraction in Unilocal as well.
**After hearing (and seeing) such good reviews and photos for the newly re-​opened high bridge park, I knew I had to visit. We went on the late morning of a nice Saturday. Getting there was straight forward. There are a few entrances to the park, but the main one is about 173^rd street and Amsterdam avenue. Parking there is an absolute nightmare. Lots of apartment buildings in the area, so all of the street parking spots are gone. I would imagine this is the case throughout the day, no matter what time you decide to visit. We were lucky and park on a «No Parking M-​F» street, after circling around for about 10 minutes or so. There were some events going on at the park on the day we went. I think it was sponsored by some insurance company who were promoting healthcare insurance options for NYC residents. The park itself has a few play areas as well as a large pool. We did not get to enjoy the pool, from from what it looks like, the pool seemed very well kept and clean. To get the high bridge itself, you go behind the park and down quite a few steep stairs. It took a while for people to get up and down, especially children and older people. The steps were quite steep, but had two 6×8′ ish landings. I also saw that bikers took a path with a hill which makes you avoid the steps all together, but the path a good distance. At the bottom of the steps you walk a bit to the left and there you see the bridge. It was a beautiful site. High bridge tower um… towers over you. Lovely views of the east river both looking north and south. Looking north you can see the highways including 95, harlem river drive on the left and the Metro North railroad tracks to the right. There are fences along the full length of the bridge, which was god to see. Midway through the bridge it a sign that reads «Welcome To.» either Manhattan or The Bronx. The other side of the bridge of course was The Bronx which seemed to be like a small park, though I didn’t explore too much on that side. I would highly recommend anyone to visit the park and the bridge. Breathtaking views and no fees. Public transportation might be a good option though due to the parking difficulty. I know the A, C, and 1 trains stop at 168^th street at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, which is about 6 – 8 blocks from the entrance to the park. Lastly be careful, the park is lovely, but the area is not the best at times. I was pretty comfortable in the middle of the day on Saturday, surrounded by police (probably for the events taking place there that day), but I would not feel comfortable returning in the dark. I mean my camera screams «steal me», so as much as I would love to return for some evening photos of the beautiful city light reflecting off the water, I would very very hesitant. Having a finance who was raised in the area who also gave me a heads up on the dangers. Don’t be deterred, just cautious and use a little common sense.

With all the history and fanfare in the press, I was eager to explore the restored High Bridge, and take advantage of the views, from a photographic perspective. Unfortunately, the bridge is framed on each side with 8 foot high «jumping fencing», presumably to make suicide more difficult. I get that part. But it seems the design team could’ve created a solution that involved something other than a chain link fence, which could have prevented jumping, but also allowed for unobstructed views in some spots. I assume for locals, however, the ability to walk between Manhattan and the Bronx is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Really cool and worth checking out if you live in the area. Rich W’s review has all the history you need to know. There are plaques on the bridge that explain the history and there are some nice views from the bridge as well. The only downside is that public transit doesn’t really get you that close on the Bronx side. Even though I live in the Bronx, it was faster for me to get to the Manhattan side on a C train.

FINALLY! After many years, this bridge has FINALLY opened! As a kid and teen, my granny lived on 170^th street and I would visit my friend who lived directly across the street from High Bridge. For years we always wondered if we can sneak in but to no avail. Especially since we used to go to the pool at High Bridge park which was RIGHT ACROSS THE DAMN BRIDGE!!! So instead we used to make a long, unnecessary trek over to the heights. Oh, you’re going to ask why we didn’t just go to a pool in the Bronx? I knew it. Well, not only was the pool over in High Bridge park but the water tower where we made up urban legends about was on the other side and we wanted to sneak in there AND try to sneak into the bridge from the Manhattan side but to no avail.
Now many years later (16), the bridge is finally open. However, now I do not live in the Bronx and don’t see myself always making the trek to high bridge to dive into the 10 foot deep area. However, I HAD to make the trek from Queens to finally step on the oldest bridge in NYC. And it was worth it. For me personally, it was nostalgic for the aforementioned memories and I did the trip for my friend (who is now living in Florida) and I.
I give it 3 stars because I’m not too crazy about the views. You get some good views of Manhattan and the High bridge park but for the most part, the view is nothing too spectacular compared to the bridges like Queens borough, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Williamsbug. However, its a great bridge to use to connect to Bronx and Manhattan, especially if you’re going to the areas around both boroughs. Also, if you’re coming in from the surrounding Bronx area, it can get you to High Bridge park in a jiffy and vice versa.
So basically, the moral of the story is: USE THE DAMN BRIDGE IF YOU LIVE CLOSE. Take full advantage because back in the day my ass had to make the stupid journey to get to High Bridge and the heights.

The High Bridge is a wonder from the historic past of NYC and the nation. It is well worth the visit. Do not use the directions from Unilocal.They do not show how to get to the High Bridge itself and only get you to the Recreation Center. It is not obvious how to get to the High Bridge from the Recreation Center. There are no signs. The best directions overall for both pedestrians and bicyclists (access is much more difficult by bicycle) can be found at:

45 years later! Yay. This bridge has finally recently been remodeled/​reopened. The history behind it is quite interesting! It’s a great way to spend a day discovering our beautiful city. I enjoyed the walk and was surprised to see so many tourist there.
I’m hoping they continue to work on this bridge. I thought it would closely resemble the High Line however as of right now it remains very basic. You will find a few benches spaced out throughout the bridge but that’s about it. I hope they add some greenery like the High Line. It would be awesome if they build a park below it like Brooklyn Bridge park. I heard on the news that those are the future plans. This place has potential to be a huge tourist attraction. I hope it doesn’t become a forgotten project.
Hopefully they can liven up the bridge a bit and add some more benches and greenery. It will definitely improve the overall look. Still worth checking out.
FYI, you can enter on 167^th & Edgecomb Ave. It’s much closer to the train and you’ll walk the bike path. I think it’s a better alternative than having to walk the busy streets to 172^nd st.

After extensive renovation the Hight Bridge has reopened for people and bikes!
Now you can travel from the Bronx to upper Manhattan in 10 minutes.
High Bridge is the OLDEST bridge connecting two boroughs. It was completed in 1848, before the Brooklyn Bridge (1883)!
It was built as part of the Cronton Aqueduct and carried water across the river to Manhattan.
The orginal design had 15 stone arches built to resemble a Roman aqueduct.
Now the spand over the river is a steel span the stone arches still remain mostly on the Bronx side.
Take a walk or a ride across!