Walking Loop

 

Walking the 2.5 mile "Loop" is a great way to get exercise! To join a walking group, contact: Boston Public Health Commission's STEPS program: 617.534.5690 or the Boston Black Women's Health Initiative  www.bbwhi.org

The Loop follows Circuit Drive around the Golf Course. A good place to start is at the Golf Clubhouse or along the park maintenance road in front of the Shattuck Hospital by the picnic area and tennis courts. There are a few forks in the path, but all eventually bring you around the golf course again. 

Highlights as you walk include: the arched stone bridge over Scarboro Pond, a popular birding site; Mother's Rest sitting area just down from the Golf Clubhouse with views across a sweeping landscape; and the mature  European beech grove.Taking unmarked paths is perfectly safe and you'll chance upon Schoolmaster Hill, the plateau on top of Scarboro Hill, or an old tree stump carved into a chair.

The Loop is popular with local walking groups, some of which are supported by the Boston Public Health Commission's Boston Steps program.  Other folks walk alone or with friends, enjoying the scenery.

 

 

A second, shorter loop walk in the northern end of the park goes around White Stadium and the Playstead. Start at the rear entrance to the Zoo and walk along the wide paved path adjacent to the big field and towards the Stadium. The loop walk veers left and will end back at the rear of the Zoo. Along the way you'll see the stone ruins of the Overlook Shelter where Elma Lewis staged her Playhouse in the Park in the 1960s and 70s. If you turn right into the woods soon after you start you'll find the old bear dens, the first Zoo exhibit built in 1913. This wide, flat path is also great for bicycling.