Get your phone charged and your ear buds in and you can be guided through a solo tour of the natural beauty and engineering feats of the waterways of Prospect Park.

Prospect Park: Waterways and Woodlands, a new audio tour offered by the Prospect Park Alliance, includes 12 stops, offering historic information and perspectives on the connections of the park’s waterways to New York City’s water supply. The 2.02-mile walk starts at Grand Army Plaza and ends at the Wellhouse, once part of an elaborate pumping system that kept water flowing in the park’s man-made waterways and now home to the first compostable toilets in a New York City public park.

ambergill falls
Ambergill Falls in 2013, after restoration. Photo by Elizabeth Keegin Colley via Prospect Park Alliance

Along the way are swings past scenic spots like Fallkill Falls and Boulder Bridge as well as the less noticeable ecoWEIR pilot program. The natural filtration system was installed in two locations in the park to maintain the health of the waterways, and the audio tour is part of the educational effort behind the experimental project.

The walking tour takes about 50 minutes (and uses about 4050 steps for those counting), but it is also possible to listen in from home if you are unable to access the park. The tour, produced in conjunction with artist Mary Mattingly and More Art, is accessible via digital audio guide Gesso.

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