QUINCY NEPONSET RIVERWALK:
QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Last Updated: June 27, 2015
Length: Quincy Neponset Riverwalk; 2.6 miles
Difficulty: Easy. Flat trail with multiple surfaces. Paved, stone-dust, loose gravel and hard packed dirt.
Directions:
From I-93
northbound take exit 11 to Granite Ave and continue straight. Cross over the
river and take your first right on Hilltop St which turns into Hallet St. Turn
right on Route 203 (Gallivan St). See below:
From I-93
southbound take exit 12 to Route 203 (Gallivan St). See below:
Turn right
on Route 3A and cross back over the
river. Keep left for Quincy Shore Drive. Cross over the RR tracks and take your
first right to Commander Shea Blvd. Head right. After you cross a causeway over
an inlet take your first right on Seaport Drive. Turn left on Victory Rd and
follow to its end. Turn left and come to an intersection. Continue straight to the
Squantum Point parking lot.
The Quincy
Neponset RiverWalk, part of the Neponset
River Reservation, travels along the Quincy side of the Neponset
River Estuary, from the Gazebo at Adams Inn to Squantum Point Park. Squantum
Point Park was originally used as a Naval airfield. It was also once the
home of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, which built destroyers
for the Navy. It maintains both its bird habitat and the traces of its aviation
history. The Quincy Neponset RiverWalk is directly connected via the
Neponset Avenue Bridge sidewalk to Pope
John Paul II Park and the Neponset
River Greenway trail in Dorchester, which are also part of the Neponset
River Reservation. See: QUINCY NEPONSET RIVERWALK & SQUANTUM POINT PARK for more information.
Starting from Squantum Point Park; The stone-dust Quincy Neponset RiverWalk leads from the end of the parking lot out to a dock jutting out into the Squantum Channel.
Note; I haven't checked this out yet. On your right is the Marina Bay Boardwalk which follows the shoreline around a Marina.
Note; On your left is a shelter for the MARINA BAY FERRY which is accessed from the dock.
Continue left along the hard packed gravel trail with open views of Squantum Channel. The trail turns inland bringing you to an intersection after 0.4 miles. A set of parallel paved paths represent the old runway from Harvard Aviation Field. Head left along the North Path passing by informational granite markers that tell the history of the site. Spur trails along the way connect to the South Path. When you reach the third spur head right over to the South Path.
Note; Straight brings you to an old parking lot. If hiking you may continue straight and the path loops back to the South Path where you'll find another informational marker. However this section contains stairs.
Follow the South Path back just past the third spur trail and you'll pick up the Quincy Neponset RiverWalk on your left.
Note; Straight brings you out to an overlook of Squantum Channel and the outflow of the Neponset River. Great views of the Boston skyline, as well as, the rainbow tower in Dorchester. Airplanes fly overhead as they come into Logan Airport.
This section consists of hard packed gravel and travels through a small tree and shrub corridor. Isolated. After 1.1 miles you cross a small bridge to a loose gravel trail that skirts the Boston Scientific property and a seawall along the Neponset River. Very tough biking this short section. Loose gravel not compacted. Finally at 1.4 miles the trail turns inland where it becomes stone-dust as you pass by a salt marsh before coming to the Commander Shea Blvd parking lot at 1.6 miles. Sign board located here. Use Caution crossing the road over to a paved trail as there is no cross-walk. Head right on the paved trail alongside the Blvd and cross a causeway over an inlet. Just past Edgewater Place (Apartment complex) at 2.2 miles cross over the Blvd where the paved trail continues along a salt marsh. The trail then turns left as it reaches the river and travels underneath the RR bridge. Pass by Neponset Landing Park and you'll come to a map board at 2.4 miles just below Route 3A.
Note; From here you can access the Neponset River Greenway which is located across the river. Take the ramp up to Route 3A and head right across the river along the pedestrian path. When you reach the intersection at the end of the bridge turn right and follow Quincy Shore Drive/Neponset Ave on-road back towards the river and underneath Route 3A. Spot a small path that will take you out to the Neponset River Greenway after 0.5 miles. Right takes you to Pope John Paul II Park.
Continue underneath Route 3A and you'll come to the Adams Inn and a stone-dust trail at 2.5 miles.
Note; Bikes are not allowed past this point as it utilizes the Inn's property. The trail currently ends on the other side of the Inn at a boardwalk gazebo at 2.6 miles.
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CLICK HERE FOR QUINCY NEPONSET RIVERWALK MAP
CLICK HERE FOR NEPONSET RIVER GREENWAY MAP
BEFORE YOU SET OUT BE SURE TO READ THE
WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER
BIKE IT OR HIKE IT