Randall's Island

RANDALLS and WARDS ISLAND

(turf fields and grass/dirt fields * scroll to bottom for field specific surface info)

Randall’s Island Park is located under the Triborough Bridge in the East River, between Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens.

Randall’s Island is the NORTH side of the island with fields 1 - 49.  
Ward’s Island is the SOUTH side of the island with fields 50 - 99.

Bridge toll is $4.50 upon entering; there is no charge to leave the Island.

The island is large.  Be sure to look at the map of the island image below so you know if the field is on the North or South side of the island, and where exactly it’s located.

• ---->    FOOTBRIDGE at 103rd street at FDR

For the SOUTH side of the island (fields 60-91) you can also cross over on the footbridge at 103rd street and FDR.  
Take the 4, 5, or 6 Lexington Ave. trains to 103rd street, walk south to 102nd street, then towards the FDR to the pedestrian footbridge at 103rd street * OR to get to the footbridge from the upper west side, take the M106 bus from anywhere along 96th street on the West side (or along 106th on the East side), get off at FDR Drive and walk south to the pedestrian footbridge at 103rd street to cross over to Randall’s / Ward’s Island on foot. 

• ---->    SUBWAY / BUS:

Take the 4, 5, or 6 Lexington Ave. trains to 125th St.
Transfer on the NW corner of 125th St. and Lexington Ave. for the M35 bus to Randall’s and Wards Island.
If you’re going to the South Side (fields 60-91) be sure to tell the bus driver you’re going to the Wards Island side and what field # you’re going to.

For MTA bus travel info, call (718) 330-1234.

MTA BUS MAP click here

Pedestrians can also walk across on the Triborough Bridge from Manhattan, Queens, or the Bronx.

By Car:

FOR SOUTH SIDE / WARDS ISLAND * Fields 50 - 99
Once on the Island follow signs south towards Wards Island Psychiatric Center. 
Bear to the left of Psychiatric Center watch for signs with field numbers. 

(Note: toll is $4.50 entering the island and free when leaving the island)

From Manhattan:
Get on the Triborough Bridge at East 125th Street. Stay left for the exit to Randall’s and Wards Island, immediately after the toll plaza.

From Queens:
Get on the Triborough Bridge from the Grand Central Parkway. Stay right for the exit to Randall’s and Wards Island, immediately after the toll plaza.

From the Bronx:
Take the Major Deegan or Bruckner Expressway to the Triborough Bridge. Stay right for the exit to Randall’s and Wards Island, immediately after the toll plaza.

From Long Island and Brooklyn:
Take the FDR Drive North to the Triborough Bridge exit (on right). Stay right up to and after the toll, following the signs to Randall’s and Wards Island.

From New Jersey:
From I-80 or the New Jersey Turnpike, get onto the George Washington Bridge. Follow signs for "Through Traffic" (on the upper level, stay to the left; on the lower-level, stay to the right) to get onto the Cross Bronx Expressway, then take the Harlem River Drive/Amsterdam Avenue exit. Keep left onto the Harlem River Drive, then stay straight to take the FDR Drive South to the Triborough Bridge. On the Bridge, stay left for the exit to Randall’s and Wards Island, immediately after the toll plaza.

By Foot:
You can walk across the footbridge from E. 103rd St. in Manhattan onto Randall’s and Wards Island.
Pedestrians can also walk across on the Triborough Bridge from Manhattan, Queens, or the Bronx.

A true architectural monolith extending from the coastal plain of southern Spanish Harlem, the WARDS ISLAND FOOTBRIDGE provides a view that encompasses the East Side of Manhattan and much of Queens, including a stretch of rather inoffensive water known as Hell Gate. Once across the bridge, one is treated to Wards Island Park, a lovely bit of tree and trail with a badass reputation. But the real treats are the Wards Island Water Pollution Plant and the Manhattan Psychiatric Center. For a good many years prior to the turn of the last century, immigrants arriving in New York deemed undesirable, (i.e., poor or sick), were sent here to live. As the number of "insane inmates" grew, eventually the island was dedicated to housing, behind a fair amount of intimidating fencing, some of the city’s most neglected citizens. Fortunately, this didn’t stop the footbridge from being granted a cameo role in The Wiz, starring Michael Jackson and Diana Ross.