Waterfalls in Central Park

The easiest way to find them?
Enter from the West side through Glen Span Arch around 102^nd Street and follow the water! This section is called the LOCH, which is Scottish for «lake».

This is such a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of NYC. It’s kind of hidden, but if you venture down, you will come upon a nice secluded area to watch the waterfalls and not be disturbed. It’s located a bit farther north to the west, near the Pool of Central Park. It’s nice because not a lot of people and tourists come this far up, as they usually stop at Belvedere Castle, but this is a nice gem.

Just enjoying a peaceful summer day in the city away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd and noise.

Great places for reflection and meditation if it’s not packed with people. There’s also a great picnic area to bring your babies. The Central Park pool is also not too far away. You can refresh yourself after a nice walk.

If someone told you that you could be smack in the center of Manhattan and not see a single building, hear a single car or person, or see a single piece of refuse… what would you say? I know what I would have said. I would have said ;
You LIE sir!!!
And then whoever was telling me this fantastical tale would have replied with ;
I am NOT lying!!!
And then I’d say :
but where!!! where could such magical things be afoot and I be so woefully unaware!!!
And then that person would say :
The North Woods in Central Park, where the waterfalls are.
Nuff said.

Amazing place. Love coming here to relax. Nothing like having a waterfalls and wonderful natural surroundings. There are always musicians playing music in the tunnel with amazing acoustics.

my favorite place to feel at peace with myself. my dogs enjoy it. I love the waterfall.

To my surprise and to the surprise of many others, there is a hidden oasis on the upper side of Central Park. As my friends and I said, we basically found Narnia. (Without the wardrobe.)
This place is absolutely gorgeous. I had no idea waterfalls even existed here! I was glad that I chose to explore the area a bit more that day. There’s beautiful cascading waterfalls, flowing rivers and beautiful greenery. Need I say more?
It was such a pleasant find and I highly recommend traveling here on your day off. You never know what you’ll find. Like Robert Frost has said, «Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.» **
**I thought I may be a bit poetic today.

Central Park must be explored if you are traveling to NYC! There is the Jackie Kennedy Onassis lake (reservoir) water falls, bridges, trails, ice skating in the winter and grass that you can just lie down in and catch some ways! Explore!

Hey, did you even know there are waterfalls in Central Park?!
They’re a gorgeous surprise hidden on the northwest side of the park. The whole area is leafy, meandering, & a great place to go if you’re looking for a break from the hustle & bustle. The sound of the falling water manages to drown out the sound of the traffic, the sun peeks through the trees, & by the time you find the second waterfall, you completely forget you’re in the city.
I’m not going to say any more, because I think it’s one of those places that you need to discover on your own. But I will say that it’s a beautiful part of the park, and it’s definitely worth exploring!

Amazing views of various trees, waterfalls, ponds & ducks.
Great areas to picnic on, nice path for cycling.
Only con is that you smell horse manure EVERYWHERE. Yuck.

Most people, New Yorkers and tourists alike, do not know that you can actually find a group of waterfalls hidden among the forest areas right here in Central Park. It surprised the shizz out of me when I accidentally stumbled upon them over the years. I am one of those types that love to explore every nook and cranny of Central Park. I will head all the way up to the nether regions of the park and veer off on any trail into the woods to see what I can find.
On the occasionally nice weekend day I will head up there just to walk around the falls and reflect on life. The falls are a hidden gem in this concrete jungle of a city. Not many people come this far up in the park and wander around the woods, save for those who know it’s there to take pictures, paint, and a seldom model shoot that I have walked in on. Even though they are man-​made it all looks so natural.
Among the North Woods there are some larger falls with a few bridges and little benches to sit on, and you feel as if you have entered a forest setting in Hansel & Gretel land. It’s peaceful and serene. When there is no one around you can sit on the rocks and listen to the water babble by. The loudness, along with the hustle and bustle of the city just seems to disappear. It’s actually quite a picturesque setting.
These are great spots for a picnic lunch, to bring a date for some sightseeing, or just to escape for a bit of relaxation.

