Connecting 17 Boston neighborhoods from the Neponset River Reservation to Bunker Hill Monument, the Walking City Trail is a 27-mile hiking path through some of Boston's most immersive parks, urban wilds, gardens, greenways, and residential neighborhoods.

The "WCT" is divided into four segments that are accessible by public transportation. Each section includes trailside restaurants, public art, and restrooms. You can section hike the trail in pieces (each trial section includes a suggested "halfway" turnaround point) or you can try traversing the whole Walking City Trail over one  or two days. 

As more American cities expand their pedestrian infrastructure with new multi-use trails, it's time to expand our idea of where hiking can happen. The city is a rustling, fragrant, and scenically rich ecosystem where paths and street walks can be connected to create  long-distance hiking routes. What better place to model urban hiking than Boston, where visionaries like Frederick Law Olmsted brought the natural world to the city with the Emerald Necklace linear parks? Or where thousands walk the Freedom Trail each year?

Slip on your comfiest shoes, grab some coffee from the nearest corner store, and  use the maps or turn-by-turn directions from this website to hike the Walking City Trail today. Find out why Boston is often called "America's Walking City." And when you get home, share your hiking adventures and discoveries by using the hashtag #WalkingCityTrail

SECTION  1:   Neponset  River  Greenway,   Edgewater  GreenwaY,   Sherrin  Woods,   Stony  Brook  Reservation,  Sherman  STREET  Conservancy   (8.3  miles)

Set off from the Harvest River Bridge and follow the Neponset River through Mattapan and Hyde Park. Traverse residential neighborhoods and railroad infrastructure to pass through the rustic hollows of Sherrin Woods and massive forest at Stony Brook Reservation. A view of Downtown Boston skyline and a  descent to Roslindale Village  by way of a *fairy village* are the finale of this introductory piece of the Walking City Trail.

SECTION 2:   Arnold  Arboretum,   Southwest  Corridor  GREENWAY,   Franklin  Park,   Jamaica  Pond   (5.8  miles)

Enter the arbor paradise of Arnold Arboretum from its quieter south end and enjoy another stellar Boston vista from the top of Peters Hill before following the Bussey Brook Meadow path and the Southwest Corridor Greenway into "The Wilderness" of Franklin Park, where stone stairs, chuckling streams, and abandoned bear cages are part of the scenery. Pass through a hidden woodland in a sleepy residential area of Jamaica Plain, and finish at the  Jamaica Pond boathouse and docks.

SECTION  3:   OLMSTED   PARK,   Nira  Rock,  Mission  HILLTOP,   THE  RIVERWAY,   THE  FENS  (6.1  MILES)

Descend winding stairs to the boardwalk along Ward's Pond and make your way through the  woods of Olmsted Park before taking a hard right turn and climbing past  huge  puddingstone boulders to the summit of Mission Hill, where one of the best Boston views on the trail awaits. A quick detour through the Longwood medical area delivers you to The Riverway, where you'll hike part of Olmsted's Emerald Necklace past Fenway Park and the Victory Gardens before wrapping up this third section of the Walking City Trail on the Charles riverbanks.

SECTION  4:   ESPLANADE  PARK,   BOSTON  Public  Garden,   Boston Common,   Chin Park,  BOSTON  HARBORWALK,   BUNKER  HILL   (7.3  miles)

Enter the bustling urban core of Boston and savor the sea breeze   with a stroll along the Charles River  at Esplanade Park. From here, you'll snake through the Boston Public Gardens and the streets of Chinatown and the Leather District to reach the  brick paths and boardwalk of the Boston Harborwalk, which will take you into the labyrinthine North End and over the Charles on a set of *moving pedestrian footbridges* before your final ascent to the summit of Bunker Hill.  

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