Waltham | MassCentralRailTrail

MCRT: Waltham

About MCRT Waltham

Waltham is home to thriving businesses, museums, and two major institutions of higher learning - Bentley University and Brandeis University. Check out these attractions, events, videos, arts and cultural venues. With over 125 restaurants, pubs, and bars, Waltham has a wide range of dining experiences. In addition, Waltham offers numerous well-marked and maintained trails, parks and natural landscapes, including those directly accessible from the MCRT. DCR maintains two large properties in Waltham: the Charles River Reservation and Beaver Brook Reservation, both of which are nearby to the MCRT.

The MCRT in Waltham
The MCRT runs through Waltham for about four miles along a quiet tree-lined corridor amid a vibrant community. Visitors on the MCRT Waltham will encounter wayfinding signage, historic bridges, lively neighborhoods, a well-preserved station house, and contemporary murals. There are numerous places for refreshments, with indoor and outdoor seating.

Visiting the MCRT in Waltham

Access Points:

Prospect Hill Rd - a few trail parking spaces are reserved for residents and veterans on weekends at 1075 Main Street.
There isn’t a lot of dedicated MCRT parking in Waltham, but there are some opportunities to park nearby the trail. More info on parking in Waltham.
MCRT in Waltham is accessible by MBTA commuter rail at the Waltham Station, and the MBTA bus 70.

Additional Resources

MassTrailTracker
Ride with GPS

Connecting Trails:

Western Greenway: a 12-mile loop footpath adjacent to the MCRT that connects Waltham, Belmont and Lexington. The Waltham Land Trust provides stewardship of the Western Greenway.

Charles River Path/Upper Charles Reservation: DCR-owned shared use paved path along the river.

Prospect Hill Park/Berry Park trails: footpaths in this 273-acre park connect to spectacular overlooks of the Boston skyline. Park amenities include restrooms and picnic tables.

RideWithGPS Route - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53459034

Trail Guide (West to East)

Mile
0.0 mi – Start at the MCRT Bridge form Weston into Waltham.

0.22 mi - Jones Road (some parking here)

0.49 mi - CAUTION: Walk your bike - cross over Route 95 on the old RR bridge

0.87 mi - Historic tunnel

1.4 mi - Prospect Hill Crossing

1.7 mi - Hammond St. Crossing

2.2 mi - Lexington Street Crossing (Waltham Police and DPW)

2.5 mi - Lyman Street Crossing

2.9 mi - Middlesex Court - The Linden Street Bridge East of here is currently closed

3.2 mi - Linden Street Bridge - Currently open

3.89 mi - Beaver Street Entrance - The Linden Street Bridge West of here is currently open.

Current MCRT Projects in Waltham

Completing the Linden Street Bridge connection is happening in early 2026, weather permitting. The design phase for the Belmont-Waltham connection is just getting underway, expansion of multi-modal infrastructure along a portion of Beaver Street in Waltham is starting with conservation hearings in Waltham in late January 2026.

Here are some links to more information:

MCRT Weston-Waltham Phase 1
MCRT Weston-Waltham Phase 2
Green Street connector, and possibly Route 117 bridge later
Border Road to Hillside Road
Main Waltham Build
Proposed Beaver Street Shared Use Path

A Brief History of the MCRT in Waltham

The MCRT runs through Waltham for about four miles, a quiet tree-lined corridor amid a vibrant community. Visitors on the MCRT Waltham will encounter wayfinding signage, historic bridges, lively neighborhoods, a well-preserved station house, and contemporary murals. There are numerous places for refreshments, with indoor and outdoor seating. The trail is adjacent to multiple parks, athletic fields and museums.

Beaver Street in Waltham is the Eastern boundary of a lease executed between the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) for the development of a multi-use rail trail along the former Central Massachusetts railroad corridor. Two segments of this shared use path are open in Waltham. The longest open segment is between the MCRT ramp at Linden Street and the trail’s intersection with Main Street (MA Route 117). This segment will extend to Beaver Street once active construction is complete. The trail has not been developed between Main Street and the overpass crossing Route 128/I-95. On the west side of Route 128/-I-95 there is a half mile of completed path from Jones Road in Waltham to the Weston town line and connection to the finished MCRT in Weston and Wayland.