Huddlestone Arch — Attraction in New York

Huddlestone Arch is one of Central Park’s most awe-inspiring features and a popular attraction in the North Woods.

Located at the eastern entrance to the woodland landscape known as the Ravine, it’s constructed entirely of massive boulders—found in the surrounding landscape—with one reportedly weighing over 100 tons. The arch is well-known as a feat of engineering: its builders did not use any mortar or supporting elements to bind the stones and create the arch. It’s held together through the pressure and gravity of the stones “huddling” together, forming a structure strong enough to support the traffic on the East Drive above it. The Park’s designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, hoped the rustic construction of the arch would create the impression that the structure was a product not of human ingenuity, but of nature—inspiring wonder and even a bit of fear in the visitor. This was a fitting entrance to the Ravine, one of the Park’s most picturesque landscapes, also designed to appear natural and wild—but like the arch is designed and constructed. On the west side of the Ravine is another impressive rustic arch and cascade...

A treasure that most visitors will pass by. Head long the paths behind the archway, that follow the stream uphill along the series of waterfalls to the west side of the park. An amazing escape from the bustle of New York, and even the bustle of the park. You truly get into...

This whole area of Central Park is the true Central Park. Wherever you walk, you get isolated from the craziness you'll find in Manhattan or the southern Central Park. Here, and in North Woods in general, you'll find yourself lost and happy far...