The Ramble

With its winding paths, dense woodland plantings and placid stream, the Ramble is one of the best places in Central Park to escape from urban life. The 38-acre woodland landscape is situated between two of the Park's most popular areas: the Lake to the southwest and the Great Lawn and Belvedere Castle to the north. The Ramble is one of the Park's three woodlands (along with the North Woods and Hallett Nature Sanctuary), offering people and wildlife an oasis of nature in the middle of New York City.

Attractions such as Oak Bridge, rustic benches, a rustic shelter, a magnificent stone arch and Azalea Pond are just some of the attractions the Ramble has to offer. A popular stop along the Atlantic flyway, a major migration route along the east coast of North America, the Ramble is a favorite of birdwatchers.

The Park's co-designer, Frederick Law Olmsted, wrote that the Ramble was intended to be an "intricate disposition of lights and shadows [to] create a degree of obscurity not absolutely impenetrable, but sufficient to affect the imagination with a sense of mystery." Its maze of paths, deliberately designed to meander and encourage exploration, makes the Ramble an exciting and novel destination even for visitors familiar with the Park.

Free tours of the Ramble are offered regularly. You can also learn more through one of our free Woodlands Discovery programs.