Wednesday - August 23, 2006

The Minuteman Bike Path—Bedford, Lexington, Arlington, Cambridge MA

Built by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on defunct railroad tracks the Minuteman Bike Path is a historical journey as well as great exercise. The path starts in Bedford, passes through historic Lexington, proceeds through Arlington, ending in Cambridge were riders can then transfer to the Somerville Community Path. If you are looking for a safe enjoyable place to ride you bike in greater Boston this is it. The path is paved from beginning to end and only mingles with street traffic for short stretches (usually crossing a street to reenter the path). Since this is a multi-use path, there are also runners, walkers, and Rollerbladers throughout the length. The distance from Bedford to Cambridge is approximately ten and one-half miles. Picking up the Somerville path adds another couple of miles to the trip.

This has been one of my favorite locations for walking, Rollerblading, and biking for years. I even courted my wife on the path, taking her for long walks and blading in the evenings.

There are several locations for official entry to the path: In Bedford there is public parking and restroom facilities at the corner of Railroad Ave and South St., In Lexington parking and restrooms are available at Meriam St. off of Mass Ave, in Arlington parking and restrooms are located off of Broadway and Pleasant St., and finally in Cambridge there is parking and restrooms at the Alewife train station. These are the official parking and entry points, but there are places all along the path were you can find parking and jump on.

A PDF version of the path map can be downloaded from the minutemanbikeway.org . There is also a terrific map available at most book stores “Boston’s Bikemap” from Rubel BikeMaps which not only covers the Minuteman Path, but most of the greater Boston paths.

With the insane traffic and staking highways in the Boston area, the Minuteman Bike Path is a savior, providing a safe environment for children and adults to enjoy outdoor activities.

Overall:

Food: NA

Restrooms: NA

Cost: NA

Hours: NA

Getting there: You can pickup the path at numerous locations along the route. See map at minutemanbikeway.org