Sixty-five Miles of Bikeways for Jessica's 65th Birthday
9:00 am, Saturday, September 10, 2016

Another five years, another five miles. We'll start at the summit of Bellevue Hill, the highest point in Boston and circumnavigate the city, staying on bikepaths along waterways as much as we can for a total of 60 miles. It will take much of the day, but you can come and go at any time. It is always interesting to see the changes in paths (and people--yoou might be surprised!) which happen over five years.

We'll ride down Stony Brook, then the Neponset River to Boston Harbor, then up the Harbor and around Charlestown to the Mystic River, up the Mystic River to the new Alewife Brook trail. At Alewife Station, we'll take the maybe-paved Fitchburg Cutoff trail to Belmont, then cut over to the Charles River, which we will follow all of the way to Dedham. Then it's back down Mother Brook, up Bellevue Hill and across Roslindale to birthday cake at Jessica's new house at the end.

The ride is free.

Photos from [2001] [2006] [2011] [2016]

Details

  • Where: Meet at the summit of Bellevue Hill, reachable by paved paths from the West Roxbury Parkway just north of its intersection with Washington St. or from Bellevue Hill Rd. in West Roxbury.
  • When: Departing at 9:00 am, Saturday, September 10, 2011
  • Distance: 65 miles.
  • Pace: Relaxed, probably 9-12 MPH.
  • Terrain: A big hill at the end, but mostly flat.
  • Route: Mostly off-road on paved paths.
  • Leader: Jessica Mink

Maps and Cue sheet

 route map

Getting There

Bicycle

Ride south from Forest Hills on Washington St. or from the Emerald Necklace on Centre St. to the the West Roxbury Parkway, and take one of the paths up the hill.

MBTA

You can take your bike on T rapid transit lines and some bus lines, (none of which go near today's ride), for no extra charge. Details are on the MBTA website.

From Forest Hills (Orange Line):
Take Washington St. up the hill throuogh Roslindale to the top and turn right on the West Roxbury Parkway and follow one of the paths on your left to the summit. The buses now have racks, so you might be able to take a 34 or 34E bus to the intersection.

Car

Find your way to Bellevue Hill Rd. either from Lagrange St., the next light south of the summit of the hill on Washington St. or Clement Ave., which parallels the West Roxbury Parkway and can be entered from Pelton St.

Bailout points

Since we're going around the city, you can always head back in. We'll pass several Red and Orange Line subway stations and later Green Line stations.


Click for Google Maps