CHARLES RIVER BIKEWAY:
WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Last Updated: September 2008
Length: Charles River Bikeway Loop; 18 1/4 miles
Upper Charles River Bikeway Loop; 14 1/4 miles
Many various starting points and parking lots along the trail including Soldiers Field Road.
Difficulty:
Charles River Bikeway Loop
; Easy. Flat, paved trail/sidewalk.
Upper Charles River Bikeway Loop
; Easy. Flat, paved trail/sidewalk/stone-dust. Some on-road
detours.
Directions:
To start from the Museum of Science or North Point Park: Take exit 26 off of I-93 to Route 28. Route 28 (Monsignor Obrien Highway) brings you to the Charles River Dam Bridge, where the museum's parking garage is located over the Charles River. Directly across from the parking garage is Museum Way. Head right along Museum Way, turn right on Education St which turns into Industrial Park Rd. North Point Park is along your right. Limited parking available.
To start from Watertown: Take
exit 17 off of I-90. Head north on Centre Street which then turns into
Galen Street and cross over the Charles
River on the Galen Street (Route 16) Bridge into Watertown Square. Turn left
down Main Street and then left down Cross Street. Turn right onto Pleasant
Street and look sharply to your left for the Charles
River Reservation sign and parking lot.
To start from Waltham;
Take exit 17 off of I-90. Head north on Centre Street which then turns
into Galen Street and cross over the Charles River on the Route 16 bridge into
Watertown Square. Turn left down Main Street and then left down Cross Street.
Turn right onto Pleasant Street and follow it as it turns into River Street.
Keep an eye out to your left for the Shaws Supermarket
plaza. Go around the right side of Shaws to the far corner where a
pedestrian bridge takes you over the river to the trail.
To start from Newton; From Route 30 (Commonwealth Ave) on the west side of I-95, head north on River Road. Take your first right onto Norumbega Road and travel underneath the highway. Take a right and this will bring you to a parking lot next to the Charles River. This is the northern terminus of the Upper Charles River Bikeway Loop.
The Charles River Bikeway extends from
the
Museum
of
Charles
River Bikeway
Starting from the
Charles
River
Note;
Directly across from the parking garage is
From the parking garage, head south along the Charles
River Dam Bridge, past the Museum of
Science (See; MUSEUM
OF SCIENCE for more information)
on your right and the Trolley
Bridge
to your left (carries the “Green Line” of the Boston Subway system, but
does not allow bikes on this line). Cross over the Drawbridge and come to the
intersection of Nashua Street
on your left and Storrow Drive
on your right.
Note;
If you wish to check out the Railroad Drawbridge over the
Charles River
or connect to the Boston Harborwalk,
turn left and follow the trail alongside Nashua Street. The trail splits as it passes through Nashua
Street Park. Paved along the road and hard packed gravel along the river.
Across the river you can see North Point
Park. The two trails then merge onto a boardwalk terrace overlooking the
river, head past Therapy Dock and bring you to a cement catwalk that runs alongside
the railroad tracks and out to the Drawbridge. Only a ¼ mile. If you wish to
connect to the Boston Harborwalk, head
out to
Continuing from the intersection of Nashua
Street and Storrow Drive, turn right, past the Police Station and you’ll pass
by a pedestrian bridge that crosses over Storrow Drive to the west end of
Boston. After passing by some tennis courts and a playground the trail splits.
Straight follows alongside Storrow Drive, however, for a more scenic route turn right and this will take you alongside
the
Charles River This section of the trail is mostly tree-lined and contains numerous small
parks. You travel beneath the
Longfellow
Bridge
(Cambridge Street)
after 3/4 miles and pass by a pedestrian bridge over Storrow Drive
to Charles Street. After passing the Community Boathouse and UC
Boathouse, you enter the area known as
the Esplanade at 1 mile.
This includes the Hatch Shell (musical performances), a sailing center,
restrooms and snack bars. On your right is the first of five bridges that cross
over a small lagoon to a long causeway that runs along the river and to your
left is the Arthur Fieldler pedestrian bridge that takes you over Storrow Drive
to Beacon Street
and the Boston Common Gardens. You’ll pass by two more pedestrian
bridges over Storrow Drive
before you come to the
Harvard
Bridge
(Mass Ave)
at 2.1 miles.
