Charles River loop

To get to know Boston, the best place to start is the Charles River basin. Once a sprawling tidal river with winding estuaries and thousands of acres of salt marsh, the Charles today is wholly reinvented. In an exploration of the lower Charles, this hike takes you on a tour of Boston's lagoon and tree-lined Esplanade, and then crosses to Cambridge where it follows the embankement to Harvard University. Looping back to Boston's shore via a scenic footbridge, the hike returns to the start at Longfellow bridge.

Length: 7.78 miles

Configuration: loop

Trail surface: pavement with stretches of grass or packed earth

Hiking time: 2.5-3 hrs

Rain cancels this event