Clason Point Park

Clason Point Park — the land by the two waters, at the tip of the peninsula

Stand at the railing here and you are at a genuine geographic hinge: the Bronx River finishes its run on your right, the East River opens ahead, and off to the left the water widens toward Long Island Sound. The Siwanoy who lived on this peninsula called it Snakapins — the land by the two waters — and four centuries of ferries, oyster boats, amusement rides, bathing beaches and, now, commuter catamarans have not improved on that description. Clason Point Park is small, unfussy and almost entirely about the view. There is a lawn, a shoreline path, benches facing the water, a kayak launch and the ferry landing; there are anglers on the rail at almost any hour, planes stacking up over the far shore, gulls working the tide line, and a sunset that regulars will tell you is the best in the Bronx. It is the sort of park you visit for twenty minutes and stay in for two hours.

Highlights

• The confluence view — the mouth of the Bronx River meeting the East River, with the water opening east toward Long Island Sound; an unusually wide horizon for a city park.
• The NYC Ferry Soundview landing — the ferry pier sits at the southeastern end of the park, so you can arrive or leave by boat on a route that reaches the Upper East Side, Midtown and Lower Manhattan.
• The kayak and canoe launch — a public put-in for paddlers, giving direct access to the estuary and the sheltered water behind the point.
• Shoreline fishing — the railings and shore edge are a long-standing local fishing spot, worked hardest on the change of tide.
• Sunsets and skyline light — the open western exposure across the river mouth makes this one of the best evening vantage points in the southeast Bronx.
• The site’s own history — this is the ground where the Bronx’s forgotten seaside resort district stood, a century of hotels, dance halls and amusement rides on the same shoreline.

What you’ll find

Deliberately simple. This is a compact waterfront park at the southern tip of the Clason Point peninsula, built around the shoreline rather than around facilities, and it works as a viewing terrace for the whole river mouth.

• A waterfront path and railing running along the shoreline edge with continuous water views.
• Open lawn and planted areas set back from the water, with seating.
• Benches and viewing points facing west and south across the confluence.
• A public kayak and canoe launch on the New York City Water Trail.
• The NYC Ferry landing serving the Soundview route at the southeastern end.
• Shoreline fishing positions along the rail, used year-round by local anglers.

Things to do — and who it’s for

• Anglers — a reliable, accessible shore spot at a tidal confluence, where moving water concentrates fish on the turn.
• Paddlers — the launch puts a kayak straight into the estuary, with the sheltered lee of the point for a calmer start.
• Ferry commuters and day-trippers — one of the few Bronx parks you can treat as a destination and a transport hub at the same time.
• Photographers and sunset watchers — the western exposure over the river mouth is the reason many people come at all.
• Walkers and older visitors — flat, short, benched and entirely level with the water; an easy outing that needs no stamina.
• Local history enthusiasts — the peninsula’s resort era, its ferries and its vanished amusement park make this a rewarding place to read the landscape.

Getting there & practical

The park is at the southern tip of Clason Point, in the southeast Bronx, next to the Soundview neighborhood. The easiest arrival for many visitors is by water: the NYC Ferry Soundview route lands in the park itself, connecting to the Upper East Side, Midtown and Lower Manhattan in around three-quarters of an hour end to end. By subway, take the 6 train along the elevated Pelham line to one of the Soundview-area stations, then transfer to a local bus — the Bx27 and Bx39 both run down the peninsula toward the point. Entry to the park is free, and so is use of the path, lawns, benches and the kayak launch; the ferry is a separate fare on the city’s transit system. Fishing from the shoreline is open to the public, but New York State saltwater fishing rules apply and there are state health advisories about eating fish caught in these waters, so check before you keep anything. The park keeps the standard long city-park hours, though the point is exposed and there is little lighting, so daylight and early evening are the sensible window. Thirty to sixty minutes is enough for a full visit; a paddling or fishing trip makes an afternoon.

