Dr. Paul Dudley White Trail
The Dr. Paul Dudley White Trail is a popular, well-traveled trail that runs along both sides of the Charles River in Boston and Watertown, Massachusetts in a continuous loop. The trailhead at the Museum of Science is located at the Charles River Dam between Museum Way and Nashua Street. Parking is available at the Museum of Science parking garage, and there are at least a dozen places along the route where you can park your car on the street and pick up the trail a block or so away. The trail also features restrooms in the Cambridge and Boston segments, along with water fountains.
The trail consists of green space and trees most of its distance, although there are a few places that will remind you that you're in a city with lots of people and traffic. Part of the Charles River Greenway, it passes through Boston's Esplanade with its pools and fountains, views of the Charles River Basin and the Cambridge shoreline. This is a beautiful area, and a great place to stop for a rest with your fur-pup, or for a sit on a bench to watch the sailboats, kayaks and sculls silently gliding by. The Esplanade is also near the Hatch Shell outdoor amphitheater where you may be able to listen in on a concert in the summer.
The Watertown end of the trail will treat you to some especially scenic views of the river and the surrounding woods and wetlands. Wooden footbridges span the marshy and muddy spots, and here you and Fido will spy waterfowl like egrets, frogs and other amphibians, as well as small mammals.
The Dr. Paul Dudley White Trail is open year-round, and in the winter, it's plowed and maintained for cross-country skiing, as well as hiking. The Charles River is especially beautiful in the winter, and with most of the foliage gone, you can get a truly spectacular view of the opposite shore, and the Boston skyline from the other side..
This trail provides opportunities for short walks or longer hikes, and the parts of the trail you travel afford access to coffee shops and restaurants along the way. You're sure to find a segment that suits you and your furry bestie pawrfectly!
This is an urban trail, and is sometimes a narrow path with little room to pass, with intersections with no signals at all or signals only for wheeled traffic, and poor or absent signage. In those sections, it's important to stay alert, keep Fido's leash secure and expect the unexpected. Geese are abundant along the river and they can be aggressive, so it's best to avoid them. Most of all, because this is a heavily used trail for walkers, runners, bicyclists and in-line skaters, be sure to stay to the right to let faster folks get by without jostling you or startling your pup!