One of the best kept secret in Central Park, the North Woods. It’s the most natural area in the park, and on the north end, hardly anyone heads up that way. Prepare a picnic and wear some comfy shoes, you’ll be there a while.
Location:
There are five hidden waterfalls in Central Park, and while I found, I think, four of them, two are really just trickles down a rock face. The other two were strong flowing, with little bridges and vantage points. When you go and stand near one, just listening to the sounds of nature and the rush of the falls, you might actually forget where you are for a minute or two. It’s hard to believe that this green garden oasis could really be in the middle of 8 million hurried people, less one.
Wandering through the woods in the early Spring wasn’t as good as the failed camping trip I had planned, but when you close your eyes, and sit on a rock next to a babbling brooke, it’s pretty damn close to the same thing. The North Woods really is like «back-​country» camping (which in my day was just camping, but whatever). It’s pack it in, pack it out. No trash receptacles, no recycling bins. Any wrappers or water bottles stay with you at all times. And that’s what makes it great.
Grab your paper bag at lunch time, or pack a bag and a book for a Sunday afternoon, the search for the prefect spot next to the waterfalls in the North Woods won’t disappoint. It really is like being out in real nature, even if the waterfalls are man-​made.
Wildlife:
I had a very close encounter of the natural kind with a raccoon. He was just trotting along with me, when I found the first waterfall. After finding an off-​the-​path comfortable spot near the tippy top of the woods, I remained relatively uninterrupted save for a few birds who decided that building a nest in a tree nearby, but I didn’t mind. It’s all part of the North Woods charm.

Very relaxing. Beautiful place to visit.

Got lost looking for Lasker Rink. Early spring or thawed winter is the perfect time to see waterfalls with icicles.

These are so beautiful. This is one of my favorite places to hang out in the city. Fish, turtles, ducks, and other varieties of birds all play here. (Although on a side note I’ve also seen rats playing with the ducks, so watch out.) I’ve also had a close encounter with a raccoon here. He climbed a fence and crossed the walking path right in front of me. It was pretty cool. Winter is beautiful here when there is snow on the ground. It’s a cool place to build a large snowman.

«Don’t go chasin waterfalls…»
–TLC
Central Park is an urban forest like no other. There are quite a few places in the park with waterfalls, streams and picture perfect views that would lead one to believe that they were in a place far away from the hustle-​bustle world of manhattan. These amazing places can all be found with a little work and are worth the trip. Bring lunch. Bring a date or just bring your thoughts…

There are at five manmade waterfalls in Central Park and two of them rank right up there as a my favorite places in the park.
The first one is a hidden gem, especially if you do not frequent the northern end of the park. It can be found in the area called the Loch in the North Woods, east 101^st to 110^th street. I am one of those «directionally challenged» people, but I believe you get to it if you enter along the rec lane at roughly east 105^th street and hike down. This one is my favorite. It is the most dramatic of the two, cascading down 14 feet over the rocky edge into a pool. I think it is lovely all year round, but it is particularly inviting during the summer. It is dim, cool and quiet here, far from the hustle and bustle that you find from the middle to the south end of the park. The sound of the water is so peaceful. It is a perfect place to take five, or enjoy a picnic lunch with friends (take your garbage with you!)
The second one is on the west side, at the other end of the same stream in an area known as The Ravine. This is roughly between west 101^st and 103^rd streets. If you are on the rec lane, you actually hear it as you pass the 102^nd Street Transverse, but you will not see it because it is underneath you. You have to veer off the path and hike down to it. There you will find it, framed by lovely rocks and trees, spilling into a sunlight dappled pool. This waterfall gets more sunlight and is found more frequently by Park visitors than the one in the Northern Woods as well. It is still a delightful site to visit if you have not been there yet!