Fido Loves
Explore The Arnold Arboretum
I can’t believe it has taken us this long to go to The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. What a beautiful place to go for a walk with your dog and get a breath of fresh air without really leaving Boston. The Arboretum is a 265 acre collection of over 15,000 plants and trees from “mainly North America and Eastern Asia” managed by Harvard University. Paved walkways and gravel trails wind through these woods and hills. The Arboretum is the polar opposite of the Sheepfold at the Fells.
What to Expect
This is a beautiful park to take your dog for a quiet walk or playtime. You and your dog can easily slip into the trees and find a place in the lush grass away from others. Both Margie and I agreed we would return to keep exploring the different areas and trails. She really enjoyed finding the little brass tags hanging from the branches describing when and from what part of the world the different trees came from. I enjoyed trying to imagine what this place will look like during fall foliage.
There is a network of trails both paved and gravel where you will find benches to take a break on during your meanderings through an impressive collection of trees and plants. You can expect to see those with a keen interest reading the brass labels on the various trees, quietly inspecting, admiring and photographing away. You will also see other dogs walking, jogging and playing with their families. This is a very peaceful place to spend an afternoon with your favorite canine companion.
Getting There & What To Bring
The Arnold Arboretum is located in Jamaica Plain it took us about 15-20 minutes from the Navy Yard. Outside the main gate we found parking with relative ease, no quarters required. You need to bring poop bags but you will find trash receptacles through out the park. You really need to clean up after your dog here it is far to nice to even consider leaving your dogs poop behind. Bring water, I did not see water specifically for dogs. A leash is a must, this is not an official off-leash dog park, although extremely well behaved dogs might have a place on the hill where dog’s are off-leash.
Here are some links you might find interesting:
- The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
- Wikipedia Description
- A Flickr Photo Gallery
- Google Map Link
- Reviews on Yelp!
About Jay Stebbins
Jay Stebbins is Boston's dog friendly Real Estate Agent and the creator of Fido Loves; a blog dedicated to finding the best of dog friendly Boston. Feel free to get in touch with Jay via Email or you can follow Fido Loves at Twitter, Facebook or our RSS Feed.
I cannot wait to go back and explore more trails. This place is truly amazing . . . it almost feels like you’re walking through a fairy tale.
I love the Arboretum; and have been bringing my dogs to run off-leash there for 20 years. Be advised that the Arboretum is not legally leash-free; there is a leash law and it is occasionally enforced by park rangers in cars (and very rarely on horseback). The park rangers are not there all the time. And some trails are more quiet/secluded than the main roads.
Some people at the Arboretum are not dog-tolerant; and some are. You rarely see people picnicking there, since it is against the rules.
I have seen deer at the Arboretum, and have heard that there are coyotes; though I have personally (thankfully!) not seen any.
The Arboretum is physically as close to doggie paradise as you might find in urban Boston/JP. A great place.
That is great to know about the hill. It is a shame about the picnics. I have to assume people were leaving too much trash behind. A good reason to always pick up poop so dogs don’t go the way of picnics at the Arboretum.