Randalls and Wards Island, west side tour

Yesterday's hike didn't cover any new territory, but I went places I hadn't been in a while, even on my previous trip to Randalls Island.

After walking across Manhattan and over the pedestrian bridge, I headed north up the west side of the island. This took me up a gravel path with views of Manhattan to the salt marsh. There is a small bridge here and a wetland. After this, I continued on to a good view of the Triborough bridge East River span.

The north part of the island is mostly athletic fields. I followed along the edge of the Bronx Kill, a small creek separating Randalls Island (which is legally part of Manhattan) from the Bronx. The path crosses under the Triborough Bronx Kill span and then under the Amtrak railway bridge. Under this is a tiny pedestrian bridge to the Bronx. While I'd been here before, I didn't have any good photos of it.

I returned to the RFK and walked up the pedestrian crossing to the Bronx, then back to the island. From there, I essentially retraced my steps the rest of the way.

Across University Heights Bridge

I thought that the University Heights Bridge was one of four remaining Bronx-Manhattan bridges I had not crossed, so I took an after-work jaunt up there - only to discover I had been there previously with my hiking club. This time, though, I got some better pictures of it.

On approach from Manhattan, you really can't get a good look at it. (From the Bronx, the view is better.) But here's a close-up of the little covered pavilions, which are charming.

The walkway is only on the southern side of the bridge, and there are some nice views of the Harlem River.

From the bridge, I decided to head down the east side on the greenway, which was a mistake inasmuch as it's a trap - once you enter at Dyckman Street, there are very few exits. It's not particularly well lit, and it is used by bicycles; I didn't fancy a collision. But I did exit at the Bushman Steps before dark. Along the way the Harlem flows into the East River and I passed under Washington Bridge, I-95, and High Bridge.

Van Cortlandt, again

On Saturday, I headed up to Van Cortlandt to do my trail maintenance. The hike wasn't particularly exciting in and of itself, although I did check out the improved entrance at the southwest corner, which I never walk by.

Bridges of the Bronx River

I'm currently on a quest to visit pedestrian bridges in New York City, so last weekend I headed up to the Bronx to walk most of the bridges that cross the Bronx River in the Bronx. 

The border between the Bronx and Westchester is a bit jagged at the river, but the first bridge is at Nereid Ave. So I started there, walking back and forth between the east and west banks, sometimes walking along greenways, sometimes using sidewalks. (However, at the botanical gardens and zoo, I went around; it'll take a separate visit with admissions fees to visit those bridges.) 

Bridges include roadway bridges with sidewalks as well as pedestrian-only paths. There are other crossings, including rail and parkways, but those don't allow foot traffic. 

While this isn't the best way to see the river - that would be the Bronx River Greenway - I saw plenty of it, ranging from glimpses of it to expansive views. As it wends south towards the East River, it gets wider. Rather than stopping at the final bridge, I elected to head into Soundview Park and follow it to the end of the river. 

From there, it was a bit of a haul back to a convenient subway stop, so all told I hiked over 18 miles.