Note;
There is a pedestrian ramp that will take you up on the bridge where you may
either cross over the river or cross over Storrow Drive
to access the Emerald
Necklace Greenway . Starting from
the Charles River, the Emerald
Necklace is a series
of interconnecting parks and parkways created by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1891
that pass from Boston
through Brookline
to Jamaica Plain. The Muddy River Bikeway, Jamaicaway Bikeway and
Arborway connect the Charles River Bikeway in the north to the
Southwest Corridor Bikeway in the south as well as Arnold Arboretum
and
Franklin Park. See; Southwest
Corridor Greenway . There are two more Bike It or Hike It Letterboxes located at the southern end of this
Greenway. See; Arnold
Arboretum Letterbox , Franklin
Park Letterbox .
Continuing along the trail, you pass by a
couple more pedestrian bridges and the BU
Sailing Pavilion before you encounter the BU Bridge at 3 ¼ miles. A boardwalk takes you around the bridge's
abutment, as well as under a railroad trestle. The trail now travels between the
river and alongside Soldiers Field Road
and is neither scenic nor shaded. You pass by the River
Street Bridge at 4 ¼ miles (caution; crosswalk only) and then another ¼
miles brings you to the Western Ave
Bridge. The trail improves a bit, but this side of the river is a lot
noisier with car traffic. The John Weeks
pedestrian bridge at 4 ¾ miles takes you both over the river to Harvard
University and over Soldiers Field Road to more of Harvard University. Next comes the
Larz
Anderson
Bridge
and then the
Eliot
Bridge
at 5.7 miles. Note; when you approach this bridge, you must turn right, down a
paved trail to pass underneath the bridge. Straight takes you over the bridge to
the other side of the river. Soldiers
Field, which contains all the
athletic fields and stadiums for Harvard
University, is across the road on
your left. You come to the first of several parking lots at 5.9
miles that are located off of Soldiers Field Road
and part of the Charles River Reservation.
There are numerous trails through this park, but I kept to the right alongside
the river. This takes you over a boardwalk next to the river and past a
community garden, playground and splash pool. The trails merge as you pass by Northeastern's
Boathouse, wind through some fields and finally come to the Western
Ave/Arsenal Street Bridge at 7 miles. Another mile brings you to the North
Beacon Street Bridge where the trail is constricted between the river and Nonantum Road. After passing a community boathouse under construction, the Daly
Skating Rink and the Newton
Yacht Club the river really starts to narrow and the trail becomes rougher
until you reach the
Galen
Street
Bridge
(Route 16) in Watertown
at 9.6 miles.
This is
the halfway point of the Charles
River Bikeway Loop Trail. If you wish to continue up the Charles
River to Newton,
See; Upper Charles River
Bikeway Loop below for directions.
Cross the Galen Street Bridge (Route 16) to Watertown Square and bear right past the promenade that overlooks the river and a wooden platform along the river. The bike trail follows alongside Charles River Road, while a small pedestrian only trail follows alongside the river. The two trails combine occasionally along the way. You'll pass by the Watertown Yacht Club, where the trail turns right down North Beacon Street. When you reach the North Beacon Street Bridge after 11.1 miles, use the crosswalk and the trail now follows alongside Greenough Blvd. There is a small parking lot located here. After 12 miles you pass by the Arsenal Street/Western Ave Bridge and another 1/2 mile affords you a nice view of the river as the bike path separates from the roadside. You pass beneath the Eliot Bridge in a tunnel at 13.6 miles and pass by one of the numerous boat houses you will encounter along the trail. At this point the trail parallels Memorial Drive and can be a bit rough in spots from tree roots.
Note; If
you ride this trail in the summer, a portion of Memorial Drive
is closed to traffic and open to bikes and pedestrians. DCR closes Memorial Drive
in Cambridge
between Western Avenue
and Mount Auburn Street. The closure is in effect from 11:00am to 7:00pm starting the last
Sunday of April until the 2nd Sunday of November.
Memorial Drive is lined on both sides with
Plane trees and passes by the brick buildings of Harvard University, as
well as the 1906 Harvard Boat House. On your left will be JFK
Park just before the
Lars
Anderson
Bridge
at 14.2 miles and soon you’ll past the John
Weeks Bridge, a pedestrian/bike only bridge across the Charles River. When you reach the Western
Ave Bridge at 14.8 miles the road closure ends. Pass by the Cambridge
Street/River Street Bridge, then the BU
Bridge at 15.7 miles. Just past the BU Boathouse will be one of the
best skyline views of Boston
and Beacon Hill. You next encounter the Harvard Bridge (Mass Ave)
at 16.8 miles, followed by the Longfellow
Bridge (Cambridge Street) where the trail follows Memorial Drive out over
the river and then underneath the bridge. Check out the subway cars as they
cross over the bridge. After passing beneath the bridge you then cross an iron
drawbridge. From here you have a great view of the Museum
of
Note;
A nice side trip is a stone dust trail that can be reached by traveling
alongside the river and underneath this bridge. The trail then loops around a
small inlet, surrounded by beautiful buildings and shops and returns you to the
other side of the
Commercial
Ave
Follow Commercial Ave
out to Route 28 (Monsignor Obrien Highway) and turn right on the
Charles River
Dam
Bridge. This brings you back to the
Museum
of
Upper
Charles River Bikeway
Starting from the
Galen
Street
Bridge
(Route 16) in Watertown, along the southern side of the river, cross over Galen Street. There will be two granite pillars inscribed “Charles
River Reservation”. Head past these posts along a double-wide sidewalk.
