Van Cortlandt Park

Van Cortlandt Park is a 1,146-acre park in the northwestern Bronx, the third-largest park in New York City. The park encompasses an extraordinary range of landscapes including one of the largest remaining tracts of native forest in the city, extensive wetlands, a lake, a parade ground, athletic facilities, and the Van Cortlandt House Museum.

The Van Cortlandt House, built in 1748, is the oldest surviving building in the Bronx and served as a headquarters for George Washington during the Revolutionary War. The Georgian-style mansion has been operated as a museum since 1897, interpreting colonial life and the park's role in the nation's founding.

Van Cortlandt Park's cross-country trail, a 3.1-mile loop through the park's northwestern forest, is one of the most famous cross-country running courses in the United States. The course has hosted national championship races and serves as a training ground for runners from across the metropolitan area.

The park's Northwest Forest is one of the largest intact hardwood forests in the city, with mature oaks, beeches, and tulip trees growing on the rolling terrain of the terminal moraine. The forest supports populations of hawks, owls, coyotes, and a remarkable diversity of songbirds.

Van Cortlandt Park includes the city's oldest public golf course (opened in 1895), a swimming pool, cricket fields, soccer and baseball diamonds, tennis courts, an equestrian center, and playgrounds. Van Cortlandt Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the Bronx, supports fishing and nature observation.

Van Cortlandt Park is one of New York City's most treasured natural resources, preserving over a thousand acres of forest, wetland, and meadow in the heart of the metropolitan area. For the communities of the northwestern Bronx, it provides daily access to wild nature, world-class athletics, and deep American history in a single magnificent landscape.