NatureFree entry

The High Line

#4of 10 places to visit in New York CityNew York City, New York State, United States

Quick answer

Opening hours: 07:00–22:00 and 07:00–20:00. Entry is free. Allow 1.5 hrs. Best time: Early morning.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read

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Photo: Dansnguyen / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Opening hours: 07:00–20:00; 07:00 - 22:00 (April 1 - November 30); 07:00 - 20:00 (December 1 - March 31)
Entry fee: Free
Time needed: 1.5 hrs
Best time of day: Early morning
Best months: Apr – May, Sep – Oct
Address: Gansevoort Street to West 34th Street, running above 10th/11th Avenue, New York, NY 10011 (southern entrance at Gansevoort St & Washington St)

About The High Line

The High Line runs 2.3 kilometres along a decommissioned elevated freight rail spur, 9 metres above street level, threading through Manhattan's Meatpacking District, West Chelsea, and Hudson Yards neighborhoods. The steel viaduct was built in 1934 to lift dangerous street-level freight trains off Tenth Avenue - a stretch nicknamed 'Death Avenue' for its pedestrian fatality rate - and carried produce and manufactured goods directly into upper-floor loading docks of surrounding warehouses until the last train ran in 1980. Landscape architects James Corner Field Operations and planting designer Piet Oudolf converted the abandoned structure into a public park in three phases between 2009 and 2014, keeping sections of the original steel rails embedded in the planting beds.

Best time of day: Early morning. 07:00-09:00 or after 20:00 in summer. The elevated path is narrow in sections and both slow-crowd windows give room to actually look at the plantings rather than shuffle in a queue of foot traffic.

The High Line timings

Opening hours: 07:00–20:00; Mon–Sun 07:00–22:00 and 07:00–20:00; 07:00 - 22:00 (April 1 - November 30); 07:00 - 20:00 (December 1 - March 31)
Closed on: Open every day

Mon–Sun	07:00–22:00 and 07:00–20:00

Good to know: Hours shift at the start of April and December; check thehighline.org for exact closing time before a late-evening visit.

Opening hours compiled from thehighline.org and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

The High Line ticket price

Entry fees for The High Line
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	Free
Concession (student / senior)	Free
Children	Free

Free, no ticket required, as of 2026. Donations are welcomed via the Friends of the High Line, the nonprofit that maintains the park.

Prices compiled from thehighline.org and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit The High Line

Quiet
Busy
Very busy

07:00 - 09:00
Early MorningBest time to go
Local joggers and dog walkers passing nearby outnumber tourists on the path itself; the quietest window for photographing the plantings without crowds in frame.
Quiet
11:00 - 16:00
Midday/Afternoon Peak
Heaviest foot traffic of the day, worst between 14th and 23rd Streets near Chelsea Market's entrance; the narrow older sections can bottleneck.
Very busy
16:00 - 19:00
Late Afternoon
Crowds remain heavy but begin thinning after 18:00; a workable window for the Hudson Yards (northern) end, which draws fewer visitors than the southern entrances.
Busy
20:00 - 22:00 (summer)
Evening
Post-dinner crowds thin considerably; string lighting along sections of the path makes for a quieter evening walk in warmer months when the park stays open until 22:00.
Quiet

History of The High Line

Elevated construction on the West Side rail line began in 1929 as part of the West Side Improvement Project, a joint effort between the City of New York, the New York Central Railroad, and the Port Authority to remove freight trains from ground-level Tenth Avenue after decades of pedestrian deaths gave the corridor its 'Death Avenue' nickname. The line opened in 1934, running through the center of blocks and directly into building interiors so freight cars could load and unload without street congestion.

Interstate trucking displaced most rail freight by the 1960s, and the line's southernmost section was demolished in 1960; the last train ran in 1980, carrying a shipment of frozen turkeys. The structure sat abandoned for two decades, developing a self-seeded wild landscape of grasses and wildflowers that later inspired the park's naturalistic planting design. Residents Robert Hammond and Joshua David founded Friends of the High Line in 1999 to fight a demolition order, and the first park section opened in June 2009; the final segment, the Spur at 30th Street, opened in 2019.

Rules & etiquette at The High Line

Bicycles, skateboards, and scooters are prohibited on the walkway itself; it is a pedestrian-only path and can narrow to under 3 metres in older sections, making single-file movement necessary during peak hours. Drones are not permitted. Alcohol is allowed only in designated seating areas, not while walking the corridor.

The park has several access points with stairs only - full elevator access exists at 14th Street, 16th Street, 23rd Street, 30th Street, and a few other marked points, worth checking on the map for visitors with mobility needs or strollers rather than assuming every entrance has an elevator. Dogs are not permitted anywhere on the High Line, including service-animal exceptions handled case by case at the entrance.

Tips for visiting The High Line

1
Enter at the southern Gansevoort Street end and walk north to 34th Street to finish near Hudson Yards and The Vessel's plaza, a route that moves from the historic Meatpacking District's cobblestone streets into newer glass-tower Hudson Yards - a useful before-and-after contrast of the neighborhoods the park revitalized. The walk takes roughly 60-90 minutes at a relaxed pace with stops to read the plant identification markers, longer with a stop at Chelsea Market, accessible via a stairway near 15th-16th Street.
2
The 10th Avenue Square, around 17th Street, has tiered wooden seating positioned to frame a street-level view through a glass wall - one of the park's few purpose-built lookout points and a reliable spot to rest without competing for a bench. Avoid the stretch between 14th and 23rd Streets on summer weekend afternoons, when it becomes the most congested section of the entire path; the Rail Yards section north of 30th Street stays noticeably quieter year-round.

How to reach The High Line

Gansevoort Street to West 34th Street, running above 10th/11th Avenue, New York, NY 10011 (southern entrance at Gansevoort St & Washington St)Directions in Google Maps

From 14th Street subway station (A, C, E, L)
0.3 km · 5 min
$2.90 subway (OMNY/MetroCard); park entry free
From 34th Street-Hudson Yards subway station (7 train)
0.2 km · 3 min
$2.90 subway (OMNY/MetroCard); park entry free
From LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
15 km · 45-60 min combined
$2.90 total (single OMNY/MetroCard fare covers the transfer)

Nearest airport

From LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

approximately 15 km, 35-50 minutes by road depending on traffic.

Nearest station

From 14th Street (subway lines A, C, E, L) or 34th Street-Hudson Yards (7 train) depending on which end you enter.

The High Line FAQs

Is the High Line free to visit?

Yes, entry is free with no ticket required, as of 2026. The park is maintained by the nonprofit Friends of the High Line, which accepts donations but does not charge admission.

How long is the High Line walk?

2.3 kilometres end to end, from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street. Most visitors take 60-90 minutes to walk it at a relaxed pace, longer with stops at seating areas or Chelsea Market.

Are dogs allowed on the High Line?

No, dogs are not permitted anywhere on the High Line, with service animals handled case by case at the entrance. This is a stricter rule than most NYC parks.

Is the High Line wheelchair accessible?

Yes, at specific entrances. Elevators are available at 14th Street, 16th Street, 23rd Street, and 30th Street among other marked points, but several older entrances are stairs-only, so check the official map before planning a route.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places