Bear right along a hard packed dirt trail and over the Laundry Brook Confluence via an iron bridge. This brings you to a
map board under a canopy of trees. Benches overlook the Watertown Dam on the
Charles River
and a footbridge crosses the river as well. There are a total of 20 dams along
the Charles River, which starts from Hopkinton, MA, as well as Fish Ladders. The trail heads up to
California Street, where it’s paved and then back along the river. A ½ mile takes you past the
first of many platforms overlooking the river. Also, keep an eye out for the
many etched rocks along the trail containing pictures of insects, trees…You
pass by
Forte
Memorial
Park
on your left and travel along a boardwalk before coming to
Bridge Street
at 1.2 miles. After crossing over Bridge Street, follow the blue Heron foot prints across the road and up along
California Street. Then pass through the granite pillars. The trail here is stone-dust. It brings
you down along the riverbank and utilizes several boardwalks throughout. At 1.7
miles, you cross over the river via the Blue
Heron Bridge, a 140 foot pedestrian suspension bridge with promenades on
both ends. Straight would have brought you out to Albemarle Road
access. As you travel along the northern side of the river now you'll pass by
more river overlooks and cross more boardwalks. You then come to the Farwell
Street Bridge and again follow the blue Heron feet left across this bridge.
The trail is now paved again. At 2.6 miles you come to a 4-way intersection.
Left is just an access trail to Calvary Street. Right takes you over the Bleachery Footbridge which is alongside an old
railroad trestle. After crossing, left is an access trail to River Street
and right brings you to a promenade overlooking Bleachery Dam. There is
also a parking lot located here off River Street
in the Shaws Supermarket parking lot. Continuing from the 4-way
intersection, travel underneath the old railroad trestle and you'll soon be
passing by more river overlooks. Next you'll pass by the
Newton
Street
Bridge
and then the
Elm
Street
Bridge
at 3.1 miles. A short ½ mile detour is necessary here. Follow the footprints
left up Elm Street
utilizing the sidewalk. Turn right along Pine Street
and then right down Cooper Street. Continue straight when Cooper Street
turns right and this will bring you around a parking lot and back to the trail.
You’ll come to a footbridge over the river at 3.6 miles.
Note;
The footbridge takes you over to the Charles
River Museum of Industry. See; CHARLES
RIVER MUSEUM for more information.
You can also check it out on the return trip when the trail loops back to that
side of the river.
Continue past the parking garage and the trail
leads up to the Moody Street Bridge.
A Dam and Fish Ladder is along your
right and a downtown area is along your left. Use the crosswalk (no cross-light)
to cross over this busy street. This brings you to Cronin’s
Landing, a brick lined trail along the river with benches and a wooden dock.
When you reach Crescent Street, turn right for a0.6 mile on-road detour. The
sidewalk here is narrow. When you reach the Prospect
Street Bridge, use the cross walk over Prospect Street. As of August
2008, the newest section of trail that begins to your right and travels behind
the Waltham Watch Factory building is not complete, so you must continue
the on-road detour. Continue along Crescent Street traveling in
front of the Waltham Watch Factory and along its green wrought iron fence. When
you reach the end of the fence, turn right and follow the path down to the river
and the continuation of the hard packed dirt trail at 4 ½ miles. This leads you
through a parking lot for the Woerd Ave boat launch and out to Woerd Ave.
Thus begins another on-road detour. Travel right along Woerd Ave
and you’ll cross over a bridge. This will take you through a residential
area. Woerd Road
now turns into Forest Grove Road
as you cross over a causeway with the river on your right and Purgatory Cove on
your left. This brings you to Forest Grove Park and the end of the road at 5 ¼
miles. Head past the green gate and rejoin the trail which starts off as gravel
and then turns to stone-dust. Several paths intersect with the trail; just keep
with the stone-dust. Bear right at an intersection and this will bring you to Auburndale
Park, which has playgrounds, ball fields, picnic areas and restrooms. After you pass
by the William Connolly Recreation Center, turn right and cross over a stone
bridge. Turn left along the River Walk Trail. When you come to an intersection,
bear right, keeping the ball fields on your left. This will bring you to Islington Road
and Commonwealth Ave
at 6 miles. Head right along Commonwealth Ave, which is on-road, although there is a sidewalk. This takes you past the
Norumbega Conservation Area and the Charles River Canoe & Kayak Center (See;
C.R.CANOE & KAYAK
for more information). Cross over the Commonwealth Ave Bridge and you’ll come
to a set of stairs on your right at 6.6 miles. These lead to a parking lot along
the river and Norumbega Road in Newton.
