Hell Gate Walking Tour

Delve into off-the-beaten-path New York history on the Hell Gate walking tour!

Hell Gate is the one-mile stretch of the East River between Manhattan and Queens where countless ships were sunk or destroyed by the gigantic rocks, reefs, whirlpools, and dangerous currents. Discover the islands in and around Hell Gate—Wards, Roosevelt, Rikers, North & South Brother—as seen from Randall’s Island.

Main Features

• Find out about Hell Gate’s ship-swallowing whirlpools

• Learn about the plot to blow up the Hell Gate Bridge

• Discover the river pirates of the Hell Gate islands

• Hear about the Hell Gate Explosions and the General Slocum Disaster

• Peer at the jail complex of Rikers Island and the quarantine ruins of North Brother Island