New Central Park Trail Opens After 2-Year Restoration Project

CENTRAL PARK, NY — A new trail and meadow in Central park opened to the public after a two-year restoration project, the organization which maintains the park announced Tuesday.

Central Park's newest attraction, a 1.25-acre meadow called Dene Slope, is located on the east side of the park near 66th Street, the Central Park Conservancy said. The area is a "thriving meadow and hub for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife," the conservancy said in a statement.

Central Park visitors will be able to walk a new trail on Dene Slope leading to a rocky outcrop located on top of a hill overlooking other areas of the park. The outcrop features a rustic bench for resting, the Central Park Conservancy said.

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Two years ago, park officials decided to transform Dene Slope from a hillside lawn into a natural meadow. The slope has rocky, dry soil which made it a bad spot to have a picnics or relax on the grass. The steep hill also made the area hard for park workers to maintain the law, park officials said in a statement.

Now in its second year of growing Dene Slope is home to a variety of tall meadow grasses and wildflowers.

"At first glance, you just see a little yellow and a little purple," Caitlin Traver, project manager for Dene Slope, said in a statement. "But you really have quite a diversity of plant material. For a second-year meadow, I’m surprised. I’m amazed at the diversity we’re seeing in the second year."

Dene Slope will be open to the public daily, according to the Central Park Conservancy. Dogs will be required to stay on their leash.

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images News/Getty Images