6 Great Hikes

Visitors to Manhattan need only look up to discover a new trail in one corner of the island's West Side. There, two years back, a section of the old Meatpacking District's elevated railway was converted to an above-street-level park, running from Gansevoort Street to West 20th Street, a distance that's just shy of 1.5 miles.

Blooming in season with native flowers — such as jade coneflower in summer and blazing star in fall — the High Line offers sweeping views of Hudson River ship traffic, New Jersey beyond, and the ever-trendier Chelsea district, with its art galleries, boutiques, and cafés. Don't miss the plank walkways in a section of the park called Washington Grasslands — where firetail mountain fleece and moor grass turn this corner of Manhattan into a lazy meadow.

Next: A lakefront walk in the windy city.
— Photo courtesy of The High Line