Mile 0 — DUMBO and the Cobblestone Triangle
Start in DUMBO at Plymouth and Washington Streets, the photographically famous corner where the Manhattan Bridge frames the Empire State Building. The cobblestones here are the original Belgian block paving from the late 19th century — DUMBO was a working manufacturing district until the 1990s, and the streets were preserved through a successful 2007 historic district designation.
Walk south one block to Front Street and then west to the Brooklyn Bridge Park entrance at Main Street. The 85-acre park, built on six abandoned shipping piers between 2010 and 2018, is the spine of the walk's first mile.
Mile 0.5 — Pier 1, Pier 2, Pier 3 Through Brooklyn Bridge Park
Brooklyn Bridge Park's six piers are numbered north to south. Pier 1 holds the famous Brooklyn Heights waterfront promenade overlook, with the best skyline view from below. Pier 2 has the basketball courts, roller-skating rink, and adult fitness equipment. Pier 3 has the meadow lawn and the Picnic Peninsula, the park's quietest stretch.
The walking path stays along the water's edge through all six piers. The transition between piers happens through small connector bridges over the original ship-loading slipways — these slipways are now part of the park's tidal pool ecosystem.
Mile 1 — Pier 5 and the Picnic Peninsula
Pier 5 is the park's most active recreational pier, with seven full-sized soccer fields plus the Brooklyn Cyclones-affiliated baseball field. The pier also has the Brooklyn Bridge Park's most popular food kiosk, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy's Greenway Cafe, with grilled fare and beer through the warm weather months.
The walk continues past Pier 5 along Furman Street, which is the dedicated pedestrian connector between the park and the Atlantic Avenue waterfront. About a quarter mile of moderately interesting industrial backfill before the path opens up at Pier 6, the park's southern entrance.
Mile 1.4 — Pier 6 and the Atlantic Avenue Pivot
Pier 6 is the park's southern terminus, with the public-funded marina (Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6 Marina) and the Sweet Grass-themed garden plantings designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh. From Pier 6, exit the park at Atlantic Avenue, which marks the transition from the park's recreational waterfront to the Atlantic Avenue commercial district.
Atlantic Avenue between Hicks Street and Court Street is the historic commercial corridor of Cobble Hill — old Lebanese-American specialty shops (Sahadi's since 1948, Damascus Bakery since 1930), antique stores, and a row of waterfront-adjacent restaurants. A coffee at Atlantic Coffee Roasters at Atlantic and Henry is the natural mid-walk break, about 50 minutes in.
Mile 1.8 — Atlantic Basin and the Red Hook Waterfront
After Atlantic Avenue, head south on Court Street to its terminus at the Atlantic Basin. The Basin is the dividing line between Cobble Hill and Red Hook proper. Cross via the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel approach (which has a pedestrian-accessible underpass) and you're in Red Hook.
Red Hook's waterfront character is different from Brooklyn Bridge Park's polished recreation. The 19th-century brick warehouses are still standing, many now home to artist studios, breweries (Six Point, Other Half), and the Red Hook Lobster Pound. The Erie Basin — Red Hook's main commercial port — still receives container shipments daily. From the waterfront, you can watch container ships unload onto trucks heading for the BQE.
Mile 2.5 — IKEA's Waterfront and the Statue of Liberty
The Red Hook IKEA opened in 2008 with a contentious public-investment package. The store occupies a renovated 19th-century shipyard at the southwestern tip of the neighborhood. The IKEA also operates a free waterfront promenade along its eastern flank — open to the public 24 hours, lined with benches and small landscape elements.
This promenade has the closest view of the Statue of Liberty from any free public space in New York City. The statue is just over a mile northwest, across the harbor. The IKEA also operates a free water taxi from its dock to Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan during store hours — a 20-minute boat ride for free.
Mile 3.2 — The Red Hook Tip and the Fairway Approach
From IKEA, walk west along the waterfront another half mile to reach the Red Hook tip — Valentino Pier and the Erie Basin. Valentino Pier is a public pier with a small grassy lawn, popular with locals for sunset viewing. The Erie Basin holds the tugboats that work the harbor.
The walk concludes at the Fairway supermarket at 480 Van Brunt Street — the Red Hook waterfront's most enduring commercial tenant since 1995. Fairway has a back deck overlooking the harbor with picnic tables. A snack on the back deck is the natural reward for completing the 3.5-mile walk.
Going Back
The B61 bus runs from Red Hook back to DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights — the cleanest return route, about 25 minutes. The IKEA water taxi to Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan is the more interesting return — a 20-minute boat ride at no cost (during store hours).
For walkers continuing on, Red Hook connects via the BQE pedestrian path to Carroll Gardens, but the connection is industrial and not particularly scenic. Most walkers conclude at Fairway and take the bus back.
Practical notes
- Address: Start at Plymouth and Washington Streets, DUMBO; finish at 480 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook
- Getting there: Start: F to York Street; A/C to High Street. Finish: B61 bus or IKEA water taxi.
- Go for: Brooklyn Bridge Park's six piers, the Sahadi's and Damascus Bakery on Atlantic Avenue, IKEA's free waterfront with Statue of Liberty view, Fairway's back deck
- Size / timing: 3.5 miles, 90 minutes direct, 2.5 hours with the recommended stops. Paved/flat. Best between April and October.
- Photograph it, but know this: The afternoon sun lights the Manhattan skyline well from Brooklyn Bridge Park's piers. The Statue of Liberty from Red Hook needs a long lens (300mm equivalent) for crisp framing.
The DUMBO-to-Red-Hook walk does what most New York waterfront routes don't: it crosses through three distinct neighborhoods, each with its own working history, in a single continuous walk. The polished recreation of Brooklyn Bridge Park, the historic commercial Atlantic Avenue strip, and the still-active Red Hook port show the Brooklyn waterfront in three different working eras. End the walk on the Fairway back deck. The harbor is busy. The Statue of Liberty is closer than you remember.
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Sources consulted: Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy · NYC Parks · The New York Times · Brownstoner · Atlas Obscura
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