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Arlington's Great Meadows

4.6 ★★★★★ 183 Google reviews · Running trail in Lexington, Massachusetts · Posted hours

Runner's snapshot

Surface
Boardwalk
Loop distance
50 mi
Shape
Loop
Shade
Not reported
Access
Posted hours

Confirmed from Arlington's Great Meadows' own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.

Boardwalk50 miLoopDog-friendly

183-acres of wet meadows & uplands with trails for viewing an array of plants & wildlife.

What runners say about Arlington's Great Meadows

Pulled from public reviews of this trail (183 of them) — the things people bring up again and again, in their own words. Nothing here is written by us.

🏞️ beautiful scenery 3 mentions

“Beautiful park, but we had to run out of the park as there was a coyote following us.”

Rustic and narrow walking trails will get you back to nature in Lexington. The trails will take you around the perimeter of wetlands. If you have mobility issues you may want to skip this one. Mostly the trails are heavily wooded and not too many vistas. We parked at the Waldorf School on a Sunday.

★★★★★ — Jeff , Sep 2023

Very nice park, but we had a TON of mosquitoes and got bitten pretty hard. Take some insect repellent when you go out there. We saw a turtle basking, a spider that stand on the water and some very nice trees and bushes. The boardwalk is good shape and lets you walk on the marsh land.

★★★★☆ — Roy , Sep 2021

We biked up and did a quick hike around the Meadows in search of fall colors. Not as easy as we thought to get really good pictures of the meadow as the vegetation is pretty tall. Nice easy hike though that we thoroughly enjoyed. Bike parking is limited and we got lucky someone was leaving.

★★★★★ — Stanley , Oct 2021

Definitely a park for all seasons! Plenty of trails through woods and on boardwalks, with various neighborhood connecting points. Love it!

★★★★★ — Amanda , Aug 2019

Excerpts from public Google reviews. Read all 183 reviews →

Trail conditions & character

What this trail is actually like underfoot and overhead, taken from its own listing and from reviews. Each one links to every other trail with the same character. Busy or quiet is reported as a plain fact, not a plus or a minus — a runner heading out alone at dawn often wants company on the path, and someone running intervals wants an empty one.

🐕 Dog-friendly 3 mentions

“You can bike, walk and bring your dog as well, just remember to pick up after them, as the whole park is volunteer run and funded.”

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🪵 Boardwalk

“The boardwalk is good shape and lets you walk on the marsh land.”

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🔁 Loop trail 2 mentions

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🏃 Long-run distance (5mi+)

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Plan your run at Arlington's Great Meadows

The practical stuff

  • AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
  • SurfaceBoardwalk — flat and scenic, and slick when wet, so watch your footing
  • Loop distance50 mi back to where you parked. Long enough for a real long run.
  • ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
  • DogsWelcome, per reviewers. Leash rules vary by park — the trailhead sign is the authority.
  • Websitelexingtonma.gov
  • Phone+1 781-863-5385
  • Social Instagram · Facebook

Hours

Monday 6:30 am–9 pm
Tuesday 6:30 am–9 pm
Wednesday 6:30 am–9 pm
Thursday 6:30 am–9 pm
Friday 6:30 am–9 pm
Saturday 6:30 am–9 pm
Sunday 6:30 am–9 pm

Posted hours for the park or trailhead. Gates and parking lots often close earlier than the trail itself, and seasonal hours change — worth a check before a pre-dawn or after-dark run.

Where to find Arlington's Great Meadows

Minuteman Commuter Bikeway, Lexington, MA 02420

Get directions

Running trails near Lexington

Other trails within easy driving distance — useful when this one is flooded, gated, or just not the run you had in mind today.

Tower Park

4.2 ★★★★☆ 17 reviews

Lexington, MA

Dog-friendly

under a mile away

Arlington Reservoir

4.7 ★★★★★ 421 reviews

Arlington, MA

0.9 miLoopScenicDog-friendly

Popular swimming area with a beach, playground, walking path, dog-friendly areas and more.

under a mile away

Minuteman Bike Path

4.9 ★★★★★ 30 reviews

Arlington, MA

PavedScenicDog-friendly

1.1 miles away

Whipple Hill

4.5 ★★★★★ 240 reviews

Lexington, MA

50 miScenicDog-friendly

This 120-acre conservation area offers 4 miles of trails, a pond & lots of plant & animal life.

1.2 miles away

Lower Vine Brook

4.4 ★★★★☆ 29 reviews

Lexington, MA

1.5 miles away

Turkey Hill

4.2 ★★★★☆ 47 reviews

Arlington, MA

Scenic

Destination offering kid-friendly hiking trails.

1.5 miles away

All running trails in Lexington, MA →

Nearby towns

Listing verified July 2026 from public records, the trail's own website and runner reviews. Trail conditions change — paths flood, gates close at dusk, and shaded woods stay muddy for days after rain. Something out of date? Report a correction. Manage this trail? Send us the details — it is free.