Boston proper and the metro area is rich in scenic outdoor paths, parks, reservations and recreation spots, and city and neighborhood streets quite perfect for jogging, walking and gentle hiking. After all, Boston is home to the Boston Marathon and the city that National Geographic hailed as GreenTown in its June 2008 Travel Blog.
In selecting your own personal best Boston jogging destinations, the most important question is: what kind of jogger are YOU?
Do you prefer to keep to level pavement? Grass? Are you open to dirt trails and combo hiking/jogging with a bit of elevation and rocky terrain? Do you prefer to run in peaceful, solitude or would you rather blend your jog with the bustle and urban comfort and security of other joggers, walkers, bikers, skateboarders, dogs and city traffic?
This guide includes a mix of quiet, scenic Boston jogging sites and busier, exuberant urban routes to explore. Some area running stores and groups, such as Marathon Sports and the Greater Boston Track Club also hold regular group runs open to the public, with schedules posted online and at retail locations.
Here come the usual caveats:
Health. Keep your physical health and stamina in mind. Don’t overdo it.
Dress. Dress appropriately, with quality jogging sneakers!
Fluids! If you’re planning on covering any substantial distance, bring water and a snack or scope out a stopping point for refreshments ahead of time.
Map?. Consult a good map to finalize your jogging distance and route.
City Safety. If you’re preference is for night jogging, wear reflectors and find a buddy. If you’re heading to the woods, be wise and prepared. Be city smart and safe.
Then have a good run!
Arnold Aboretum
See Emerald Necklace.
Back Bay
If you’re willing to job in place to maneuver the city car, foot and bike traffic, you’ll join many joggers in Copley Square, Newbury Street, Boston Common and Public Gardens, Beacon Hill, Massachusetts Avenue and beyond. When it’s time for a rest, you can choose from a bench or grass in front of Trinity Church or take the time to discover the amazing courtyard garden at the Boston Public Library.
Blue Hills
The Blue Hills Reservation stretches over 7,000 acres just south of Boston, from Quincy to Dedham, Milton to Randolph. During my various times living in Boston, Dorchester, and Canton, I’ve walked, hiked and run only a small portion of the 125 miles of varied terrain trails. If you’re up for jogging up hill, plan a run to the Great Blue Hill, the highest of the 22 Blue Hills at 635 feet, with a summit view of all of metro Boston on a clear day. You could be sharing the trails with dogs, mountain bikers (restricted use), horses and members of the Blue Hills Adult Walking Club on weekends. You can purchase a trail map at the Reservation Headquarters or the Blue Hills Trailside Museum. The volunteer Blue Hills TrailWatch group keeps the trails safe and maintained.
Castle Island
The L-Street Brownies make their famous ice-chilling winter salt water dip in these South Boston waters off Castle Island. For joggers, it’s an urban but beautiful ocean-side route, combining sidewalk, beach sand, and a boardwalk that winds out toward Fort Independence. On blue sky days, you’ll share the paths with kids, dogs, walkers, and kite enthusiasts all out to enjoy the ocean breeze and views. If you’re looking to extend the run, you can hit the pavement all the way to the JFK Library and Oceanside UMASS campus off Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester.
Charles River
The paths along the Charles River are always busy with runners, walkers, bikers, or sunbathers taking in the river views and the many river boaters out in canoes, kayaks, sailboats and more. The Charles River downtown Boston-Cambridge jog will lead you past the Community Boat House, the Esplanade (July 4th and Boston Pops site), MIT, Harvard, and the start of the Freedom Trail. Or you can head west from Cambridge through Watertown to Waltham, a riverside city that is home to the Charles River Museum and many ethnic restaurants along Moody Street. The city views from the Charles are well-worth dodging the Boston crowds.
Emerald Necklace
Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York City Central Park, the Emerald Necklace extends from Boston’s Back Bay through the
Fenway and Brookline to Jamaica Plain. I’ve lived in Brookline and Jamaica Plain and have run and biked much of this gorgeous route, which includes the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Pond, the Muddy River to the Charles River, and the Fenway gardens near the Museum of Fine Arts. The Arnold Arboretum includes some hilly paths, bordered by stately cork trees and lilacs, if you happen to be jogging in early spring. Be ready to share the Jamaica Pond path with many dogs. Grabbing a few dog treats for any of your city jaunts might be a good idea? Make canine friends fast.
