Fresh Pond Reservation path
Photo: Joseph Reagle / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Fresh Pond Reservation path

Fresh Pond Reservation is a city park around Cambridge's drinking water reservoir. A 2.25-mile paved loop goes around the pond, and people walk, run, bike and walk dogs on it every day.

Length
2.3 mi
park loop
Surface
Paved
Get on at
5 places
on the map

A loop in Cambridge

Parking at 3 of the 5 places to get on · See where

Open. No closures as of Oct 26, 2026.

Walk it as a roam Directions to Main entrance

Where to get on

Numbers match the list; P has parking.

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For Ride with GPS, Strava, Komoot or a bike computer.

  1. Main entrance, Water Treatment Plant and Ranger Station (Fresh Pond Parkway)

    Restrooms in the Ranger Station under the clock tower, 250 Fresh Pond Parkway. The Ranger Station is open 7 am to 7 pm. Bluebikes station 'Fresh Pond Reservation' is close by.

    Bus 75 on Huron Ave, a few minutes' walk south.
    Reservation lot. Cambridge resident parking permit only. Visitor permits are not accepted.
    Directions

  2. Kingsley Park

    Kingsley Park is the only place picnics are allowed.

    Bus 75 (Huron Ave at Larch Rd).
    Cambridge resident permit only.
    Directions

  3. Glacken Field (Huron Avenue side)

    All dogs must be on a leash at the Glacken Field area. No dogs at the tot lot.

    Bus 75 (700 Huron Ave).
    Cambridge resident permit only.
    Directions

  4. Neville Place and Maher Park (Concord Avenue side)

    North side of the loop, near Black's Nook. No dogs at Black's Nook.

    Buses 74 and 78 (Concord Ave at Smith Pl and at Moulton St).
    Directions

  5. Lusitania Meadow (northeast side)

    Dogs must be on a leash on the Lusitania Meadow dirt path.

    Alewife (Red Line) is about 1 km to the north.
    Directions

Getting there

By transit
Bus 75 runs on Huron Ave along the south side.
More

Buses 74 and 78 run on Concord Ave along the north side. Alewife (Red Line) is about 1 km north of the reservation.

Bike share

Near Main entrance, right now

  • Fresh Pond Reservation1 min walk · 8 bikes
  • Vassal Lane at Tobin VLUS4 min walk · 19 bikes

Near Lusitania Meadow, right now

  • 55 Wheeler Street5 min walk · 9 bikes
  • Fresh Pond Reservation6 min walk · 8 bikes
Parking
The reservation lots need a Cambridge resident parking permit, every day of the year.
More

Visitor permits are not accepted, and other cars get towed. The Water Department suggests coming by bus or bike.

A roam on this trail

A roam is a self-guided route with stops along the way. The free Shift app checks you in at each stop, and you unlock a badge at the end.

The whole trail

Fresh Pond Loop

2.5 mi 50 minIn the Shift app

Get Shift, free. Follow a roam with turn-by-turn directions to each stop, and see closures on your trails before you go.

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Keep going

The Fresh Pond Reservation path joins other paths and protected bike lanes. Pick a direction to see it on the map.

This trail Where you can keep going Other bike paths

About the Fresh Pond Reservation path

Surface
Paved perimeter road around the pond. Some side paths are unpaved. OSM shows short gravel and packed-dirt stretches at the south end near Kingsley Park.
Rules
Open dawn to dusk every day. Bikes must use care, and people walking have the right of way. No bike or other wheeled device over 8 mph. Motor vehicles only in the parking lots. Dogs: on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Cambridge-licensed dogs may go off leash if they stay in sight, come when called, and there are no more than 3 dogs per walker. Leash required in parking lots, on the Lusitania Meadow dirt path, in the Butterfly Meadow woods trails, at Maher Park soccer field, at Glacken Field and on the golf course in winter. No dogs at Black's Nook, the Glacken Field tot lot, the Kingsley Nature Playscape or the golf course in season. No swimming, fishing or boating. Fines up to $100.
Restrooms
Ranger Station under the clock tower at the Water Treatment Plant, 250 Fresh Pond Parkway.
Water
Drinking fountains near the main entrance and at Kingsley Park. They may be off in winter.
Who looks after it
Cambridge Water Department. Fresh Pond is the city's drinking water reservoir.
Also called
Fresh Pond, Fresh Pond loop, Fresh Pond Perimeter Road, Fresh Pond path

More about the trail

Where these facts come fromChecked Oct 19, 2026