The Emerald Necklace: A Walking Guide to Boston's 7-Mile Park Chain

Yes, you can walk the whole Emerald Necklace in a day. It's a chain of parks of about 7 miles from the Back Bay Fens to Franklin Park, and at an easy pace that's roughly two and a half to three hours of actual walking, before you stop to stare at a heron or eat something. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy describes it as an 1,100-acre chain of parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, and it's open to everyone, every day, for free.

The honest version: most of it is lovely, one stretch near Forest Hills is basically a sidewalk next to traffic, and public restrooms are rarer than a parking spot in the North End. Plan for that and it's one of the best free days in Boston.

What the Emerald Necklace actually is

It's a string of connected parks running from the edge of Back Bay out to Roxbury and Dorchester, mostly following the Muddy River and the parkways Olmsted laid out alongside it. The Conservancy's park list goes Charlesgate, the Back Bay Fens, the Riverway, Olmsted Park, Jamaica Pond, the Arnold Arboretum, the Arborway and Franklin Park.

The origin story is less romantic than the name. In 1878 the city hired Olmsted to fix a polluted, flood-prone tidal marsh at the edge of the brand-new Back Bay. It smelled, it flooded, and he turned it into the Fens. In other words, Boston's most beautiful park system started as a drainage project. Very on brand.

You'll hear people say the Necklace starts at Boston Common. Technically the Common and Public Garden are much older and weren't Olmsted's, but they make a great warm-up. If you want the full prologue, do our Common to Garden walk first, read up on the history of the Common and the Garden, then head down Commonwealth Avenue through Back Bay toward the Fens.

The route, park by park

Walk it south and west, from the Fens toward Franklin Park. That way you finish at the Orange Line, which gets you back downtown without a transfer.

1. Back Bay Fens

Start here. The Fens sit between Fenway Park and the Museum of Fine Arts, and the paths wind along the Muddy River with reeds tall enough to lose a toddler in. The highlights are the James P. Kelleher Rose Garden and the Victory Gardens, which the Conservancy says citizens planted in 1941 to grow food during World War II. They're now the oldest active Victory Gardens, still worked as a community garden.

The Conservancy's Shattuck Visitor Center is at 125 The Fenway, in a building that started life in 1882 as a pump station for controlling the water. Its hours are seasonal, so check before you count on it for maps or a bathroom.

Get there: Museum of Fine Arts (Green Line E) or Fenway (Green Line D) · Our Fenway walk covers the neighborhood around it

2. The Riverway

From the southern end of the Fens, follow the Muddy River southwest. The Riverway is the narrow, wooded stretch where the river runs between parkways, with paths on both banks. It's the quietest part of the walk, and also where you'll realize the "river" is more of a creek with ambitions. It runs past the Longwood medical area, so you'll share the path with a lot of people in scrubs walking very fast.

Nearby T: Longwood (Green Line D) or Riverway (Green Line E)

3. Olmsted Park

Olmsted Park is 64 acres split between Boston and Brookline, built around a chain of ponds: Leverett Pond, Wards Pond, Willow Pond and Spring Pond. It opened as Leverett Park in 1891 and was renamed for Olmsted in 1900. Leverett Pond has three islands Olmsted built for nesting birds, and the Conservancy calls it the region's top birdwatching spot. Bring patience and maybe binoculars.

4. Jamaica Pond

This is the crowd favorite, and for good reason. Jamaica Pond is 68 acres, more than 50 feet deep, and the largest natural body of water in Boston, a kettle pond left by a glacier. A 1.5-mile path loops around it, which is why every runner in Jamaica Plain seems to live on it.

The boathouse dates to the early 1910s, and in summer the City of Boston says boats are rented through Courageous Sailing. Private boats aren't allowed. The address, if you need one for a meetup, is 507 Jamaicaway.

If you're doing the half-day version, stop here. You've seen the best water views of the whole walk, and Centre Street in JP is a short walk east for lunch and coffee.

Nearby: the 39 bus on Centre and South streets, or the Orange Line at Green Street, a longer walk east through JP

5. The Arborway

From the south end of Jamaica Pond, the Arborway carries you southeast toward the Arboretum. This is a parkway: tree-lined, with paths, but also with cars. Not the highlight. Think of it as the hallway between two nice rooms.

6. Arnold Arboretum

This is the part people fall for. The Arnold Arboretum is a 281-acre landscape run by Harvard, open daily from sunrise to sunset, and free every day. It has over 15,000 accessioned plants, which is a fancy way of saying every tree has a tag and someone knows exactly what it is.

Enter at the Arborway Gate and stop at the Hunnewell Visitor Center at 125 Arborway, open 10 am to 4 pm daily. Per the Arboretum's visitor guidelines, the main restrooms are inside, and there are wheelchair-accessible portable toilets near the Arborway Gate, on Hemlock Hill Road and at the base of Peters Hill, plus a year-round one on Bussey Hill Road. Write that down. It's the best restroom intel on the whole route.

Rules worth knowing: dogs must be on a leash at all times (partly because of coyotes), and bikes and e-bikes are limited to paved paths and the Blackwell Footpath at up to 10 mph.

In October the Arboretum is our pick for fall color you can reach by subway. It's on our list of fall foliage spots without a car for a reason.

Get there or leave: Forest Hills (Orange Line). The Arboretum's directions say to exit through the door marked "Arnold Arboretum," follow the Arborway up the hill to the Forest Hills Gate, and allow about 10 more minutes on the sidewalk to reach the Arborway Gate

7. Franklin Park

The last link, and the biggest. The Conservancy puts it at 527 acres and the city says 485. Either way, it's Boston's largest open space, which is the part both agree on. The Conservancy calls it the Necklace's "crown jewel," and it connects Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan and Roslindale.

