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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 scenically immersive parks, urban wilds, gardens, and residential neighborhoods.
The "WCT" is divided into four segments. Each can easily be split into two shorter section hikes. (For instance, Section 1 can be split into Section 1A and Section 1B.) Each Walking City Trail section is accessible by public transit at multiple points and includes access to public restrooms, water, and food. You can hike the Walking City Trail in small pieces, or hike the whole thing over a day or two. The trail is yours to "activate" as you see fit!
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 historically 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
The "WCT" is divided into four segments. Each can easily be split into two shorter section hikes. (For instance, Section 1 can be split into Section 1A and Section 1B.) Each Walking City Trail section is accessible by public transit at multiple points and includes access to public restrooms, water, and food. You can hike the Walking City Trail in small pieces, or hike the whole thing over a day or two. The trail is yours to "activate" as you see fit!
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 historically 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
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SECTION 1: Neponset River Greenway, Edgewater GreenwaY, Sherrin Woods, Stony Brook Reservation, SHERMAN STREET GREEn SPACE 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 the massive forest at Stony Brook Reservation. A view of the Boston skyline and a winding descent into Roslindale Village by way of a *fairy village* are the finale of the first Walking City Trail section.
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SECTION 2: Arnold Arboretum, Southwest Corridor GREENWAY, Franklin Park, Jamaica Pond (5.7 miles)Enter the arbor paradise of Arnold Arboretum from its quieter south end and enjoy another sublime Boston vista from the top of Peters Hill before following the waters of Bussey Brook to the Southwest Corridor Greenway. Continue and enter "The Wilderness" of Franklin Park, where stone stairs and rusting bear cages are part of the curious scenery. Descend through a hidden woodland in a sleepy residential area of Jamaica Plain, and wrap things up at the Jamaica Pond boathouse and docks.
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SECTION 3: OLMSTED PARK, Nira Rock, Mission HILL, THE RIVERWAY, THE FENS (6.1 MILES)Descend winding stairs to the boardwalk along Ward's Pond and wind 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 finishing this third section of the Walking City Trail on the Charles riverbanks.
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SECTION 4: ESPLANADE PARK, BOSTON Public Garden, Boston Common, Chin Park, BOSTON HARBORWALK, BUNKER HILL (7.3 miles)Enter the bustling core of Boston with a sea breeze scented stroll along the Charles River at Esplanade Park before crossing into the Boston Public Gardens and Boston Common. Then snake through the streets of Chinatown and the Leather District to reach the briney brick paths and boardwalks of the Boston Harborwalk. Discover hidden micro-parks in the labyrinthine North End alleys and cross a set of *moving footbridges* across the Charles to summit Bunker Hill.
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