Turtle Pond - From Reservoir to Wildlife Haven

Turtle Pond - From Reservoir to Wildlife Haven

Photo: Jakub Halun, CC BY 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Central Park Highlights Walk, a free self-guided tour.

The pond in front of you sits where a giant rectangular reservoir once stored drinking water for the city. When the reservoir was no longer needed, it was filled in, starting in the 1930s with rock and earth from subway construction, to create the Great Lawn and this small lake beside it.

It was first called Belvedere Lake and was renamed Turtle Pond in 1987, for the residents you can probably spot right now, basking on rocks and logs. Many of the turtles here are thought to be former pets that New Yorkers released, although nobody knows for sure how the first ones arrived. You may also see frogs, dragonflies, ducks and herons.

The shoreline was rebuilt in the 1990s with plants and a nature blind to make it friendlier for wildlife. Above the far shore, Belvedere Castle sits on its rock like a scene from a storybook, and the Great Lawn opens up to the north, a favorite place for picnics and pickup games.

Getting here: Follow the Ramble paths north until you come out of the woods at the edge of Turtle Pond, just east of Belvedere Castle.

Did you know?: The Great Lawn beside the pond has hosted some of the largest concerts in New York history.

Photo op: From the wooden dock along the shore, frame the turtles on the rocks with Belvedere Castle rising above the far bank.

More on Wikipedia: Great Lawn and Turtle Pond · Belvedere Castle

Stops on this tour

  1. Grand Army Plaza - A Golden General
  2. The Pond and Gapstow Bridge - The Classic View
  3. Wollman Rink - Skating Under the Skyline
  4. The Mall and Literary Walk - A Cathedral of Elms
  5. Bethesda Terrace - The Heart of the Park
  6. Cherry Hill - A Rest Stop for Horses
  7. Strawberry Fields - A Living Memorial
  8. Bow Bridge - The Park's Romantic Span
  9. The Ramble - A Wild Garden by Design
  10. Turtle Pond - From Reservoir to Wildlife Haven
  11. Delacorte Theater - Free Shakespeare Under the Stars
  12. Seneca Village - The Community Under the Park
  13. Belvedere Castle - The View From Vista Rock