Season’s cycle

Inwood Hill Park

Are you tired of dodging Rollerbladers and pedestrians in Central Park? Fed up with the tiny loop in Prospect? Then ditch the brand-name spreads for Inwood Hill Park, Manhattan’s largest remaining natural forest, which offers an ideal fall-foliage bike ride. Though you’ll never go beyond the city limits, you’ll be amazed at how fresh and crisp the air is once you get lost in the miles of winding but well-paved paths. And since the park includes some of the highest points in NYC, it also provides stunning views of the Hudson.

If you’re taking the subway, hop the 1 train to 215th Street or the A to 207th Street. Then you can dive into the woods at Payson Avenue, which runs along the park’s eastern edge. If you’re riding up there by bike, the easiest route from the south is via the West Side Greenway path along the Hudson (there are access points at every major crosstown street). Just before the Dyckman ball fields, hang a right on Dyckman Street and then your first left onto Payson. Once you’ve eyed all the sights and burned all those calories, stop by the quaint Inwood Greenmarket (Isham St between Cooper St and Seaman Ave, Sat 8am–3pm) for fresh fruit or a less-healthy baked apple turnover.

Palisades Park

Looking for more leafy bike routes?
The Old Putnam Railroad Trail is a seven-mile loop surrounded by stunning fall scenery. Starting in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, the path heads north into Westchester, so you can say you really went upstate for the day (westchestertrails.com/ocaputnam.php).Or do you want a little Jersey in your ride? Pedal into the Palisades Interstate Park just over the George Washington Bridge (njpalisades.org).