Waterfalls In Central Park
The waterfall in the Ravine in Central Park. You have to think twice to remember that you’re in a city park!
Yes, you heard it correctly. There are waterfalls in Central Park. Three, in fact.
Note, however, that I didn’t use the word ‘natural’. All three were created through a clever use of hidden pumps that make them naturalistic rather than natural.
When designing the northernmost end of the park, Olmsted sought to make it resemble the Adirondack region of Upstate New York, an area replete with mountains, lakes, and, yes, waterfalls.
Another cascade in the same ravine… beautiful, no?
Given the difficult topography, he had to settle for a pond, a stream, a ravine, and some steep hills off to either side. Still, he accomplished the task he set out to achieve in spades, and inspired me to included the area–and, yes, its waterfalls–in Book Three of Central Park Story, my young adult adventure series.