This is the halfway point for the Upper Charles River
Bikeway Loop
. You now head back towards Watertown
along the northern side of the Charles River.
If your biking and don’t want to carry your bike down these steep stairs, turn right up the I-95 on-ramp (use caution as there is not much of a shoulder) to a road leading off on your right. This will bring you down to Norumbega Road. Head left along this low traffic road for another on-road detour. This winding road travels above the river and its inlets and takes you past an odd stone tower across a meadow at 7 ½ miles. See; TOWER for the odd story behind it. There are some picnic tables and benches, but this site has been long neglected. When you come to River Road, you need to turn right along the sidewalk. However, you can take a quick detour by heading straight across the road and up Gate House Lane to check out the earthen dam and spillway for Stony Brook Reservoir. Part of the Cambridge Water Works. Continuing right along River Road, you cross a bridge and the road turns into South Street. Take your next right down Charles River Road (residential) and this will bring you back along Roberts Bay, part of the Charles River. At your next intersection, continue straight past the Do Not Enter signs (for auto traffic) and through an apartment complex and then a business complex. This will bring you to Sawyer Road, next to some railroad tracks at 8.4 miles. Turn right and you’ll come to the rear entrance for the Mt Flake Cemetery. A dirt path on your left takes you around the gate to the paved road. I’m not sure if this has officially become part of the trail as yet. Head straight along Howe Ave into the cemetery. Their are many different routes to take through this very scenic cemetery, but generally if you stay straight it will take you towards the front gate. For views of the river, keep to the right once you hit Maynard Ave. Once you pass the gate house you'll come to the front entrance along Prospect Street. Turn right along the road and just before the bridge on your left will be the start of the paved trail at about 9 3/4 miles. Note; There is no crosswalk so use caution. The trail takes you down along the river and eventually alongside some railroad tracks. You come to the Moody Street Bridge at 10.4 miles. There is a crosswalk, but this is a very busy street. once you reach the other side, the trail veers right past the Dam and alongside the Fish Ladder. The trail turns to stone-dust as it travels through Landry Park. You'll come to a signboard for the "Historic Landmark District" and a footbridge over the river. Turn left for the bricked-lined Museum Walk that brings you to the Charles River Museum of Industry. See; CHARLES RIVER MUSEUM for more information. After checking out the museum you need to head back along the trail and right up past the brick building to Moody Street. This street passes straight through the Lowell Mills complex. When you reach the end you'll cross over some old railroad tracks and head past a silver gate and over some more old railroad tracks to Elm Street. Use the crosswalk over Elm Street and head right over the Elm Street Bridge to return to the paved trail at 11 miles. This is a retrace along the southern side of the river that you rode on your trip upstream, as there is no good route along the northern side. Retrace this route all the way to the Farewell Street Bridge, where you'll have to cross over this bridge and retrace the northern route back to the Blue Heron Bridge. Again, cross back over the river and retrace this southern route back to Bridge Street at mile 13. Use the cross-light and then turn left over the bridge to reach a new section of trail along the northern side of the river. This section is paved and includes some boardwalks, as well as, platforms overlooking the river. You'll pass by the MDC's "Dealtry" swimming pool and Charles River Reservation parking lot in Watertown. A pedestrian bridge crosses over the river here. When you come to a white building at 14 miles, the trail splits. Left is an access trail out to pleasant Street. Turn right and you'll come to a platform overlooking the Watertown Dam. Continue along the boardwalk between the river and building, which turns back to pavement and you'll come to Watertown Square at 14 1/4 miles. See; Charles River Bikeway Loop above.
HH
CLICK HERE FOR CHARLES RIVER BIKEWAY MAP
CLICK HERE FOR WATERTOWN TO WALTHAM SECTION MAP
CLICK HER FOR WALTHAM TO NEWTON SECTION MAP
CLICK HERE FOR BOSTON BIKE MAP
BEFORE YOU SET OUT BE SURE TO READ THE
WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER
BIKE IT OR HIKE IT LETTERBOXING
