Walking the Emerald Necklace: Boston's park chain, section by section

A chain of parks, not a single walk

The Emerald Necklace is the name given to a chain of connected parks that Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who also designed Central Park in New York, planned for Boston starting in the 1870s. Rather than a single park, it links Boston Common and the Public Garden through the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, the Back Bay Fens, the Riverway, Olmsted Park, Jamaica Pond, the Arnold Arboretum, and finally Franklin Park. Olmsted’s idea was to string these green spaces together along the Muddy River and Stony Brook watersheds so that a walker, or in his day a carriage rider, could move from downtown out to the edge of the city almost entirely on park paths.

That is the design intent. In practice, most people who set out to walk the Emerald Necklace today do it in pieces rather than as one continuous outing. Some sections connect by uninterrupted paths and tree-lined parkways; others require crossing busy streets, following sidewalks along traffic, or detouring around construction. This guide treats it that way: as a set of walkable sections you can combine, skip, or repeat depending on your time, the season, and which part of the city you are already in.

If you only have a few hours and want a single well-marked walk instead, the general guide to walking tours in Boston covers shorter, self-contained routes closer to downtown. This page is specifically about the longer green corridor running from the Public Garden out toward Fenway and Jamaica Plain.

The sections, one at a time

Section	Character	Typical access
Boston Common & Public Garden	Formal city parks, paved paths, benches	Walkable from most of downtown; several T lines nearby
Commonwealth Avenue Mall	Tree-lined median walk through Back Bay	Green Line, several stops
Back Bay Fens	Marsh-turned-park, community gardens, paths along the Muddy River	Green Line, stops near Fenway
Riverway & Olmsted Park	Narrow river corridor connecting the Fens to Jamaica Pond	Green Line to bus, limited direct T access
Jamaica Pond	Circular path around a natural pond, popular for running and walking	Orange Line to Jamaica Plain, then a walk or bus
Arnold Arboretum	Harvard-run tree and plant collection, hilly paths	Orange Line to Forest Hills, or bus into Jamaica Plain
Franklin Park	Largest section, woodland and open meadow, includes the zoo	Bus connections from Jamaica Plain or Dorchester

The table is a starting point, not a fixed itinerary. Distances between sections add up quickly, and the chain was never built for a single brisk walk-through the way the Freedom Trail was. Treat each row as its own outing, and expect to return more than once if you want to see the whole thing.

Boston Common, the Public Garden, and Commonwealth Avenue

The chain begins at its most formal end. Boston Common and the adjoining Public Garden are both free to enter, with paved paths, benches, and, in the Public Garden’s case, a pond used seasonally by the Swan Boats. From there, the Commonwealth Avenue Mall carries a tree-shaded median walk straight through Back Bay, past brownstone facades, before the route bends south toward the Fens. This stretch is the easiest of the whole necklace to reach by transit, with several Green Line stops running alongside it.

The Back Bay Fens

The Fens is a marshland turned park, threaded by the Muddy River, with community garden plots, sports fields, and looping paths. It sits close to Fenway Park and the Museum of Fine Arts, so it is easy to combine a walk through the Fens with a stop at either. Green Line stops near Fenway put you within a short walk of the park’s main paths, making this one of the more transit-friendly sections to visit on its own.

The Riverway, Jamaica Pond, and beyond

South of the Fens, the Riverway and Olmsted Park form a narrower green corridor that most walkers move through quickly rather than lingering in. Jamaica Pond, reached from Jamaica Plain, is a different kind of destination: a circular path around open water, popular with runners, dog walkers, and anyone looking for a longer loop without leaving the city. Transit access here shifts to the Orange Line into Jamaica Plain, followed by a walk or a short bus ride, since no single T line runs directly alongside this stretch of the chain.

The Arnold Arboretum

Managed by Harvard University, the Arnold Arboretum is a research collection of trees and shrubs spread across hilly, well-marked paths. It draws its largest crowds in spring, when magnolias, cherries, and lilacs bloom in sequence from April into May, and again in fall for foliage color. Both seasons bring noticeably more visitors than winter, when paths can be icy and some areas less inviting for a long walk. The Arboretum is reached from the Orange Line at Forest Hills or by bus into Jamaica Plain; there is no Green Line stop nearby.

Franklin Park

The largest single piece of the Emerald Necklace, Franklin Park combines woodland, open meadow, and the Franklin Park Zoo. It is also the least visited section by out-of-town travelers, in part because it sits furthest from downtown and has the least direct transit access of the chain, relying on bus connections from Jamaica Plain or Dorchester rather than a nearby T stop.

