Southwest Corridor Park

A 4-mile park and paved path that runs on top of and beside the Orange Line, from Back Bay station to Forest Hills. People use it to bike or walk to work and school, and to reach its gardens, playgrounds and courts, with a T stop about every half mile.

Length
4.1 mi
greenway
Surface
Paved
the whole way
Get on at
8 places
on the map

From Back Bay station to Forest Hills station

Parking nearby · Where to park

Plowed in winter · Who clears it

Notice: Ruggles station's Columbus Avenue entrance is closed for renovation (MBTA Ruggles Station Improvements, Phase 2)., ruggles station, Columbus Avenue side, where the path passes the station.
Directions to Back Bay station

Where to get on

Numbers match the list.

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

  1. Back Bay station (Dartmouth Street)

    Northern end. From here to Mass Ave the path is narrow and winds through gardens. Many more people walk here than bike, so ride slowly.

    Back Bay station: Orange Line and commuter rail (Providence/Stoughton, Franklin/Foxboro, Needham and Framingham/Worcester lines). Buses 10 and 39.
    Directions

  2. Massachusetts Avenue station

    Between here and Ruggles the route runs beside Columbus Avenue. From Ruggles south to Forest Hills the main path is asphalt and signed for bikes.

    Massachusetts Avenue station (Orange Line). Bus 1 on Massachusetts Avenue.
    Directions

  3. Ruggles station (Northeastern)

    The station's Columbus Avenue entrance is closed for renovation until about 2028. Use the busway entrances. Between Camden Street and Ruggles, next to Northeastern, the route uses a two-way bike lane on Columbus Avenue, with a wide sidewalk for people walking.

    Ruggles station: Orange Line and commuter rail (Providence/Stoughton, Franklin/Foxboro and Needham lines). Many buses, including 8, 15, 19, 22, 23, 28, 43, 44, 45, 47 and CT3.
    Directions

  4. Roxbury Crossing station

    Roxbury Crossing station (Orange Line). Buses 22 and 66 on Tremont Street. Buses 15, 23, 28, 44 and 45 stop on Malcolm X Boulevard, about 150 m away.
    Directions

  5. Jackson Square station

    DCR's park headquarters is nearby at 38 New Heath Street. The station's south stairway is closed for work on a new stairway and elevator until winter 2026. Use the north stairway.

    Jackson Square station: Orange Line and buses 14, 22, 29, 41 and 44.
    Directions

  6. Stony Brook station

    In much of Jamaica Plain and Roxbury there are two paths side by side. One is signed for bikes. The other is for walking.

    Stony Brook station (Orange Line).
    Directions

  7. Green Street station

    Green Street station (Orange Line). Bus 42 on Washington Street, about 250 m away.
    Directions

  8. Forest Hills station

    Southern end. The Arnold Arboretum is a short ride west along the Arborway.

    Forest Hills station: Orange Line, commuter rail (Needham Line, with some Providence/Stoughton and Franklin/Foxboro trains), and many buses, including 16, 21, 30 to 40, 42, 50 and 51.
    Directions

Getting there

By transit
The Orange Line runs under or beside the whole park, with 8 stations from Back Bay to Forest Hills, about one every half mile.
More

Back Bay, Ruggles and Forest Hills also have commuter rail. Ruggles' Columbus Avenue entrance is closed for renovation, so use the busway entrances. At Jackson Square, use the north stairway until the south one reopens.

Bike share

Near Back Bay station, right now

  • Back Bay T Stop - Dartmouth St at Stuart St1 min walk · 13 bikes
  • Huntington Ave at Exeter St3 min walk · 16 bikes

Near Forest Hills station, right now

  • Forest Hills1 min walk · 15 bikes
  • Hyde Park Ave at Walk Hill St7 min walk · 4 bikes
Parking
The park has no parking lots. There is paid and metered street parking along it, and DCR suggests coming by transit.

Keep going

The Southwest Corridor Park 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 Southwest Corridor Park

Surface
Paved the whole way. From Forest Hills to Mass Ave the main path is asphalt, with some concrete stretches in Roxbury. From Mass Ave to Back Bay (South End) it is a narrow concrete and brick path.
Rules
Open dawn to dusk. Dogs allowed (DCR). DCR has put up speed signs on the main path that flash SLOW DOWN above 15 mph.
In winter
The state parks department (DCR) plows the path because it serves T stations, but does not salt it. Expect ice after a freeze. Source
Conditions on every path
Who looks after it
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The park sits on top of and beside the MBTA Orange Line.
Also called
Pierre Lallement Bike Path, Southwest Corridor, Southwest Corridor bike path, SW Corridor, Orange Line bike path

Notices

Work and changes along the trail, with the way around where there is one.

  • Ruggles station's Columbus Avenue entrance is closed for renovation (MBTA Ruggles Station Improvements, Phase 2).

    Ruggles station, Columbus Avenue side, where the path passes the station.

    The MBTA expects the work to take about two years, to around early 2028. Use the upper or lower busway entrances to reach the station. A short stretch of the path by this entrance is a work zone.

    Source

More about the trail

Where these facts come fromChecked Oct 21, 2026