Cherry Blossom Trees in Central Park

Locate the cherry blossom trees and catch them in bloom!

In the springtime from April to May, the cherry blossom trees in Central Park attract nature lovers from all over the world. It's easy to see why, as the splendor of their blooms is as stunning as it is explosive.

Full bloom of the cherry blossom trees is a sight to behold, and it's typically reached within a week after the first buds open. Symbolic of the fleeting nature of life, their season is short-lived, and the blossoms stick around for just a small amount of time before their delicate petals fall and cover the ground in a blanket of pink and white.

Bloom Times (weather dependent) 

  • Early to mid-April - Yoshino cherry trees and Magnolia trees, which also have beautiful blooms.
  • Early May - Kwanzan cherry trees

Locations of the Cherry Blossom Trees

The cherry blossom trees in Central Park can be found mainly between 72nd Street and 96th Street.

The highest concentrations are around the Reservoir, Cherry Hill, Pilgrim Hill, Great Lawn, Cedar Hill, and the area just south of Cedar Hill, between 74th and 77th Streets.

See: Map of Cherry Blossom Trees in Central Park

Food for Thought: Walking around to view the trees can really work up an appetite! Bring along a ready-made picnic bag and choose a tree to picnic under, or book ahead to enjoy a full-service romantic picnic on a pre-selected bed of pink petal splendor.

There are two main species of cherry trees in Central Park. These are the Kwanzan Cherry and the Yoshino Cherry. The peak bloom time for each varies annually and depends on the weather.

Yoshino Cherry Trees

The Yoshino Cherry Trees in Central Park were brought to the U.S. as a gift from Japan in 1912. This hybrid cherry, which can reach heights of 35 to 45 feet, produces light pink, almost white, slightly fragrant flowers. Expect to see the first buds of these trees blossoming ahead of any other. Before the leaves appear, the simple five-petal flowers emerge in clusters of five or six. As the tree's leaves grow, they typically develop first as a bronze color, later changing to a darker green as the summer approaches.

Top 5 Places for Yoshino Cherry Trees: 

  • Reservoir (east and west sides)
  • Cherry Hill
  • Pilgrim Hill
  • Nell Singer Lilac Walk (northeast of Sheep Meadow)
  • Delacorte Theater

Kwanzan Cherry Trees

The Kwanzan Cherry, also known as the Japanese Cherry, is an ornamental cherry tree most commonly found in Japan, Korea and China. This particular tree has double-petal pink flowers, which start to bloom in early May, after the Yoshino Cherry. When these trees first bloom, their leaves are bronze colored and then turn from dark green to yellow to orange, and finally copper in autumn. These trees are fairly small, growing to reach 25 to 30 feet, and have a wide vase-shaped spreading crown. The life span of the Kwanzan Cherry, which does not produce fruit, is 15 to 25 years.

Top 5 Places for Kwanzan Cherry Trees:

  • Reservoir (east and west sides)
  • Cedar Hill
  • The Glade (just south of Cedar Hill between 74th & 77th Streets)
  • Behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Great Lawn

There are several festivals worldwide that celebrate these types of cherry blossom trees, known for their dramatic beauty. In New York City there is the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which typically takes place in April or May.

Get Bloom Updates

Keep up with the cherry blossom tree bloom schedule! Sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.