Here we have assembled the chronological timeline of media coverage that the Walking City Trail has received since its 2022 launch. This trail would not have taken root without such generous reporting!
June 16, 2022: Streetsblog Massachusetts. The very first piece of press coverage for the WCT! It all started with this reported story by Grecia White about the origins of the trail and what it's like to hike from the shores of Jamaica Pond to forests, bogs, hidden staircases, and the core of the Longwood Medical Area along Section 3 of the trail.
June 16, 2022: WBUR & NPR. Two days before the launch of the Walking City Trail, WBUR's Cloe Axelson and Robin Lubbock joined Miles for a sneak peek at Section 3 of the trail, on Mission Hill. The resultant radio essay was later broadcasted on NPR's Here & Now with Robin Young. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN (and see if you can detect the Neil Young cameo.)
June 23, 2022: Mass Live. Back when the WCT was "only" 25 miles, reporter Will Ketcham and Miles linked up for a short hike along Section 4 of the WCT as it arrives at the core of Boston Common. At one point, Ketcham astutely dubbed Bunker Hill Monumnent "the Mount Katahdin of the Walking City Trail." We agree, though our Katahdin is a lot less grueling.
September 7, 2022: Chronicle. On this summer episode of WCVB/ABC's Chronicle, Miles took Anthony Everett on a hike through Sherrin Woods Urban Wild (Section 1 of the trail) and talked about the unique benefits of urban hiking and how Boston residents and visitors can give the emerging activity a try on the WCT. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO.
May 1, 2023: Mountain Gazette. For the 199th issue of Mountain Gazette, Miles teamed up with photographer Dan Brown to "thru-hike" all 27 miles of the WCT in just 48 hours. Their collaborative essay is featured in the large-scale magazine that only comes in print form. (It's more like a big coffee table book.) Issue #199 is sold out but you can find copies on eBay.
May 15, 2023: Outside. We practically fell out of our chairs upon learning that Outside magazine chose the City of Boston as one of two top hiking destinations in the U.S., in its ranking of adventure zones. (Alaska’s Gates of the Arctic got the other mention.) And the Walking City Trail is cited by name as the newest example of the urban trails that Boston is known for!
June 22, 2023: The Boston Globe. In this alluring roundup of Globe travel writer Christopher Muther's favorite summertime activities in the City of Boston, the Walking City Trail received a prime spotlight. And Boston, as a whole, is rightly recognized as an urabn hiking destination, with its growing network of interconnected urban trails!
July 24, 2023: The Boston Globe. Reporter Alysa Guffey hits Section 3 of the Walking City Trail with photographer John Tlumacki in this thoughtful story about how the trail took root as a mid-pandemic experiment and grew into a community endeavor that could one day inspire more urban trails through Boston's public green spaces and neighborhoods.
August 24, 2023: Rock Fight. Urban hiking and urban trails are taking root in more and more cities around the world. Miles discussed this emerging movement and how it yielded Boston’s Walking City Trail with Colin True, host of the podcast Rock Fight. They touched on trail-building, equity of access to the outdoors, gentrification in urban areas, and much more.
October 22, 2023: Adventure Uncovered. This one was a first for us. Writer and editor Sam Firman took a nuanced deep dive into the methodology of creating an urban trail and spoke with Miles about the questions that any project presents. Does it begin as a group project or a solo endeavor? How do you prepare for potential pushback against a new trail? A must read!
October 27, 2023: We-Ha.com. Another urban trail takes shape in another New England city! After reaing about the Walking City Trail in Mountain Gazette, West Hartford resident and runner Jeff Shaw started cultivating a hiking trail through the city’s expansive parks system. The result was the West Hartford Parks Route—a 24-mile showcase of rustling beauty.
November 21, 2023: The Seattle Times. In the fall of 2023, our friends in Seattle created the Olmsted 50 Trail—an epic 31-mile urban trail through a smorgasbord of parks, forests, and gardens designed by the Olmsteds. The Walking City Trail was an influence for the Olmsted 50 Trail, as was the San Francisco Crosstown Trail…which, of course, inspired the WCT!
March 12, 2024: NewEngland.com. Given all that’s shaking and baking in Boston today (yes, that’s a Talladega Nights reference), getting included on a top 10 list of “Fresh Reasons to visit Boston” is an illustrious nod, and that’s why we were honored when writer Jackie Cain spotlit the WCT on this list of activities and destinations for Boston visitors and residents.
March 19, 2024: Boston.com. The Walking City Trail made the cut for Boston.com’s spring roundup of cool outdoor city activities, and we were especially stoked to see the writers emphasize that you don’t need a car to go hiking. This is one of the most inspiring perks of urban hiking, which we underscore whenever possible. And more people are embracing this!
June 27, 2024: Quinobequin Review. As digital fatigue sets in for millions of us, indie magazines that are published and sold in print are making a promising comeback. And the Walking City Trail was featured in the Summer ‘24 issue of the Quinobequin Review, which spotlights writers and artists whose work is based in the Charles River Watershed region.
July 23, 2024: Men’s Health. For the second time, local travel writer Chris Muther gamely spotlit the Walking City Trail for this Men’s Health piece which features fun recreational activitits that Boston visitors should try. The Walking City Trail is cited as one of the many trails for which Boston is known. (There’s a pushup bar on the Jamaica Pond stretch of the WCT.)
If you're a reporter or producer working on a story that might include the Walking City Trail, we'd love to hear from you. Please get in touch through the CONTACT page on the website for additional information about the trail, media assets, interviews, and more. You can also read our latest press release here.