Lower Neponset River Trail

April 19, 2020 Sunny

The Lower Neponset River Trail follows the path of a former railroad bed along the shore of the Neponset River. The trail stretches from the historic Port Norfolk neighborhood in Dorchester, through Pope John Paul II Park, across Granite Avenue through the Neponset Marshes, and through the Lower Mills area to Central Avenue in Milton. We actually walked part of this trail when we visited Neponset River Reservation last year, but this time we brought our bikes.

We started near the end of the trail at Mattapan T Station. Very soon we crossed the Harvest River Bridge.

After crossing the bridge, the trail was flanked by the narrow Neponset River the left and the right was grassland. This short section was relatively natural and peaceful. We then came to the historic Port Norfolk neighborhood in Dorchester, where one side of the trail were old mills and historic markers, and the other side was the T Red Line. There were also quite a few pedestrian crossings.

There were interesting murals all along the trail. Soon we reached the Neponset Marshes. The views were expansive. We could see boats and people fishing. The other side was the Cedar Grove Cemetery.

After crossing Granite Ave, we rode past a spray park that is part of the Neponset River Reservation, then Pope John Paul II Park. The end of the trail was at Joseph Finnegan Park, and the views from the small landing were awesome.

The entire trail was quite short and easy, and was very popular. At different times the trail was almost crowded. It had a lot of variety as it went through some some urban areas and short stretches of peace and quiet. This trail can be combined with stops at different historic sites and playgrounds.

• This is a good, flat urban ride, past industrial areas but also more natural areas.
• This is a short bike trail, good for little kids. Can be busy.
• The best part was that we had already done this before, which is proof that we’re redoing state parks.
• There was a lot of bridges along the river to cross.
• There were 3 tunnels in the whole park. We also biked, which was really fast.

For more information: Lower Neponset River Trail official site