Bronx NY: NYC Chapter, Van Cortlandt Park Caminito

Please join us for a Caminito in the Bronx’s Van Cortlandt Park on Saturday, October 26. This Caminito will be an approximately 4 – 5 mile walk over about 3-4 hours with several restrooms along the way. We will begin at 10am at the 242nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. There are benches outside the station as well as a restroom. New York City’s third largest park at 1,146 acres, Van Cortlandt Park is divided into 6 sections by the Henry Hudson Parkway, Mosholu Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway. Our walk will likely cover 4 of the 6 sections and include, but not limited to:

The Van Cortlandt (VC) Golf Course – opened in 1895, the nation’s 1st public golf course
The VC House Museum – the Bronx’s oldest house
Enslaved African Kingsbridge Burial Grounds
Hester & Piero’s Mill Pond (related to daylighting Tibbetts Brook)
The VC Cross Country Running Course – celebrating its 100th anniversary this year
A variety of nature trails

Just like the Camino, the terrain is a combination of flat, sloped and somewhat hilly, so wear good walking shoes/boots and bring your walking sticks. If it has rained in the days prior to the walk, we will try to minimize the muddy areas. Please bring water, snacks, sunscreen and bug spray.

The Caminito will end in Riverdale at Tin Marin Tapas, 3708 Riverdale Avenue, where we can enjoy tapas and drinks. From Van Cortlandt Park it is an approximately half-mile uphill walk via Manhattan College Parkway.

Please RSVP by Oct 18 to let us know if you will participate in the walk and/or the restaurant. It’s not binding but it will help us provide the restaurant with an approximate headcount. If you need to end your Caminito before the restaurant visit, we will end the formal part of the walk at the 242nd Street subway station.

If you are driving, parking is free on Broadway north of the Broadway bathrooms just north of 242nd street. Additionally, free parking is available near the Van Cortlandt Park golf course.

For the #1 subway, check weekend schedules at MTA.info in case there are changes. In theory, the BxM3 express bus also services the 242nd street stop from lower Madison Ave, but there have been cancellations due to lack of drivers.

Your hike leader is Ida Leung, a retiree and resident of the Bronx. Ida has walked a short portion of the Camino and would like to return to it in the future.

Rain date: Sunday, October 27