Past Event: Old Croton Bike Tour

Please note that no tickets will be available on site the day of and must be purchased in advance online.

In response to epidemics and fires, the Old Croton Aqueduct, completed in 1842, began delivering water to New York City from the Croton River more than 40 miles north. It was an incredible feat of engineering that supplied the city with 40 million gallons of clean drinking water daily for more than 100 years.

Inspired by our upcoming exhibition To Quench the Thirst of New Yorkers: The Croton Aqueduct at 175, Matt Malina, Director of NYC H20, will lead a bike tour of the vestiges of the Old Croton Aqueduct. Stops will include the foundation of the main branch of the New York Public Library, built on original stones from the Distributing Reservoir, and High Bridge, the city's oldest bridge, which opened as part of the aqueduct in 1848.  

Please note, attendees must provide their own bike and helmet and will need to sign a waiver before the tour begins in order to participate. The rain date for this event will be Saturday, November 4 at 12:00 pm. 

The tour will begin at the main, 42nd Street branch of the New York Public Library (476 Fifth Avenue) and conclude at High Bridge, which connects Washington Heights in Manhattan and Highbridge in the Bronx. The fitness level is moderate for this tour and it will cover approximately 9 miles in 3 to 3.5 hours.  

About the Guide: 
Matt Malina founded NYC H2O, a non-profit organization that offers educational programs about NYC’s water and ecology, in 2009 and has served as its executive director ever since. A native New Yorker with a background engineering, Malina has led water related activist and educational events such as reservoir walking and paddle tours, public lectures on infrastructure and water conservation, and beach cleanups.