Mountain Biking Highbridge Park in NYC – 57hours Review

Highbridge Park was the last trail on our agenda. We’re not gonna lie, we had high hopes for this one. Considering that this track is in Manhattan, it’s a damn shame this park didn’t live up to the others in our review.

Starting Your MTB Journey at Highbridge Park

When starting your MTB ride at Highbridge you have two options: The top of the hill and the bottom. Starting at the bottom by Dyckman Street gives you access to the the flatter trail that runs the area’s perimeter. It’s also a great place to start if you’re looking for some good climbs. If you start at the highest point, on Fort George Avenue, you’ll be rewarded with a dirt jump and pump track. This small park isn’t in the best shape, but provided a couple minutes of fun.But if you’re into more traditional mountain-biking, like us, you’ll probably want to hit the trails. And that’s where the problems start to emerge.

On the Trail

The track itself is really short, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Unfortunately the track doesn’t seem to be maintained often. Right from the start there is debris of all kinds on the track: scattered broken glass, bricks, litter, even needles. We understand these occurrences add to the city’s “charm”, but it makes for an unsafe ride for local mountain bikers. Heading to the park’s most technical descending section, things only get worse. Due to disrepair, there’s a part of the track that just isn’t passable, no matter how good of a rider you are. This section is the most technical in a fifty mile radius, but was the only track we encountered in our research that didn’t let us ride it fully. Bummer. We did manage to get a good few minutes – literally a few – of ride time. It’s a shame such a promising park doesn’t get the love it deserves, especially since it’s so easy to get to from anywhere in the city.

Track Video

Heads-up: You can see the key points of the video on the YouTube link.  

Track Overview

We’ve created a detailed track profile below, which gives you elevation, speed, and other unique perspectives on our chosen route.

2D Track Profile

 

3D Track Profile

Interactive

  Curious about more trails in NYC? Check out our choice of The Best Mountain Bike Trails Near New York City.