These 38-acres of wilderness called
the Ramble are one of the true inspirations
ofOlmsted and Vaux, the creators of Central Park.
The unpredictably of the
Interlaced paths and hills make each
visit to this area newly rewarding and
spiritually inspiring.
Olmsted called his creation a "wild garden".
With its countless trees, shrubs, meadows,
rocky cliffs and a winding stream it truly lives
up to that distinction.
That this magical forest which seems to have
taken root over eons of time was imagined first
in the minds of its creators is truly remarkable
and a tribute to the genius of the men who
turned their dreams into a treasure for
millions of visitors and residents of New York.
A running stream, The Gill, bisects the space
as it winds its way down from its rocky
source over cascades and under rustic bridges
to its destination, the Lake below.
The Ramble is a sanctuary for as many as
250 species of birds that find it a perfect
transitory stopover in their yearly migrating
pattern. Twenty species of warblers alone fly
in and out of the Ramble during the April and
October migrations. As a consequence of this
activity the Ramble has been voted one of the
top 15 bird watching sites in the
United States.
Raccoons can be seen scurrying in the
underbrush and Red-tailed Hawks are not
unfamiliar visitors to this lush terrain.
Its peninsulas and steep inclines yield an
unimagined hiking experience to anyone with
an adventurous spirit who takes the inviting
challenge of discovery offered at almost every
angle of incline. The steep rocky Gorge that
leads down to the Lake is a good climb and theCave Site offers the explorer an interesting path
into the Park's mysterious past when the Cave
was unsealed and the land filled inlet provided
rowers a direct route to it from the Lake.
In the winter as the visitor heads north along
one of the last inclining paths at the perimeter
of the Ramble they can catch site from some
distance away of Belvedere Castle through
the naked branches that in the summer
completely obscure the view of this
magnificent structure.