Getting around the necklace without a car

There is no single transit line that follows the Emerald Necklace end to end, which is part of why most people walk it in sections rather than as one trip. The general guide to getting around Boston without a car and the guide to the T and the MBTA cover the practical details of fares and transfers; for this route specifically, expect to switch between the Green Line, the Orange Line, and local buses depending on which section you are heading to. Combining two adjacent sections in one outing, such as the Fens and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, usually works better than trying to string together the whole chain by transit in a single day.

Seasonality matters more here than downtown

Because so much of the Emerald Necklace is unpaved path, garden, or woodland rather than sidewalk, the season changes what a walk here actually looks like far more than it does on a downtown route. Spring brings the Arboretum’s blooms and general green-up across the whole chain. Fall brings color, covered in more general terms in the guide to fall foliage in New England, though the Arboretum and Jamaica Pond are among the more reliable spots for it within city limits. Winter is the season most likely to disrupt a walk: snow and ice reduce practicability on unpaved stretches of the Arboretum and Franklin Park in particular, even when the paved paths near the Fens and the Common stay clear. The guide to Boston in winter has more on what stays open and walkable during the colder months.

What guided tours actually cover

Few operators run a single guided tour that covers the entire Emerald Necklace. Most guided walking tours in Boston are built around downtown neighborhoods rather than this longer, more spread-out chain of parks, and where a tour does touch part of the necklace, it typically covers one or two sections, such as the Public Garden and the start of the Fens, rather than the full route out to Franklin Park. Duration and exact stops vary by operator, so check the listing details before booking rather than assuming a fixed route or length.

If you would rather join a general walking tour of the city and see the Emerald Necklace’s downtown end as part of a broader introduction, the Best of Boston Walking Tour covers central sights including the Common and Public Garden alongside other downtown landmarks. Travelers who want a route shaped around their own interests, including more time in the parks, can look at a private walking tour with a local guide, which can be adjusted in advance. For families walking with children, a walking tour designed for children keeps pacing and stops geared to younger visitors, which matters more on a longer green-space route than on a short downtown loop. Film fans passing through Back Bay on their way to the Fens might also consider the Movie Mile Walking Tour, which covers filming locations in the same general area before the route turns toward the parks.

Planning a walk here

A few practical points worth knowing before setting out:

• Pick a section, not the whole chain. Trying to walk from the Common to Franklin Park in one day means covering a lot of ground with uneven transit links between segments. Most visitors get more out of choosing one or two connected sections.
• Pair sections with nearby attractions. The Fens sits near Fenway Park and the museums; Jamaica Pond and the Arboretum sit near Jamaica Plain’s restaurants and shops. Combining a park walk with something else nearby tends to work better than treating the necklace as a destination on its own.
• Check the season before committing to the Arboretum or Franklin Park. Both change substantially between a spring or fall visit and a snowy winter one, more than the paved, more sheltered sections near downtown.
• All sections are free to enter. None of the parks in the chain charge admission, though some amenities inside them, such as pond boat rentals, are separate and seasonal.
• Browse other outdoor options in the outdoor and nature category if you want to compare the Emerald Necklace against other green spaces in the city, including the Boston Harbor Islands or a Charles River kayak trip, or see other guided walking tour options around the city.

Emerald Necklace walking FAQ

Who designed the Emerald Necklace and when?

Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who also designed Central Park in New York, planned the chain of Boston parks in the late 1800s, linking existing green spaces with new ones along the Muddy River and Stony Brook corridors.

Is the Emerald Necklace one continuous trail?

It is a linked chain of distinct parks rather than a single marked trail. Some sections connect by continuous paths and parkways, while others require walking along city streets or crossing busy intersections to reach the next park.

How do you get to the different sections by public transit?

Access varies by segment. The Back Bay Fens is reachable from Green Line stops near Fenway, Jamaica Pond and the Arnold Arboretum are best reached from Orange Line stops in Jamaica Plain or by bus, and Franklin Park has its own bus connections. There is no single T line that runs the length of the chain.

When is the best time to walk the Arnold Arboretum?

Spring is the most visited season at the Arnold Arboretum, when magnolias, cherries, and lilacs bloom in sequence from April into May. Fall brings strong foliage color across the collection, and both seasons draw far more visitors than winter.

Can you walk the Emerald Necklace in winter?

Parts of it, but practicability drops after snow. Paved sections near the Fens and Jamaica Pond are usually cleared, while unpaved paths in the Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park can stay icy or snow-covered for days, so check conditions before planning a winter walk.

Do any tours cover the entire Emerald Necklace in one trip?

Few operators offer the full chain as a single guided outing. Most guided walks focus on one or two sections, commonly the Public Garden and the Fens, or the Arnold Arboretum on its own, with duration set by the operator rather than standardized across the chain.

Is the Emerald Necklace free to visit?

Yes. All the public parks in the chain, including the Back Bay Fens, Jamaica Pond, the Arnold Arboretum, and Franklin Park, are free and open to the public year-round, though some facilities within them, such as boat rentals, may charge separately.