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South Bronx Treasures

Probably green spaces and waterside parks aren’t the first thing you think of when you think of the southeast Bronx, but this area is filled with innumerable verdant jewel-like parks, complete with water views. The route leads along greenways through Soundview, Pugsley Creek, Concrete Plant, and Crotona Park. These park portions of the route are connected to one another via short, on-road stretches, making this is a great ride for urban explorers who feel comfortable cycling on city streets and are eager to discover some of New York’s best-kept secrets.

Start: The Prospect Avenue subway station of the 2 and 5 subways, on the southwest corner of the intersection at Prospect Avenue and Westchester Avenue

Length: 15.1-mile loop

Approximate riding time: 2.5 hours

Best bike: Hybrid or mountain bike

Terrain and trail surface: The trail is paved throughout except for a 0.3-mile stretch of crushed gravel in Castle Hill Park. The terrain is flat, except for a short ascent to Crotona Park along East 175th Street, and a descent from the park to your end point.

Traffic and hazards: This route runs mainly along park greenways (no traffic) and on-road bike lanes (light or moderate traffic). About 2.5 miles of the route have no bike lanes. When crossing the Bronx River along the sidewalk of the Bruckner Expressway, walk your bike (and avoid potential shards of glass along the way). Stay especially alert when making left-hand turns (on Bronx River Avenue and Westchester Avenue, for instance) and use pedestrian crosswalks for added safety.

Things to see: Barretto Point Park, Soundview Park, Pugsley Creek Park, Castle Hill Park, Concrete Plant Park, Crotona Park

Map: New York City Bike Map

Getting there: By public transportation: Take the 2 or 5 subway to the Prospect Avenue stop in the Bronx, an elevated station. Descend to ground level, where you’ll be on the corner of Prospect and Westchester Avenues, your starting point for this ride. GPS coordinates: N40 49.164’ / W73 54.115’

THE RIDE

On this journey, you’ll cycle through an array of city- and green-scapes that take you off the beaten path—from the semi-industrial swath at your starting point to waterfront parks along much of the rest of your journey. To begin, go south on Prospect Avenue’s on-road bike lane. You’ll then soon make a sharp left turn onto Southern Boulevard. Use the crosswalk if traffic seems heavy. Up ahead, you’ll duck underneath the Sheridan Expressway and cycle through a semi-industrial section of warehouses and depots. Tiffany Street then carries you to the first waterside reprieve, Barretto Point Park, an impeccable little park with a pier that feels worlds away from the semi-industrial terrain you just biked through.

Continuing en route, you’ll bike past warehouses and car service stations once more before reaching the Bruckner Expressway. Dismount your bike here to walk it across the Bronx River along the expressway’s sidewalk (biking officially prohibited). Then, remount your bike on the other side to zigzag your way along streets to Soundview Park, another little-known waterfront park. Following the greenway through the park, you’ll pass ball fields, sprawling lawns, and have sweeping views of the Bronx River’s entry point into the East River. The waterfront benches are lovely resting spots.

Up ahead, you’ll exit Soundview Park and then cycle through a laid-back residential neighborhood for a short stretch. This brings you to the Shorehaven bikeway on your right, which hugs the East River and culminates beside Clason Point Park (also known as Kane’s Park). Local anglers toss their lines into the East River, here, with up-close views of the Whitestone Bridge.

Looking south from Tiffany Street Pier in Barretto Point Park in Hunts Point.

Proceeding en route, you’ll follow a short on-road stretch with light traffic to your next park-scape—Pugsley Creek Park. A greenway here snakes along the northern edge of the park, offering glimpses of freshwater wetlands and, with any luck, an osprey or two. This leads directly to the crushed gravel greenway along the wetlands of Castle Hill Park. When you reach the east edge of this park, you have two options. You can make a U-turn to retrace your route through the parks back to Soundview Park. This is the more scenic route. Alternately, for a more direct—and urban—route, take the 2-mile on-road route described here. It leads mainly along on-road bike lanes back to Soundview Park.

