Bronx River Parkway Reservation
Directions
The southern and northern bookends along the Bronx River Parkway Reservation are identified in the Location Tab – from Parker Avenue in Bronxville to Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla. In between are numerous parking areas and Metro-North Railroad stations which are located on the Web Map linked above.
How to reach Kensico Dam Plaza by automobile: Drive north on the Bronx River Parkway. Continue past Exit 27 (the last numbered exit) to a traffic circle, and take the second exit to Park Drive E leading into Kensico Dam Plaza County Park where free parking is available. (Beyond the traffic circle the roadway becomes the Taconic State Parkway.) GPS coordinates: 41.072014,-73.768624
Park Overview
One of the first linear parks in the country and Westchester County's oldest, the reservation was created as an adjunct to the Bronx River Parkway. It extends 11.6 miles from Bronxville to the Kensico Dam in Valhalla.
Trail Overview
Click on the Web Map "Bronx River Parkway" link near the top of this page to examine the reservation's three paved sections which include: the Oak Street Loop (1 mile) separating Yonkers and Mount Vernon; the Bronxville to Scarsdale section (4.6 miles); and the Hartsdale to Kensico Dam Plaza section (5 miles) in Valhalla.
Click for a detailed description of a hike in the reservation.
Park Description
This picturesque trailway runs through the heart of southern Westchester County and is a favorite place for cycling, walking, or running. It features ponds, wooden footbridges and hundreds of varieties of native trees and shrubs.
When completed in 1925, the Bronx River Parkway was part of a wooded reservation, with a pathway running along the parkway for its entire length. In 1967, a 1.8-mile section from Hartsdale to Scarsdale was obliterated as part of a project to improve the parkway, but the remainder of the 11.6-mile stretch from Valhalla to Bronxville remained intact. The Hartsdale-to-Scarsdale section of the pathway was restored in 2021, so it now, once again, is possible to walk the entire length of the pathway from Valhalla to Bronxville. Except for a 1.1-mile section north of Hartsdale, the pathway is paved for its entire length. Although it parallels the parkway, it is often located some distance from the roadway, and it closely parallels the river for much of the way..