South Manhattan Shoreline Scouting Walk — 17 miles

Take the Great Saunter Fall Challenge! Register here to walk 32 miles over 16 days, starting October 3rd. Help Shorewalkers support our parks by donating $10 to participate, with all fees going to the Riverside Park Conservancy.

How do hike leaders scout walks? Learn how a city walk is scouted while helping Shorewalkers prepare for the Great Saunter Fall Challenge in October.

Meet 9:30 am outside Carlo's Bakery (625 8th Ave @ SW corner 42nd St) for a prompt departure as soon as everyone is there.

Arrive early if you want to buy snacks & drinks at the recently-opened Hell's Kitchen Aldi (open 9 am) across 42nd from the meeting location.

Transit subway stations @ 42nd & 8th/7th/6th Aves. NJT bus to PABT. NJT/LIRR rail to NY Penn. PATH to 33rd St. Check for transit service changes before leaving home!

The Plan: walk at a fast (3.3 mph) pace to the Hudson River Greenway, then south (in reverse) along the Great Saunter route to Whitehall (Staten Island Ferry) Terminal, where we'll stop for a break. Continue north on/near the East River shoreline to Carl Schurz Park (84th St).

How we'll scout together: along the way — as a team — we keep an eye out for any updates that need to be made to our Great Saunter digital map. Map updates help your fellow walkers, as well as the hike leaders who will lead Reverse Saunter Stretches during Fall Challenge 2026.

Using the Saunter map and a live GPS tracing tool (like Strava), we'll note, e.g., where a route detour is necessary, where new toilets are available, old ones unavailable, etc. At points, we may explore an alternate path and then have to backtrack — it's all part of the fun of exploration!

Note this is a scouting walk — walk pace, distance & end time are estimates. The south Manhattan half of the route will almost certainly require more map updates than the northern half due to construction in Battery Park City and above the Hospital for Special Surgery.

You: this walk is suitable for fit, enthusiastic walkers with a sense of humor. We'll walk at a quick pace, but will stop anytime someone needs a toilet, drinks, snacks, etc. Not suitable for slow walkers or the impatient.

Preference will be given to participants of last week's North Manhattan Shoreline Scouting Walk.

Achtung change your RSVP promptly if you cannot attend. Habitual no-shows will be removed from the going list.

Bring drinks, snacks, sunscreen, hydration salts, hat, portable charger, and forecast-appropriate clothing. Bookmark the Great Saunter digital map on your mobile browser. Install Strava, AllTrails, or similar GPS route app. Pack sunglasses: the sun will be in our faces for much of the day due to the reverse course.

Weather we proceed if light rain is forecast; we'll reschedule in case of severe weather.

Drop-out points all around the scouting route.

After party everyone is welcome to enjoy drinks & eats at a location TBD. If the group prefers, we can instead buy snacks & drinks elsewhere and enjoy them at Carl Schurz Park. Lexington & 2nd Ave subways are a short walk away.

Leader Dan D [contact via Meetup]
Co-host Sheila Chung