Fields & Trails
Fields & Trails
Home to Runners & Athletes
Van Cortlandt Park is home to 11 soccer fields, 16 baseball fields, 8 cricket pitches, and 12 tennis courts. And, the park is world-renowned for its 20+ mile Cross Country Course!
Beloved by the Bronx community where it is located and VCP is a magnet for visitors from all over the metropolitan area. 2.6 million people visit the park annually.
And yet, NYC Parks receive 0.5% of the city’s overall budget. From that, Van Cortlandt Park receives a very small slice of the pie to maintain its 1,146 acres. In order to supplement the care and maintenance of our park, Van Cortlandt Park Alliance supports NYC Parks by hiring seasonal staff to care for trails and athletic fields.
Cross Country Course
It may be the most famous attraction in the park, but the cross country course is not just for competitive athletes and hardcore runners. Recreational runners use the trail throughout the year. Individual kids and adults from the neighborhood comprise a large number of users!
Local running groups such as the Van Cortlandt Track Club, New York Road Runners, and other organized groups also participate in recreational and competitive training and events.
Every weekend in the fall, races are held on the Parade Ground (“the flats”) and in the hills.
The largest competition is the Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational (MCXCI), which draws nearly 10,000 high school participants annually from across the U.S. It is the largest event in Van Cortlandt Park and, according to the organizers, the largest high school cross country meet in the country.