Ride the Lower Neponset River Trail
Boston / Dorchester–Milton, Massachusetts
Activity
Biking / River Trail
Difficulty
Easy / paved urban rail trail
Distance
10 mi round trip
Elevation gain
~100 ft
Duration
~1–2 hrs
Route
Out & back
The adventure
Ride the five-mile Neponset greenway from Dorchester into Milton, then turn around and make it a ten-mile river trip.
Start beside the Neponset at Pope John Paul II Park and ride inland along the paved greenway toward Milton. Cross the former railroad structures, follow the river corridor through the urban wild and keep going until you've covered the established five-mile trail.
Urban river greenway, salt marsh and neighborhood corridor
What you'll do
Start at Pope John Paul II Park trail parking, then follow the route about 5 miles each way.
Expect paved.
Expect roughly 100 ft of climbing along the way.
What you're looking at
- The greenway is unusually transit-accessible for a recreational trail.
- former railroad bridge
The story of the place
A former Milton Branch railroad bridge now carries the Neponset Trail across the river.
Once you're there
Use the trail parking at Pope John Paul II Park off Gallivan Boulevard/Morrissey Boulevard and enter the paved Neponset greenway. Ride west/inland, staying on the signed shared-use corridor as it follows and crosses the river toward Milton and Mattapan.
Continue through the established Lower Neponset trail length, then turn around and retrace the paved route to Pope John Paul II Park. Keep right and slow for bridge approaches, intersections and pedestrians.
Don't miss
When the trail takes over the former Milton Branch bridge, slow down and look at the river underneath. Industrial transportation corridor turned greenway is the whole Neponset story in one crossing.
Good to know
- Access
- No permit or reservation requirement identified for ordinary individual trail cycling.
- Best time to go
- The paved trail is generally available year-round; snow, ice, flooding or construction can affect sections.
- Hours
- Dawn to dusk
- Transit
- Accessible from commuter rail, Red Line/Mattapan Line and multiple bus routes.
- Habitat
- Salt-marsh and urban-wild landscapes along the Neponset.
- Hazards
- Shared-use traffic, road crossings, winter ice, localized flooding
- Dogs
- Dogs are allowed on the trail/reservation subject to standard leash and posted park rules.
- FIVE MILES EACH WAY
- The Lower Neponset River Trail runs about five miles between Dorchester and Milton.
- URBAN WILD
- The paved route mixes salt-marsh views, river scenery and an urban-wild corridor.
- TRANSIT FRIENDLY
- Parking is available at Pope John Paul II Park, and the trail is also reachable from several MBTA stations and bus routes.
- SHARE THE PATH
- This is a busy shared-use path.
- Surface
- Paved shared-use path
- Managed by
- Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation — Neponset River Reservation.
Please respect the place
- No motorized vehicles
- Keep right except to pass
- Signal audibly before passing
- Stop at posted stop signs
- Shared path — expect walkers, runners and cyclists
Photos
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