It's home to the Franklin Park Zoo and the William J. Devine Golf Course, but the walking is the draw: the Conservancy counts about 15 miles of pedestrian and bridle paths, plus woodland in the area called the Wilderness, Scarboro Pond, and the "99 Steps" at Ellicott Arch. Olmsted gave it almost no water features on purpose, so it feels more like a forest than a city park.

Getting from the Arboretum to Franklin Park means crossing the Forest Hills area along the Arborway. This is the least park-like stretch of the whole Necklace: you're walking beside a busy road. It's short, it's fine, and it's the price of finishing the full chain. Many people skip it and end at the Arboretum, and nobody will revoke your Boston card.

Address: 1 Franklin Park Road · Closest subway: the Orange Line on the park's western side, at Forest Hills or Green Street

How long it takes

Do the math with your own legs, but here's a realistic frame:

• Full chain, Fens to Franklin Park: about 7 miles. Call it 3 hours of walking at a relaxed pace, 4 to 5 with lunch and loitering.
• Fens to Jamaica Pond: the classic half day. Add the 1.5-mile pond loop if your feet are still talking to you.
• Arboretum only: 1 to 2 hours. Easiest to reach, and the one to pick if you only have a morning.
• Franklin Park only: the Conservancy's figure of about six miles of roads and 15 miles of paths means you could spend a whole day here alone.

Best time to go

Fall is peak: cool air, low bugs and the Arboretum's collection in full color. Spring is the other big season, when the flowering trees go off. Summer works if you start early, because large stretches of the Fens and the Arborway are sunny, and the shade gets patchy. Winter is beautiful but short on daylight, and the Arboretum closes at sunset.

Weekday mornings are the quietest. Weekend afternoons around Jamaica Pond can feel like a parade of strollers, joggers and dogs, which is either charming or a gauntlet depending on your mood.

Food, water and restrooms

This is where people get caught out. There's no snack bar every half mile. Some realistic options:

• Before you start: eat near the Fens or the MFA.
• Midway: Centre Street in Jamaica Plain, a short detour east of Jamaica Pond, is your best lunch stop. It's the one place on the route with real choice.
• Restrooms: the Hunnewell Visitor Center in the Arboretum (10 am to 4 pm) and the portable toilets listed above. Anything else, check hours before relying on it.
• Water: bring a full bottle. Don't assume fountains will be running in spring or late fall.

Accessibility and getting around

The Fens, the Riverway and Jamaica Pond are the flattest sections, with long stretches of easy paths. The Arboretum and Franklin Park have real hills (Peters Hill and Bussey Hill are named for a reason). The Arboretum has its own accessibility page worth reading before you go, and its portable toilets near the main gate and on the hills are wheelchair accessible.

The key move is going one way. The Fens end is on the Green Line, and the Arboretum and Franklin Park end is on the Orange Line, so you can walk in one direction and ride home. If the T still confuses you, our guide to riding the T covers tap-to-pay and the colors.

Cyclists can ride much of the route, but remember the Arboretum's paved-paths-only rule and its 10 mph limit, and expect to walk your bike in busier spots.

Make a day of it

• Culture and green: museum in the morning near the Fens, walk to Jamaica Pond in the afternoon.
• Leaf-peeper special: Orange Line to Forest Hills, Arboretum loop, done by lunch.
• The completist: start at the Common, walk the full chain to Franklin Park, and tell everyone. Then tell them again.
• History double: walk the Necklace on Saturday and do the Freedom Trail, honestly on Sunday. One is about trees, one is about tea, both involve a lot of walking.

Want more ground covered on foot? Browse all our neighborhood walks.

FAQ

How long is the Emerald Necklace walk?

About 7 miles from the Back Bay Fens to Franklin Park, per the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. Plan on roughly 3 hours of walking at a relaxed pace, or 4 to 5 hours with lunch and breaks.

Where should I start the Emerald Necklace walk?

Start at the Back Bay Fens near the Museum of Fine Arts (Green Line E) or Fenway (Green Line D) and walk south. You finish near Forest Hills on the Orange Line, so you can ride straight back downtown.

Is the Emerald Necklace free?

Yes. All the parks are free and open every day, including the Arnold Arboretum, which is open sunrise to sunset.

Where are the restrooms on the Emerald Necklace?

The most reliable restrooms are inside the Arnold Arboretum's Hunnewell Visitor Center at 125 Arborway, open 10 am to 4 pm daily. The Arboretum also has accessible portable toilets near the Arborway Gate, on Hemlock Hill Road and at the base of Peters Hill. Elsewhere, check hours before you count on anything.

Can I bring my dog or bike?

Dogs are welcome on a leash; the Arboretum requires leashes at all times. Bikes can use most park paths, but in the Arboretum they are limited to paved paths and the Blackwell Footpath at up to 10 mph.

What is the best part of the Emerald Necklace if I only have a few hours?

Walk from the Fens to Jamaica Pond for the flattest, prettiest half day, or take the Orange Line to Forest Hills and spend a morning in the Arnold Arboretum.

Sources

• Emerald Necklace Conservancy: Park overview
• Emerald Necklace Conservancy: Back Bay Fens
• Emerald Necklace Conservancy: Olmsted Park
• Emerald Necklace Conservancy: Jamaica Pond
• Emerald Necklace Conservancy: Franklin Park
• City of Boston: Jamaica Pond
• City of Boston: Franklin Park
• Arnold Arboretum: Visit
• Arnold Arboretum: Visitor tips and guidelines
• Arnold Arboretum: Directions to the Hunnewell Visitor Center
• Arnold Arboretum: Accessibility
• MBTA: Fares

Prices, hours and schedules change. Tap through to the official source before you go, and if we got something wrong, tell us. We log every fix on our corrections page.