WHERE: West 215 Street between Broadway and Park Terrace East
NEAREST SUBWAY: 1 (215 Street), A (207 Street, fully accessible)
On the west side of Inwood is a ridge line that includes the rugged and beautiful Inwood Hill Park, south of which is a valley through which runs Dyckman Street, and south of that is Fort Tryon Park. The main thoroughfare through Inwood, Broadway (U.S. Route 9), lies near the bottom of this ridge, and Inwood is generally flat east of Broadway going toward the Harlem River.
I’ve known about the West 215 Street stairs for years, having biked past them often but never climbing them. After successfully climbing the 69 steps to the viewing platform atop Battery Harris East in Fort Tilden, Queens, I decided that the next long set of stairs I would attempt would be West 215 Street. This is a dual stairway with a landscaped mall in the middle, and is 110 steps plus a landing after every 11th step, rising 63 feet (about 20 meters) from Broadway. At the base of each stairway is an inspiring quotation, pictured below.
From the elevated subway station at 215 Street I made the short walk to the foot of the stairs on Broadway. I walked up the north stairway as it has a handrail I could use with my strong (right) arm. Up I went, pausing briefly at the midpoint, then continuing to the top. A couple of people were exercising on the stairs, and sitting on a bench at the top were a couple of ladies who, I learned later, live nearby and sit there, socially distanced, almost every day. Making it up the 110 steps and not feeling winded gave me great satisfaction. From the top there’s a good view across the Harlem River to the next ridge line, in the west Bronx.
From the top I walked a block west to Park Terrace West, then south past the lovely Isham Park to the Isham Street entrance to Inwood Hill Park, then to the subway at 207 Street.
This part of Manhattan is well worth the trip. One day I’ll combine another climb up these stairs with a hike through Inwood Hill Park. The views of the Harlem River and Hudson River are rewarding.
Photographs in this post by Michael Cairl.
At the foot of the north stairway.
At the foot of the south stairway.
Looking up from Broadway.
Looking down from halfway up.
Looking down from the top (Park Terrace East) with the Bronx in the distance.
Great sign seen walking toward the subway, on West 207 Street.