Fenway
See Emerald Necklace
Fresh Pond
The 155-acre Fresh Pond Reservation was also designed by the Olmstead brothers of Central Park fame and includes a reservoir pond (part of the water supply for Cambridge), a golf course, open green and trails for walking, jogging and cycling. If you’re looking for more than the three-mile perimeter path, you can extend your run to the Minuteman Bikeway (see below). If you’re a bird lover, this is a popular spot for local birdwatchers. You can print out an online map of the reservation, courtesy of the Friends of Fresh Pond. The Reservation is reachable by car, a variety of MBTA buses or a 15-minute walk from the Red Line Alewife Station.
Harbor Walk
I have the good fortune of having Boston’s relatively new, extended Harbor Walk just two streets away from my Summer Street office, be it for a lunchtime walk or before or after work jog. A jog on the Harbor Walk will take you through the range of Boston’s waterfront neighborhoods and downtown district, from Chelsea Creek to the Neponset River, through East Boston, Charlestown, North End, Downtown, South Boston and Dorchester, by open waters, industrial marinas, and scenic lookouts, promenades, wharves, and beaches. You’ll pass The Children’s Museum, a variety of public art pieces AND will have to resist (or plan for!) stopping for a brew at The Barking Crab. Print out a map to plan your route from: http://www.bostonharborwalk.com/. Note that parts of the Harbor Walk are still in progress.
HeartBreak Hill/Marathon Route
Prefer to jog the Boston Marathon route at your own pace without the crowds? Take a Heartbreak Hill jog down Commonwealth Avenue through residential Newton, Chestnut Hill and the Boston College campus (my college haunt). I’ve done Heartbreak hill by bike and on foot (but NOT as an official marathoner). You could start or end at Charles River Boating at the Marriott on Rte 30 (Newton/Weston line) or at the B MBTA line near Boston College. Of course, be prepared for THE rolling hill. Consider a detour to Newton Center (some fun shopping and restaurants) or down Hammond Pond Parkway to Hammond Pond (or the Chestnut Hill Mall).
Millenium Park, West Roxbury
If someone didn’t tell you, you’d never know that this park was once a city dump. High five for urban land reuse! The Park is located off the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars (VFW) Parkway (Rte 1) in West Roxbury and offers miles of paved walkways along with miles of trails through the West Roxbury woods. Consider combining your run with a Charles River canoe ride, from the Park launching area or bringing along your kite. Plenty of free parking! You can reach Jamaica Pond and the Arboretum within a 10-minute drive. See Emerald Necklace above. http://www.massbike.org/bikeways/wroxparkb.htm
Minuteman BikePath
Dubbed Boston’s Revolutionary Rail Trail, the Minuteman BikePath winds through Bedford, Lexington, Arlington and Cambridge. In 2008, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy inducted the Minuteman Bikeway into the national Rail-Trail Hall of Fame.The 11-mile path connects to the Alewife “T” Station in Cambridge and is maintained by the four communities it passes through. You can print out a detailed map from the web site at http://www.minutemanbikeway.org/Media/MinutemanBikewayBrochure2.pdf. This can be a crowded jog, but has easy access and no cars!!!
Quincy Shore and Neponset River
Everyone in Boston knows about the Charles River but the Neponset River south of the city in Quincy, Dorchester, Milton and Canton is also a gem. You can drive or take the Ride Line south for some fine jogging through parks or along marshes, beach front and trails through the Neponset River Reserve, Lower Neponset River Trail, Pope John Paul II Park ( formerly the Neponset Drive-In and a landfill) and Squantum Point in Quincy. Combine your jog with a swim or a canoe or kayak river ride.
Stony Brook Reservation
The Reservation offers 12 miles of trails just off the Turtle Pond Parkway, in Boston’s West Roxbury and Hyde Park neighborhoods. If you want, bring along your fishing pole and try some casting for sunfish and perch in Turtle Pond after your jog. You can print out a reservation map from http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/maps/stony.gif.
Walden Pond
It will cost you gas to get to Concord and $5 to park and jog the wooded trails with Thoreau’s spirit to guide you. Also called Walden Woods, the 2680 acres is open from 8 a.m. to sunset. It’s a gorgeous place. Swimming in season and you might even see a red-tailed hawk.
Sources:
http://www.funonfoot.com/boston.html
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/forparks.htm
http://www.bostonharborwalk.com/
