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Hey, Miles Howard here. For nearly 10 years, I've worked as a journalist, author, and hiking newsletter writer covering outdoor recreation in the northeast. But despite all the time I've spent slipping on wet roots and slapping off vermin in the backcountry, I'm a city person at heart. Boston has been home for most of my life. It's not a stretch to say that I grew up on the paths and sidewalks that connect this city.
But the idea of assembling a long-distance urban hiking trail comprised of pre-existing green space paths and street walks never crossed my mind until I visited the Bay Area to hike San Francisco's Crosstown Trail.
A labor of love by local trail builders and volunteers, this urban hiking trail stretches 17 miles across some of the city's most stunning green spaces. While the Crosstown Trail isn't physically marked (potentially a bureaucratic nightmare when dealing with public and private property), PDF maps and written trail directions are all you need to hike it.
Splitting the trail into two segments over one weekend, I saw a side of SF that I'd never experienced before. And I thought, "We could create something like this back home in Boston." We've got the parks and urban wilds. We've got the pedestrian infrastructure. And we're already home to two of America's most well-known urban hikes—the Emerald Necklace and the Freedom Trail. So I revved up Google Maps and got straight to work.
A labor of love by local trail builders and volunteers, this urban hiking trail stretches 17 miles across some of the city's most stunning green spaces. While the Crosstown Trail isn't physically marked (potentially a bureaucratic nightmare when dealing with public and private property), PDF maps and written trail directions are all you need to hike it.
Splitting the trail into two segments over one weekend, I saw a side of SF that I'd never experienced before. And I thought, "We could create something like this back home in Boston." We've got the parks and urban wilds. We've got the pedestrian infrastructure. And we're already home to two of America's most well-known urban hikes—the Emerald Necklace and the Freedom Trail. So I revved up Google Maps and got straight to work.
The maps and directions for the Walking City Trail are a proof of concept: an example of what a hiking trail across a major city can look like. After mapping the trail's projected route, I walked the trail several times. I took lots of notes and photos, re-routed trail sections wherever the landscape presented obstacles, and I recorded GPS tracks so that I could create free navigational resources that would make it easy for people to take an urban expedition on the Walking City Trail.
Depending on how many people end up hiking the Walking City Trail and sharing their trail experiences, I can imagine this turning into something bigger and grassroots-ier. At a minimum, I would love to expand the trail resources to include multi-language trail directions and a supplementary guide to the green spaces along the trail. The scope and direction of the Walking City Trail may evolve over time as Boston creates and acquires additional green spaces. Perhaps more trails could take root. Maybe an organization too.
For now, the Walking City Trail is an open invitation to re-imagine what a great hike can look and sound like—to take a hike in "America's Walking City." Give it a shot today! And please do get in touch if you have suggestions on how to improve the trail or if you'd like to get directly involved with trail projects. (Click here to learn more about how you can support the Walking City Trail.)
For now, the Walking City Trail is an open invitation to re-imagine what a great hike can look and sound like—to take a hike in "America's Walking City." Give it a shot today! And please do get in touch if you have suggestions on how to improve the trail or if you'd like to get directly involved with trail projects. (Click here to learn more about how you can support the Walking City Trail.)
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