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13 Greater Boston Bike Paths You Don't Need to Drive To

By Tom Acitelli
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By Tom Acitelli

Get on your bike and ride, it's Curbed Boston's first-ever Outdoors Week! Herewith, then, an expanded and updated map of the best places to bike in our fair region that don't require a car to get to them. Instead these are eminently bike-able or accessible via T or commuter rail. Newcomers include Deer Island, which you may already be familiar with, as well as the gorgeous Neponset River Trail (pictured) and the ginormous Bay Circuit Trail. There are also shorter, even more convenient routes, such as along the Charles and the Franklin Park Loop.


· Here's a Load of Crap About Greater Boston's Deer Island [Curbed Boston]
· Our Outdoors Week 2014 archive [Curbed Boston]

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Deer Island

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The island includes 2.6 miles of shoreline and two miles of pathways. You can actually bike to it through Winthrop as its name is a misnomer: It's really a peninsula.

Boston, MA

Millennium Park

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There are up to 6 miles of trails in this park, which also has fabulous views of downtown Boston and Newton.

398 Gardner Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132

Jamaicaway Bike Path

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This 9-mile trail runs between Leverett Pond and Jamaica Pond; it also connects with other paths.

28 New Heath Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Fresh Pond Reservation Loop

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This puppy runs about 2.5 miles around Cambridge's water source. Different buses go by, and the Alewife Red Line stop isn't that far away.

250 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02138

Also featured in:

City Square Park

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You can start here or in nearby Paul Revere Park and do the approximately 1-mile cycle to the Navy Yard (and back).

1 City Square, Charlestown, MA 02129

Charles River Bike Path

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The path runs an epic 23 miles, on both sides of the river, through Boston and Watertown, all the way to Waltham.

Charles River Bike Path, Boston, MA 02115

Arnold Arboretum

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This approximately 5-mile loop around the Harvard research site comes with some nifty views of Boston via the 200-foot-high Peters Hill. It also connects to other paths.

125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 524-1718
(617) 524-1718

Also featured in:

Franklin Park Loop

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This primary path in the park is about 2.25 miles.

Walnut Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Minuteman Bikeway Path

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This 11-mile path follows the first footsteps of the Revolution, and runs through Cambridge, Arlington and Lexington.

Minuteman Commuter Bikeway, Cambridge, MA 02140

Stony Brook Reservation

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Paths in this park run from just under 2 miles to more than 6.

Hyde Park Avenue & West Street, Boston, MA 02136

Mystic River Reservation

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There are several miles of paths along the river that zip you through Winchester, Arlington, Medford, Somerville, Everett, and Chelsea (though mostly Somerville and Medford).

4253 Mystic Valley Parkway, Medford, MA

Neponset River Trail

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The 2.5-mile trail runs along the Neponset River, the river estuary, and the Neponset Marsh. You can take the Red Line to three different stops to join it.

1 Adams Street, Milton, MA 02186

Bay Circuit Trail

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A reader swore by this monster: more than 200 miles of bike paths that connect with other bike paths, many entry points available via commuter rail.

160 Lincoln Road, Lincoln, MA 01773
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Deer Island

Boston, MA

The island includes 2.6 miles of shoreline and two miles of pathways. You can actually bike to it through Winthrop as its name is a misnomer: It's really a peninsula.

Boston, MA

Millennium Park

398 Gardner Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132

There are up to 6 miles of trails in this park, which also has fabulous views of downtown Boston and Newton.

398 Gardner Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132

Jamaicaway Bike Path

28 New Heath Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

This 9-mile trail runs between Leverett Pond and Jamaica Pond; it also connects with other paths.

28 New Heath Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Fresh Pond Reservation Loop

250 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02138

This puppy runs about 2.5 miles around Cambridge's water source. Different buses go by, and the Alewife Red Line stop isn't that far away.

250 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02138

City Square Park

1 City Square, Charlestown, MA 02129

You can start here or in nearby Paul Revere Park and do the approximately 1-mile cycle to the Navy Yard (and back).

1 City Square, Charlestown, MA 02129

Charles River Bike Path

Charles River Bike Path, Boston, MA 02115

The path runs an epic 23 miles, on both sides of the river, through Boston and Watertown, all the way to Waltham.

Charles River Bike Path, Boston, MA 02115

Arnold Arboretum

125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

This approximately 5-mile loop around the Harvard research site comes with some nifty views of Boston via the 200-foot-high Peters Hill. It also connects to other paths.

125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 524-1718
(617) 524-1718

Franklin Park Loop

Walnut Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

This primary path in the park is about 2.25 miles.

Walnut Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Minuteman Bikeway Path

Minuteman Commuter Bikeway, Cambridge, MA 02140

This 11-mile path follows the first footsteps of the Revolution, and runs through Cambridge, Arlington and Lexington.

Minuteman Commuter Bikeway, Cambridge, MA 02140

Stony Brook Reservation

Hyde Park Avenue & West Street, Boston, MA 02136

Paths in this park run from just under 2 miles to more than 6.

Hyde Park Avenue & West Street, Boston, MA 02136

Mystic River Reservation

4253 Mystic Valley Parkway, Medford, MA

There are several miles of paths along the river that zip you through Winchester, Arlington, Medford, Somerville, Everett, and Chelsea (though mostly Somerville and Medford).

4253 Mystic Valley Parkway, Medford, MA

Neponset River Trail

1 Adams Street, Milton, MA 02186

The 2.5-mile trail runs along the Neponset River, the river estuary, and the Neponset Marsh. You can take the Red Line to three different stops to join it.

1 Adams Street, Milton, MA 02186

Bay Circuit Trail

160 Lincoln Road, Lincoln, MA 01773

A reader swore by this monster: more than 200 miles of bike paths that connect with other bike paths, many entry points available via commuter rail.

160 Lincoln Road, Lincoln, MA 01773