Neponset River Greenway Past Events

Neponset River Greenway

The Neponset River forms Boston's southern border with Quincy and Milton.
In addition to the mills left from its history as an industrial center,
many scenic vistas remain.

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) MassParks
owns much of the shoreline as the Neponset River Reservation.

Recent Events along the Trail

Sunday, September 25, 2022: Bike Ride North from the Neponset Trail
Join the Neponset River Greenway Council at 1:00 pm for a bike ride along the future Neponset Trail north from its current end at Tenean Beach in Dorchester. We'll be riding north off-road as much as possible, coming back on busier streets on bike lanes as much as possible. Total distance will be about 15 miles.

Saturday, March 26, 2022, 10:00 am: Spring Neponset Trail Bike Ride [photos]
Meet at 10:00 am at Tenean Beach on Conley St. in the Port Norfolk neighborhood of Dorchester to bike up the Neponset Trail to its southern end in Hyde Park. We'll stop for snacks at Ryan Playground in Mattapan and again at Dunkin Donuts in Readville (which also has restrooms). On the way back we'll ride through Hyde Park and rejoin the trail at Fairmount Ave. A brief detour will explore the Ventura Park neighborhood of Dorchester. From Tenean Beach, those who wish to will continue north to the middle of the next extension northward at Victory Road and return with a stop at Phillips Candies for a dose of chocolate. Helmets are required. Bring a mask if you wish to wear one when inside a building or close to others. Heavy rain will cancel. Saturday, January 1, 2022, 1:00pm: Neponset Trail First Day Walk
Meet at 1 pm on New Year's Day 2022 on the Neponset Trail west of Central Ave. next to the Neponset River in Milton. You can find car parking nearby at Walgreens or bike parking at Central Ave. and there is warm stuff to drink across Eliot St. a few short steps away.

Sign up at EventBrite.

We will walk west to Mattapan Square over the scenic Harvest River and Canopy Bridges and back for a total distance of 2.7 miles. If you'd like a shorter walk, you can return on the trolley from the Mattapan or Capen Street stations.

Wear a mask because the Omicron variant of SArS-Cov2 is more contagious than previous versions of the virus and because on the trail we might be walking close together, though we'll try to stay six feet apart. We'll walk rain or shine!

This picturesque section of the trail has won local and national awards for landscape architecture and planning, and is a great place to see local wildlife like turkeys and deer. Got questions about the trail? Come and talk with us about your ideas for improvements, and learn about the projects in the works to extend the trail and connect to a regional network of green spaces!

Wednesday, May 26, 2021 7:00pm: Public Hearing Notice Neponset River Greenway Construction (Proj No. 608943)
Here are the notice and flyer.
A live virtual Design Public Hearing (DPH) for the extension of the Neponset Trail north from Tenean Beach to Morrissey Boulevard will hosted at the following MassDOT website:
Most of the slides and the handout from the May 26 public 75% Design Hearing on the extension of the Neponset Trail northward from its current terminus toward UMass/Boston are linkesd below. Check them out! It's been 20 years since we first thought we were going to get this piece of the trail built in a year or two; there are a lot of stories to tell about how it took this long.
www.mass.gov/massdot-highway-design-public-hearings.
[handout] [slides]

Wednesday, May 26, 2021: MassTrails Team Announces Shared-Use Trail Study Results
MassTrails presents the Shared Use Path Benefits Primer and Shared Use Path Impacts Study which examine and summarize a study on the impacts of shared use paths across the Commonwealth. The study focused on four trails across the Commonwealth selected to represent a variety of geographies - from the Connecticut River Valley to Cape Cod - and contexts - from urban to rural. They were the Northern Strand, the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway, the Norwottuck section of the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT), and the Cape Cod Rail Trail.

Saturday, July 10, 2021 10:00 am: Summer Neponset Trail Ride
Join us at Paul's Bridge in Milton at 10:00 am to bike down the Neponset River on the existing Neponset Trail for a look at future extensions and both the south and north ends of the existing trail. We'll discuss the history of the trail and enjoy its beautiful bridges as we bike on moderate terrain with very little climbing for a distance of around 20 miles. Heavy rain will postpone the ride for a week.
There's still another 4,000 feet to go toward the finished northern section of the path around Columbia Point to Carson Beach to Castle Island. That next segment will come along with the interminably-delayed climate-change-resilient reconstruction of Morrisey Boulevard so it doesn't have to be closed due to its being under the harbor every month at highest tides.
At the other end of the trail, we're urging the DCR to design and build the last 4,000 feet to connect via the Neponset Valley Parkway right of way to the buffered bike lanes along Route 138/Blue Hill Ave.
And in Hyde Park there is a 2,000 foot gap between Dana Ave. and the trail's resumption north of Fairmount Ave., though there is a nice detour across the river, along Walnut St. past "Welcome to Hyde Park" and Hyde Park history murals to Dana Ave to cross back on the new Grimke Sisters Bridge and view the confluence of Mother Brook and the Neponset River before biking back over the Fairmount Branch to the Neponset Trail. And you get to see Hyde Park's Superfund site, too!

Saturday, July 24, 2021: Mattapan on Wheels
Save the date for the 10th almost-annual Mattapan on Wheels event
There will be 3 different rides, 2 along the Neponset Trail and one to check out new buffered bike lanes in the neighborhood.

First Weekend of Summer Neponset Trail Ride (Postponed until 2021)

Our Spring ride has been postponed to early Summer 2021.
Join us at Castle Island in South Boston at 10:00 am to bike along Boston Harbor and the Neponset River on existing and future portions of the Neponset Trail from Castle Island to Paul's Bridge and back. We'll discuss the history of the trail and enjoy its beautiful bridges as we bike on moderate terrain with very little climbing for a distance of around 27 miles. A helmet is required, and you should dress warmly. Heavy rain will postpone the ride for a week.

February 29, 2020: Leap Day Walk starting at Paul's Bridge

Here are some photos from the walk
Join the Neponset River Greenway Council at Paul's Bridge at 10:00 am on Saturday, February 29 for a winter walk along the river on Leap Day! The NRGC organizes and promotes events along the trail and advocates for maintenance and expansion of the trail. We will explore the southern end of the Neponset River Greenway trail and options for future connections to the Blue Hills via the Burma Road trail in Fowl Meadow and the future Blue Hill Avenue bikeway. Talking points along the way will include a bit of history, nature and talk about upcoming activities along the Greenway.
This walk is free and is open to the public.
Wear sturdy footwear and expect to hike some flat but possibly muddy trails.
The walk will be cancelled if there is heavy rain or snow deeper than three inches.

February 24, 2020: EPA Superfund Public Informational Meeting

Here is the EPA's handout. Here is the EPA's presentation. Read about the meeting at NepRWA's web site.
On Monday, February 24, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Mildred Avenue Middle School Auditorium 5 Mildred Avenue in Mattapan, The public is encouraged to attend a public informational session about the Superfund status of the Lower Neponset River. The Lower Neponset River site is currently identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the 3.7-mile stretch of the Neponset River from the point where it merges with Mother Brook, a branch of the Neponset River located upstream of Dana Avenue, Hyde Park, Massachusetts (MA), extending downstream to the Walter Baker Dam located upstream of Adams Street, Dorchester/Milton, MA. Based on preliminary studies, this portion of the river contains sediment contaminated with elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Maintained by Neponset River Greenway Council President Jessica Mink (email)
Last updated September 23, 2022