Hunter's Point South Park

Discover

Hunter's Point South Park gives the Manhattan skyline a foreground. Across the East River, the towers form a familiar outline; close at hand, grasses, paths and tidal planting create a landscape worth studying in its own right. This city park in Long Island City moves from an active northern section to a more contemplative southern edge, offering several ways to approach the same stretch of waterfront.

The park opened in two stages, with the first welcoming the public in August 2013 and the second in June 2018. Its eleven acres occupy former industrial land. SWA/Balsley and WEISS/MANFREDI collaborated on the landscape and park design, with ARUP responsible for infrastructure engineering. Their work connected recreation with a response to the water that had shaped the site long before the industrial era.

The northern section gathers more intensive activity around a central oval. A pavilion and café frame the space, while play areas and a dog run give different users their own destinations. The oval combines an artificial turf playing surface with an outer crescent of natural grass. Nearby, an interpretive rail garden places native grasses around freight rails, recalling a previous use of the waterfront through materials within the new planting.

Moving south changes the pace. Paths follow an irregular shoreline, passing seating areas and a grassy promontory. A pedestrian bridge reaches a small island landscape, and a meandering causeway brings the walk close to newly established wetlands. The sequence offers several scales of experience: broad water and skyline views, a pause on a bench and a closer look at the vegetation along the edge.

Nearly one and a half acres of wetlands form part of the design. In places, industrial concrete bulkheads gave way to planted edges and paths. Native, salt-tolerant plants listed by the designers include little bluestem, seaside goldenrod and purple coneflower. A bioswale receives rainwater, while the central green was designed to accommodate flooding. These elements give the park practical functions alongside their visual interest, showing how public space can work with changing water conditions.

The elevated overlook is a clear landmark at the southern end. Its steel and wood platform rises above the wetland, opening a panoramic view across the river. The transition from the lower paths to this higher vantage point is part of the pleasure: the same planting becomes a broader pattern, and the city beyond it takes a different position in the composition.

Art adds another layer on the peninsula. Nobuho Nagasawa's Luminescence uses a series of sculptural forms representing phases of the moon. It belongs to a landscape where bridges, paths and planting already draw attention to movement and changing perspective. Allow room for other visitors when stopping to look or take photographs.

Plan the visit around the public paths and the features that interest your group. The northern oval and southern overlook offer different starting points. Check current park and transport information for your approach, and treat boating programmes separately from an ordinary walk. Neighboring Gantry Plaza State Park continues the waterfront experience with its own history and features. Within Hunter's Point South, the most rewarding route may simply be the one that leaves enough time to notice both the skyline and the living edge below it.

Fun facts

1. The first phase opened in 2013 and the second in 2018.
2. Nearly 1.5 acres of wetlands form part of the park design.
3. A rail garden recalls the former industrial waterfront.
4. Nobuho Nagasawa created the moon-phase artwork Luminescence.

Read the official sources →

Visitor perspectives

Tripadvisor reviewer carpediem2019, visiting solo in August 2024, appreciated the landscape design and space for walking, reading and spending time with friends.

Capture

1. Use wetland planting as foreground for the skyline from an established public viewpoint.
2. Compare a low path composition with a wider view from the overlook; keep access clear and avoid reproducing artworks as the sole subject without checking rights.

Social

Hunter’s Point South Park puts wetlands and public paths in front of the Manhattan skyline. #Cre8Travel

The eleven-acre city park opened in phases in 2013 and 2018.

An active northern oval gives way to a more contemplative southern waterfront.

A rail garden recalls freight use through preserved rails and native grasses.

Nearly 1.5 acres of wetlands help create a softer river edge.

An elevated overlook provides a different perspective on the planting and water below.

Follow public paths and check programme details before planning boating activities.

What catches your eye first: the distant skyline or the planted river edge?

Hashtags

1. #Cre8Travel
2. #NewYork
3. #NYCParks

Sources & visitor information

• Source — Hunter's Point South Park
• Source — Hunter's Point South Park
• Source — Hunter's Point South Park
• Tripadvisor — carpediem2019