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Dear Members and Friends,
We hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy during these difficult times. While social distancing guidelines remain in place to protect us all from exposure to Covid-19, we also know how important it is to be outdoors and enjoy the bounties of spring in New England.
We offer the following suggestions for safe walking around Arlington and in other nearby communities where conservation lands and parks are open. Please check the websites of places you wish to visit ahead of time since many are still closed.
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Arlington's Take A Walk project was developed by the town's Open Space Committee to encourage residents to get outside and explore the town's diverse parks, open spaces and neighborhoods. Seven suggested routes on the Take A Walk maps cover the entire town, or you can improvise along the way. The maps can be downloaded and printed ahead of time, or accessed on your phone as you walk.
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Take A Walk maps will help you safely explore less traveled parts of Arlington that you may never have visited before and may reveal some surprising discoveries, including beautiful front yard gardens, and bears and other creatures in house windows. Have fun!
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A town-wide map (above) shows all seven routes, or you can select one of the neighborhood maps - East Arlington North, East Arlington South, Arlington Center South, Arlington Heights South, Arlington Heights North, Arlington Center North, and Arlington Center Central.
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Circumnavigate Arlington
A separate, complementary initiative developed by Arlington resident George Stephans offers a walking route that follows the town's boundaries. He was initially inspired by suggestions to honor Marathon Monday on April 20 by doing a special running/walking event with some charity component. This idea expanded to consider routes that avoid heavy traffic areas such as the bike path and Mass Ave. As it turns out, one can travel very close to the entire Arlington border on roads that are reasonably safe for walking or running and typically are not very busy.
The Circumnavigate Arlington main page explains this project and has links to several maps and other information.
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Statewide Trails App
For going farther afield, ALT Board member Peter Belknap shares his recent use of the app provided by AllTrails to find new and interesting conservation lands and other trail networks across the state. Read his account of a visit to Chamberlin Woods in Concord, and check out the app to learn about hundreds of other places to visit.
You can download the app here: Apple App Store or Google Play
You can also use the website to search the map for trails.
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Mugar Updates
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the previously announced Zoning Board of Appeals hearing on April 14 to consider the Thorndike Place 40B development project was postponed until June 9. We will alert you to any further news about this project.
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Dramatic views of the Boston skyline can be seen from Hattie Symmes Park at Arlington 360. See Take A Walk maps.
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