Janie Walker

Mar 14, 2022

Lovely urban bike path (open to pedestrians) along the Charles River

This bike path is a lovely way to experience scenic Charles River views from Watertown to Boston. You'll go by many known sights and institutions such as MIT, Harvard, Boston U, the Museum of Science, and Hatch Memorial Shell. Free parking can be found at Christian Herter Park. From there, you can walk or ride your bike in either direction to start the loop. The western end is at Galen Street Bridge in Watertown and the eastern end is the bridge right by the Museum of Science (heavy traffic area). The western end has more trees and a bit more of a nature feel while the eastern part is all city and college areas. The path throughout is, at the time of this review, well maintained. If you don't like the heat then I'd go in the fall or early spring as there is little shade to be had, though the eastern section has a few shaded bench areas close to MIT and Hatch Shell. Water fountains can be found on the eastern bit too (they are shut off from Nov-April). This path is heavily used, especially near the eastern side. The water is often heavily used too (college crew teams and sailboats).