Central Park Reservoir

“The Res” as locals call it, is the perfect place to do speed workouts in the park. It offers a flat, soft surface, distance markers, and beautiful scenery. The reservoir loop is 1.58 miles around so most people will run at least a couple of laps for a decent workout. You also have the option of running on the bridle path loop, which is a 1.66-mile dirt trail circling the main Res loop. Neither path is very wide so you’ll want to follow the rules to avoid collisions and dirty looks from fellow runners. Always run counter-clockwise, stay to the right, and on the bridle path yield to horses. As you whip through your interval workout, take in the sights of the city skyline peeking above the trees and the birds paddling in the water below. The main entrances to the reservoir are from just above the 85th Street Transverse at either West Park Drive or East Park Drive and from E. 90th Street and East Park Drive (the Engineer’s Gate).