Photo: Karl AlexanderShift Roams · Arlington · Somerville · Medford
Alewife Brook to Mystic River Greenway
Two rivers, two T stations, and 300 years of history between them
This roam covers 6.7 miles of the 7.1-mile urban greenway connecting Cambridge's Alewife Station to Medford's Wellington Station along two river corridors. Features one of New England's largest constructed wetlands, the oldest stone structure in Massachusetts, and views of the Amelia Earhart Dam.
Numbered pins are the roam's stops; gold rings are bonus stops. Check in at each stop in the Shift app to complete the roam.
The stops
Alewife Reservation Constructed Wetland
One of the largest constructed wetlands in New England, filtering stormwater into Alewife Brook
Middlesex Canal Marker
Marker for the 1803 Middlesex Canal, one of America's first major canals connecting Boston Harbor to the Merrimack River
Torbert MacDonald Park
A 63-acre riverside park along the Mystic River with sports fields and boat launch
Amelia Earhart Dam
A dam named for the aviation pioneer who lived nearby in Medford, separating the tidal and freshwater Mystic River
Bonus stops nearby
Optional detours worth the extra steps.
Old Powder House
The oldest stone structure in Massachusetts, erected in 1703 as a windmill and later used for gunpowder storage
Roam it for real
Open this roam in the free Shift app to follow the route, check in at each stop, and earn the Alewife to Mystic badge.