Either way, from Soundview Park (via either route option), you’ll return toward the Bruckner Expressway, where you’ll cross the Bronx River once more, but this time along the expressway’s northern sidewalk. From atop the bridge, keep your eyes peeled for the ramp down to Concrete Plant Park, which stretches northward along the Bronx River on your right. Remount your bike to enter the park along the greenway. Home to a former concrete plant, several of the structures in which concrete was produced—so-called hoppers—remain standing in rusty red throughout the park today. (The park won a design award a few years back for successful integration of past and present into an urban park space.) The benches along the river are lovely spots for a break.

From the northern end of the park, dismount your bike to walk it a short stretch along the sidewalk to your left. Then cross to the north side of Westchester Avenue along the pedestrian crossing and swivel left to go west along Westchester Avenue. Traffic can be heavy here, so remain especially alert until you reach the on-road bike lane on Longfellow Avenue up ahead. The next and final part of your journey goes through Crotona Park. Enter the park from the top of the hill at East 175th Street and follow the greenway as it snakes downhill, swerving right and then left again. When the bikeway splits, veer left, staying left of the tennis courts and heading toward the lake. Take a break along the lakeside benches, if you wish, before returning to your starting point.

MILES AND DIRECTIONS

0.0 Go south along Prospect Avenue.

0.5Turn sharply left onto Southern Boulevard.

0.9Veer right onto Leggett Avenue. Stay on Leggett Avenue as it becomes Randall Avenue and veers slightly left.

1.4Turn right onto Tiffany Street.

1.8Enter Barretto Point Park and circumnavigate its perimeter counterclockwise along the water. Then exit the park back onto Tiffany Street, heading north.

2.9Turn right onto Garrison Avenue.

3.4 Turn left onto Edgewater Road. At Bruckner Expressway just ahead, dismount and walk your bike along the expressway’s southern sidewalk across the Bronx River on your right.

3.6On the other side of the river, remount your bike and turn right onto Bronx River Avenue.

3.7Turn left onto Story Avenue, followed by a right onto Colgate Avenue.

4.1Enter Soundview Park along the greenway and follow it through the park. Stay right whenever the road forks.

5.5Exit Soundview Park, turning right onto Harding Park/Bronx River Avenue.

6.0Turn right onto the Shorehaven bikeway.

6.5 Turn right onto Soundview Avenue.

6.6Enter Clason Point Park straight ahead. To continue en route, go northwest on Soundview Avenue.

6.8Veer right onto Stephens Avenue.

7.1Turn right to access the greenway through Pugsley Creek Park.

7.9Continue straight into Castle Hill Park along the crushed gravel path.

8.2Turn left onto Castle Hill Avenue.

9.1Turn left onto Lafayette Avenue.

10.2Go straight to enter Soundview Park. Exit the other side to continue along Lafayette Avenue.

10.7Turn right onto Colgate Avenue, followed by a left onto Story Avenue, and a right onto Bronx River Avenue.

11.1After passing underneath the expressway, swivel left, to access the northern sidewalk of Bruckner Expressway to cross the Bronx River. Walk your bike on the sidewalk.

11.3After crossing the river, turn right to enter Concrete Plant Park along the bikeway ramp. Remount your bike.

11.7When you exit Concrete Plant Park, turn left along the sidewalk (walk your bike). Cross to the north side of Westchester Avenue up ahead along the pedestrian crossing, then swivel left, remount your bike, and go west along Westchester Avenue.

11.8Turn right onto Longfellow Avenue.

12.5Turn left onto East 174th Street.

12.7Turn right onto Hoe Avenue and veer right just ahead onto Boston Road.

12.8Use the pedestrian crosswalk at East 175th Street to cross Boston Road and go west on East 175th Street.

13.0At the top of the hill at Waterloo Place, turn left onto the greenway through Crotona Park. Cross Crotona Park East just ahead to continue along the greenway on the other side.

13.4When the greenway forks, veer left, with the tennis courts on your right and the lake on your left up ahead.

13.8Exit the park onto Crotona Avenue, going south. Crotona Avenue becomes Prospect Avenue.

15.1Arrive at your starting point.

RIDE INFORMATION

Restrooms

Mile 1.8: There are restrooms in Barretto Point Park.

Mile 13.4: There are restrooms in Crotona Park in the park building by the lake.

Concrete Point Park, home to a former concrete plant along the Bronx River. The park won a design award for successful integration of past and present into an urban park space.