Southwest Corridor Park:
Massachusetts
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Description:
Southwest Corridor Park is a 3.9-mile linear park through the Boston neighborhoods of South End, Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain. A recreation and commuter route popular with walkers, runners, and cyclists, the corridor is a triumph of its surrounding communities, which rallied in the 1960s to prevent a 12-lane highway from flanking a subway line and instead created this 52-acre green space. The park parallels the Orange Line between the Back Bay and Forest Hills T-stations. Forest Hills connects to the Needham commuter rail line, while Back Bay is a stop on the Framingham/Worcester, Providence/Stoughton, and Needham commuter rail lines, as well as the Amtrak line.
The northern trailhead is across from the Back Bay T-station on Dartmouth Street, only blocks from Copley Square, the Boston Public Library, and commercial Newbury Street. Beginning between Neiman Marcus and Firefly Bistro, the trail winds its way between small residential South End side streets lined with historic brownstones. This skillfully designed section includes dog parks, playgrounds, neighborhood vegetable gardens, and basketball and tennis courts.
As the trail crosses West Newton Street, look up at the Prudential Center and John Hancock buildings, highlights of the Boston skyline. Where the trail crosses Massachusetts Avenue, glance right to spot Symphony Hall, home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. As you approach Northeastern University's tennis courts, turn left and then right to remain on the path as it parallels Columbus Avenue for a short stretch to Ruggles Station. Scattered along the corridor are more tennis courts, basketball courts, spray pools, street hockey rinks, and amphitheaters.
The path continues along Columbus Avenue, then cuts behind Jackson Square Station, where murals line the corridor to Center Street. If you're hungry, consider stopping in Jamaica Plain at City Feed & Supply, an excellent grocery and sandwich shop less than a block up Boylston Street from Stony Brook Station.
The trail ends just across Washington Street from Forest Hills Station, though you can extend your walk or ride into Arnold Arboretum, across South Street to the right of the station. The arboretum is part of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead's famous Emerald Necklace, a 1100-acre chain of parks that offers an alternate walking or bike route back downtown.
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Parking & Trail Access:
Avoid driving in Boston by taking the T: Bicycles are permitted on subways during off-peak hours on weekdays or all day on weekends.
Back Bay T-station is on Dartmouth Street in Boston between Columbus Avenue and Stuart Street. There is no designated trail parking, but you'll find street and garage parking in the area.
Forest Hills station is just off the Arborway in Jamaica Plain, at the intersection of Washington Street, South Street, and Hyde Park Avenue.
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Reviews: [0 trail ratings]
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Very happy
By aaronrosenberg in October, 2010
Very happy to have found this trail. Some signage is needed in certain places, but most of all at Columbus and Camden, where one would continue down Columbus (going toward downtown) unless one knew that a left on Camden was necessary.
Great discovery!
By jonhoward in August, 2009
My wife and I found the SW Corridor this spring after a ride through the nearby Arnold Arboretum which we'd been intending to visit for a long time. The Arboretum was beautiful, but not extensive enough to make a ride worth driving up from RI for. Friends from the surrounding community of Jamaica Plain had told us there was some sort of path along the MBTA rapid transit line, so we explored the area around the large MBTA station down the hill from the Arboretum.

Despite a lack of clear signage, the path was easily found across the street from the station, running along a greenway that follows the track northwards toward downtown Boston. There are lots of street crossings and changes of surface, jogs left and right, places stretches of regular sidewak and places where you might think the ride is over until you explore a bit.

Eventually, the greenway ends, but despite appearances, the path does not, continuing down the alley that divides the backs of apartment buildings. From this point, you are pedaling through urban backyards and may take in a half-court basketball game, some great gardens and say hi to someone enjoying coffee. This is not the usual bike path - you need to focus on what's coming up and make a lot of decisions and adjustments to terrain, pedestrians and autos. I think of some paths as similar to video games and this is one. We probably would have lost the track if we hadn't been following two other cyclists who knew the route. We wound up coming out at Back Bay Station, Boston's second largest commuter train terminal, an intensely urban environment. At this point, we gave up the chase, but our "rabbits" continued on.

The Arboretum, by the way, is a classic Victorian park, with several miles of hilly auto-free roads (and throngs of strolling families - take it easy down hills). There are two climbs of a few hundred feet to overlooks of Boston and fabulous trees, gardens, greenhouses and bonsai. However, as a bike ride, it is rather short. We were done in an hour or so. Taken together with the Corridor, this makes an interesting half day of exploring by bike.

Jamaica Plain is major residential/commercial center just outside of Boston proper with a major MBTA rapid transit station, parking and restaurants.
Urban trail for commuters
By Tony in October, 2002
"This paved trail, located in the heart of Boston’s south end, parallels a rapid transit line and a relatively busy four-lane road. The trail offers pedestrians and bicyclists residing near its many access points a means of connecting to adjacent bus and train stations without having to bike/walk on busy city streets. Some hearty commuters/students may choose to bike/walk all or portions of the path’s length and head straight into downtown Boston (near Northeastern University).

The trail is nicely paved and in some spots it is double-tracked; that is, one side is marked for bikers and in-line skaters while the other side is reserved for pedestrians.

Most of the trail route is nicely lined with trees and shrubs. Regardless of the planted foliage though, you won’t forget that you’re in the middle of a major city; the motor vehicle traffic noise is endless. As you might expect, there are a number of busy street crossings along the trail’s route.

If you live and go to school/work near any access points to the Southwest Corridor Park Trail, you might want to try using it someday as a method of getting to your bus or train stop. Or, perhaps you should try biking, skating, or walking to your final destination. However, I don’t recommend traveling a distance to visit this trail strictly for recreational purposes. The nearby Minuteman Bikeway is much better suited for that purpose."
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