Picture Perfect
Central Park has Perfect Spots for You to Soak in Fall's Palette
As autumn settles over New York City, Central Park is one of the best places to catch the reds, oranges, rusts and yellows of fall’s foliage. The vibrant colors are expected to peak in the two-week stretch between the end of October and the start of November. From the stand of American Elms that turn the Mall a glorious yellow to the scarlet Pin Oaks of the Ramble, a walk in any nook and corner of the Park won’t disappoint.
But we asked Neil Calvanese, the Central Park Conservancy’s vice president for operations, for an insider’s view. Here are his picks of some of the best spots to savor the Park in autumn’s full color.
Harlem Meer
(East side from 106th to 110th Street)
With it’s shoreline surrounded by oak, beech, gingko, and bald cypress trees, this 11-acre water body will be ablaze with color at the end of October. “There’s such a wonderful variety of trees here, and they really color up beautifully,” says Calvanese. Circling the Meer, he points to the stand of gingkos at the nearby Bernard Family Playground at East 108th. “They’ll turn a beautiful, vibrant yellow that make their uniquely-shaped leaves really stand out.”
For a spectacular fall treat, be sure to stroll up to Fort Clinton, a historic fortification on a high cliff directly south of the Meer. The fort provides a wonderful vantage point across the water. “In this spot you can come up here and just a whole spectrum of trees,” says Calvanese. “It’s also a lovely spot to sit and read a book.”
West 100th Street Pool /Great Hill
(West Side from 100th to 103rd Streets/West Side from 103rd to 107th Streets)
This area of the Park was dramatically affected by the August 18 storm that destroyed more than 500 trees. While some of fall’s brightest and best were lost, Calvanese says this serene nook will still offer up some spectacular color.
Begin at the Pool, strolling down the steps near the West 100th Street entrance. Among the autumn canopy, you’ll see the reddish-bronze of European beech trees and the brilliant scarlet of tupelos. The northern shoreline is home to vibrant pin oak, hickory and sweet gum trees, as well as bald cypress that Calvanese notes, “color up to a spectacular russet.” Head north following the connecting path to the Great Hill for more leaf-peeping. (Along the way, Calvanse notes, you’ll find the remaining stump of what was a 130-year-old Pin Oak – a casualty of the August storm). Still, this is a perfect spot to take in the autumn colors of black cherry, elm, sugar maples, and young tupelo trees.
Conservatory Water
(East Side from 72nd to 75th Street)
“This is a lovely area for fall color,” says Calvanese. Come in through 72nd Street and head toward Conservatory Water for the quintessential feel of autumn in New York and views of vibrant beech, 
red oak, Norway maple, and red-berried hawthorne trees. Opposite the Kerbs Boathouse you’ll find a colorful collection of linden and cherry trees lining the western edge of the water.
Fall’s colors are fleeting. So be sure to make time this season to savor Central Park’s best and brightest on your next visit.