When to visit

Spring is quiet and clean-aired, with migrating birds along the shoreline and the water still cold enough to keep the crowds away; it is the best season for a walk with the whole horizon to yourself. Summer is the park’s social peak — ferry traffic at its heaviest, families out in the evening, anglers on the rail after work, and a breeze off the confluence that makes this the coolest spot for a mile in any direction. Autumn is arguably the connoisseur’s season here: the light gets low and gold across the water, visibility sharpens, and the fishing on the turning tide is at its best. Winter is bleak in the best sense — a hard, bright, wind-scoured point with wintering waterfowl on the river mouth, ferries pushing through chop, and long clear views that summer haze never allows. Dress for it; there is almost no shelter.

Good to know

The peninsula’s Siwanoy name, Snakapins, translates as the land by the two waters, which is exactly what this point is. European settlement began in 1643, when Thomas Cornell established what is described as the first permanent European settlement here, and the neck carried his name for generations. The present name comes from Isaac Clason, a Scottish-born merchant who acquired much of the peninsula in the late eighteenth century. Ferries defined the place for a long time: crossings ran from Clason Point to College Point in Queens, and the wider ferry traffic between the Bronx and Queens is what gave the neighboring park at Ferry Point its name. The most remarkable chapter is the one that has almost vanished. In 1892 a railroad builder named Clinton Stephens bought twenty-five acres near the waterfront and began developing the shoreline as a recreation destination; from the late 1890s until the 1940s Clason Point was a full seaside resort district, with wooden hotels, dance halls, bathing beaches and amusement rides reached by steamboat and ferry from the city. One of those attractions was itself called Clason Point Park — a private amusement park, not the public one that stands here now. Nearby Fairyland Park had a saltwater outdoor swimming pool measuring three hundred by fifty feet, known locally as The Inkwell. The era’s darkest day came in 1922, when a windstorm toppled the Ferris wheel and killed at least seven people. The amusement grounds gave way in 1949 to the Shorehaven Beach Club; an investment group that included the actor Sylvester Stallone bought the property in 1986, and in 1999 it was redeveloped as the gated Shorehaven Condominiums, with 1,183 townhomes. The waterfront’s newest chapter opened on August 15, 2018, when the NYC Ferry Soundview route began service from a landing at the southeastern end of this park, restoring regular passenger boats to a shoreline that had lived by them for a century.

Visitor tips

• Time your visit to the tide if you are fishing or paddling — the confluence runs a real current, and the change of tide is both the best fishing and the easiest launch.
• Come for the last hour of daylight. The western exposure over the river mouth is what this park is for, and it is a completely different place at golden hour.
• Consider arriving on the ferry and leaving on foot or by bus, or the reverse; the approach by water shows you the point from the angle that explains its whole history.

Questions & answers

Where exactly is Clason Point Park? At the southern tip of the Clason Point peninsula in the southeast Bronx, at the point where the Bronx River empties into the East River, with the water opening east toward Long Island Sound.

Can you get there by ferry? Yes. The NYC Ferry Soundview route uses a landing at the southeastern end of the park. The route began service on August 15, 2018 and connects the Bronx with the Upper East Side, Midtown and Lower Manhattan in roughly forty-five minutes end to end.

Is fishing allowed? Shoreline fishing is a long-standing use of this park and the rail is popular with local anglers. New York State saltwater fishing regulations apply, and the state issues health advisories about eating fish taken from these waters, so check the current guidance before keeping a catch.

Can I launch a kayak? Yes, the park has a public kayak and canoe launch on the New York City Water Trail. Check the tide before you go: this is a working tidal confluence with real current at the point.

Was there really an amusement park here? Yes, though not the park you visit today. From the late 1890s to the 1940s this shoreline was a seaside resort district with hotels, dance halls, bathing beaches and rides; one of the attractions was a privately run amusement ground also called Clason Point Park. A windstorm in 1922 toppled its Ferris wheel and killed at least seven people.

What happened to the resort? The amusement grounds became the Shorehaven Beach Club in 1949. An investment group including the actor Sylvester Stallone bought the property in 1986, and in 1999 it was redeveloped as the gated Shorehaven Condominiums with 1,183 townhomes.

How do I get there by subway and bus? Take the 6 train along the elevated Pelham line to one of the Soundview-area stations, then transfer to the Bx27 or Bx39, which run down the peninsula toward the point.

Is it worth visiting if I am not fishing or paddling? Yes, for the view. This is one of the widest open horizons accessible from the Bronx, it is level and easy to walk, and the sunset over the river mouth is the single best reason to come.