Washington Heights and Inwood

MEETUP LOCATION
We'll meet at the entrance of Fort Tryon Park at Margaret Corbin Circle and Fort Washington Avenue. The closest subway stop is 190th Street on the A line. Take the elevators to Fort Washington Av/Margaret Corbin Plaza/Ft Tryon Park and walk a few steps up to the street. Turn right to the park entrance where you'll find several benches.

*REMEMBER TO CHECK SUBWAY WEEKEND CHANGES @ mta.info or the MTA app. The MTA performs track and station work during the weekends and train service may be impacted. In case of weekend suspension of the uptown A line, free bus service from 168 Street (A or 1) will get you to the park.

CONTACT
Through the Meetup.com site or WaHiPhotowalk@outlook.com

ALL WELCOME
Beginners to Professionals with (Digital) Cameras, Smartphone Cameras, or No Cams/Just Discerning Eyes. Keep in mind that this is a 4-mile walk over paved park paths. We climb about 380 feet in total. There are many park benches to rest during two optional loops.

RESTROOMS
(1) A Public Bathroom, entrance at 1 Margaret Corbin Drive.
(2) Ann Loftus Playground at Broadway and Riverside Drive.
(3) At the New York Central Railroad Building Power House, 338 Dyckman St, (City Parks Building)

PLAN
We will begin our walk in Fort Tryon Park, home to more than 500 varieties of plants, trees, and shrubs that provide year‑round interest. The park also offers beautiful views of the Hudson River and the Palisades. Along the way, you may spot or hear cardinals, robins, mockingbirds, woodpeckers, red‑tailed hawks, or even a bald eagle soaring over the river. Bird lovers may download the free Merlin Bird ID app by Cornell (Univ) Lab. From the gardens, we’ll descend to the Billings Arcade, then climb back up. An optional loop takes us up to Linden Terrace with great views of the Hudson and surrounding areas. We continue towards The Cloisters museum. We include an optional loop around the Cloisters. From there, we are heading down toward Dyckman Street. The Dyckman Pier and Marina provide additional views of the Hudson. From there, we’ll continue North to the Dyckman Fields in Inwood Hill Park, cross over the Amtrak tracks and follow the White Trail. Walking past the northern-most point in Manhattan, we descend towards Indian Road and 218th Street where the walk ends. The Inwood–207 Street A train station is about a ten‑minute walk from here. Use the station entrance on the corner of 207 Street and Broadway.

If you prefer a shorter route, you can leave the park and walk to the Dyckman Street A train station.

For a park map, details and history:
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/inwood-hill-park

RAIN DATE
Stay tuned for any weather update closer to the event day.
(light rain - great for photography; heavy - not for us or our equipment)

Recommendations for an enjoyable experience:

1. Feel free to make any suggestions of places along this route beforehand via meetup site or email.
2. Try to stay with the group. I will drop location coordinates in the group chat.

Don’t forget to bring water, fully charged batteries, and empty memory cards. An all‑purpose zoom lens (such as a 24–120mm) is recommended. A long telephoto lens (200–400mm or prime) can be useful for bird photography, and a macro lens is great for capturing close-ups of flowers, which we hope will be abundant. Please wear sturdy walking shoes.

Shearing of the Heather Garden. From 10 AM to noon—separate from this Meetup —the Annual Shearing of the Heather Garden will take place at Fort Tryon Park, featuring a bagpipe parade, live music, refreshments, and family-friendly activities. It is sponsored by The Met, NYC Parks, and the Fort Tryon Park Conservancy. This event offers another great opportunity for photography.

Food before the event. You’ll find several quick lunch options, just a 7‑minute walk from the park entrance, on 187th Street between Cabrini Boulevard and Fort Washington Avenue
—pizza, a diner, noodles, and a bakery café.

Please be on time! Check the MTA app for updates on subway and bus schedule changes. Keep in mind that the app’s “Plan Trip” feature often underestimates travel times during the weekend by about 10–15 minutes, so be sure to allow extra travel time.

Details of this event may be added or changed at any time, so please check back in to this page periodically.

DISCLAIMER: Participation in these events requires that you assume all risks associated with these activities and that the Organizers, Co-Organizers, and Event Hosts are in no way liable for any tickets/summons, loss, theft, damage, injury or illness as a result of your participation. In other words, you are attending these events at your own risk!!