New York Riverside Park Run and a CrossFit NYC Upper West Side Drop-In
Updated October 3, 2026
Run from Lincoln Center to the Hudson, follow Riverside Park and the Cherry Walk north to West 125th Street, come back along the bluff past Grant's Tomb, then shower at CrossFit NYC on Columbus Avenue.
Riverside Park runs along the Hudson for the length of the Upper West Side, and Frederick Law Olmsted laid it out in the 1870s. This loop stays at water level all the way to Harlem, under the cherry trees of Cherry Walk, then comes home on the bluff above, past busy ballfields and the granite bulk of Grant's Tomb. It's calmer than Central Park, and on clear evenings the sun sets over the Palisades. CrossFit NYC on Columbus Avenue sells a single drop-in and has showers and towels. Ask the coaches whether your duffel can sit in the changing room and whether you can walk back in after the run. As of October 2026, Bounce will mind a suitcase nearby from $2.90 a day.
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The run: Riverside Park and Cherry Walk to West 125th and back
Once you reach the water there are hardly any street crossings, and swapping the riverside path for the bluff above on the way home keeps the scenery changing.
- Distance
- 12.1 km (7.5 mi)
- Start
- CrossFit NYC UWS
Set off up Broadway for a few blocks, then cut west on the cross streets to Riverside Boulevard and drop into Riverside Park South near West 72nd Street to join the Hudson River Greenway. Turn north past the 79th Street Boat Basin, empty while the marina is rebuilt, and stay on the waterside path along the Upper West Side. Around West 100th Street it becomes Cherry Walk, a narrow car-free strip between the river and the Henry Hudson Parkway; follow it to its north end near West 125th Street, the turnaround. Climb steeply from the water up to Riverside Drive and head south along the bluff past Grant's Tomb and Riverside Church. Then drop back into the park near West 116th and follow its inland paths past the ballfields. Rejoin the river path at the Boat Basin, pass the rusting steel gantry of a 1911 rail transfer bridge in Riverside Park South, and head inland on the cross streets to finish at the gym.
Open the route mapBuy the drop-in online before you arrive; it covers any coached class or open gym session. If you've never done CrossFit, book a Wednesday or weekend Hyrox Metcon class, which needs no experience.
- Price
- As of October 2026, $45 drop-in for one class or open gym
- Showers
- Yes
- Hours
- Mon to Thu 6 am to 9 pm, Fri 6 am to 7:30 pm, Sat and Sun until 1:30 pm
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