Map
Your three nearest places to run.
- Running paths
- Outdoor drinking fountain or bottle filler
- Park toilets listed as operational
- Hotel
Routes
How far each one is on foot.
| # | Route | Walk | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Park loop drive Directions to Central Park | 6 min 0.4 km / 0.3 mi | The park's loop drive and paths. The Central Park Conservancy lists the full loop at about 6 miles (9.7 km). Best for loops, gentle hills, the Reservoir track and the widest choice of distances. |
| 2 | Riverside Park Directions to Riverside Park | 7 min 0.5 km / 0.3 mi | Paths along the Hudson on the Upper West Side. Best for a quieter, greener riverside run on the Upper West Side. |
| 3 | Hudson River Greenway Directions to Hudson River Greenway | 11 min 0.8 km / 0.5 mi | The riverside path along the west side of Manhattan. Best for a long out-and-back along the river, away from city streets. |
Walking times assume a normal walking pace and are calculated along walkable streets and paths. Treat them as a guide, and check the route on your phone before you set off.
The route
Central Park: the loop and the Reservoir.
- Loop drive (thin) and Reservoir track (thick)
- Outdoor drinking fountain or bottle filler
- Park toilets listed as operational
- Hotel
- Reservoir track: 1.58 miles (about 2.5 km) a lap, on a soft surface, as listed by the Central Park Conservancy.
- Full park loop: about 6 miles (9.7 km) on the park drives. Sources differ slightly on the exact figure.
Water and toilets
Where to drink and where to stop.
On the section of Central Park loop drive shown above, NYC Parks lists 76 outdoor drinking fountains or bottle fillers and 12 park toilets within about 70 m of the path. The nearest fountain to where you join is about 1080 m east of that point. The nearest toilet is at The Ramble, about 1440 m south-east of that point.
Fountains are shown as blue dots and toilets as purple squares. Many outdoor fountains are switched off in cold weather and toilets keep their own hours, so carry water and check with NYC Parks before a long run. Fountain data was last updated by NYC Parks in July 2024.
When to run
The best and worst times for Central Park loop drive.
Quieter
Weekday early mornings and late evenings. Central Park is open from 6am to 1am.
Busier
Weekend late mornings and afternoons, and warm evenings, when walkers, cyclists and other runners share the loop.
Weather and daylight
In summer, run early or late and carry water. In winter, daylight is short and paths can be icy. Check the forecast, and if you are jet-lagged after a UK flight, an early run is easy to fit in.
- Check current vehicle rules with NYC Parks or the Central Park Conservancy before you plan a car-free run. Older guides list set car-free hours, and event closures can override them.
- Races close or reroute park roads. The New York City Marathon is on the first Sunday of November, and the surrounding weekend is the busiest and most disrupted of the year.
This is general guidance from park operators and regular users, not measured crowd counts, and it can change with the season and events.
Door to door
Plan a run from the hotel lobby.
Reaching Central Park loop drive takes about 0.4 km each way. That is built into these totals, so you can see how much of a run is on the route itself.
| Total run | On Central Park loop drive | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| 5 km (3.1 mi) | 4.2 km | Run to the route, then cover 4.2 km on it (for example 2.1 km out and 2.1 km back), then run back to the hotel. |
| 10 km (6.2 mi) | 9.2 km | Run to the route, then cover 9.2 km on it (for example 4.6 km out and 4.6 km back), then run back to the hotel. |
| 15 km (9.3 mi) | 14.2 km | Run to the route, then cover 14.2 km on it (for example 7.1 km out and 7.1 km back), then run back to the hotel. |
Forgot something?
Running shops near The Lucerne Hotel.
Need shoes, socks, a belt or a rain layer? These specialist running shops are the closest we have checked.
| Shop | Walk | Hours as published |
|---|---|---|
| Fleet Feet Upper West Side 140 West 72nd Street, New York, NY 10023 | 10 min 0.8 km / 0.5 mi | Mon to Sat 10am to 8pm, Sun 11am to 7pm |
| Fleet Feet Columbus Circle 10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019 | 24 min 1.8 km / 1.1 mi | Mon to Sat 10am to 8pm, Sun 11am to 7pm |
| NYRR RUNCENTER (New Balance Run Hub) 320 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 | 28 min 2.1 km / 1.3 mi | Check before visiting; published hours differ by source |
Addresses and hours are from the retailers' own pages, checked on 6 November 2026 (example source). Hours change, so check before you go. Other independent and brand shops exist; we list only those whose own details we could verify. We have no commercial arrangement with these shops.
Before you run
Check these first.
Route and hours
Park paths, piers and track sections can close for events, works or weather. Check the operator's site on the day.
Daylight and company
Plan your run for daylight where you can, tell someone your route, and carry your phone and hotel details.
The hotel itself
We have not confirmed whether The Lucerne Hotel has a gym, a bag store or early check-in for runners. Ask the hotel before you book if it matters.
Same route, other hotels
Other hotels nearest to Central Park loop drive.
Data and sources
Where the map data comes from.
- Paths and park geometry: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence.
- Walking routes and times: calculated with OSRM on the FOSSGIS routing service, using OpenStreetMap data.
- Drinking fountains and park toilets: NYC Parks data published on NYC Open Data (drinking fountains and public restrooms datasets).
- Hotel location: the hotel's street address, matched to a map position by us.
- Loop lengths: the Central Park Conservancy (Central Park) and the Prospect Park Alliance (Prospect Park). Published figures differ slightly by source and by where you measure.