The Mount Auburn Cemetery - Cambridge - Massachusetts - New England


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	The Mount Auburn Cemetery


Walking shoes		Backpack
Sunglasses		Hat (in summer)
Windbreaker		Water
Snacks		Plastic bag for trash

Directions

By Car

From Boston, take Storrow Drive West

After passing by Harvard Business School

and the Kennedy Bridge in Cambridge, take

exit for Fresh Pond Parkway

At the second light, take left on Mount

Auburn Street

The cemetery entrance is 0.5 mi on the left,

before the next lights

You can park on any cemetery road without

a green line – there is generally space on

the right as you enter

Public transportation:

Take T Red Line Outbound for Alewife

Stop at Harvard

In the T station (lower level), board bus 71

or 73

Ask the driver to stop at the cemetery

(there is a bus stop right in front of the

gate)

Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn

Street, Cambridge MA 02138, Tel 617-547-

7105

Good to know in advance

Map available for $0.50 at the entrance gate

office

Open 8 am-8 pm in summer, 8 am-5 pm in
winter

The tower is generally opened daily in

summer until 6 pm

Bird sightings and horticultural highlights

(blooming trees and flowers) indicated on a

board at the gate office

Audio tours available at the entrance gate

office

No restrooms

Etiquette

No pets

Biking, jogging, roller-blading and picnicking

prohibited

Overall rating:


	Difficulty:		1/5

	Time from Boston:		30 minutes

	Duration:		A few hours

	Cost:		Free

	Main activity:		Walking

	What do our ratings mean?

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Have a question about this destination?

Yes, this is a cemetery, but you are likely to quickly forget it: entirely landscaped, crisscrossed by a network of grassy trails with flowery names, Mount Auburn Cemetery is an outstanding destination for a long walk.

It will likely be a somewhat challenging walk, since a key feature of the cemetery is its central hill and the tower capping it. The name of the road that leads to the tower says it all: Mountain road. From there, you will have a 360° panorama on Cambridge and the Boston skyline. Except for that short but steep climb and a short ascent at the start, this walk is mostly flat and leads you to the main features of the cemetery, including Willow Pond, Auburn Lake and Halcyon Lake. The loop is fit for strollers as well, with only a few steps that can be easily handled.

At a normal pace this loop will take about an hour and a half, including stops. We encourage you to buy a map at the gate (only 25 cents) to explore the cemetery beyond this walk.

Detailed directions are as follows:
	From the gate, go straight up on Central Avenue
	Turn right on Chapel Avenue on top of the small hill, and walk past Bigelow Chapel on your right
	Turn left on Pine Avenue 20 yards after the Chapel (no sign, but this is the only paved road); Pine Avenue becomes Cedar Avenue
	When reaching Walnut Avenue, continue straight on narrow Moss Path, then immediately right on Sumac Path to climb the hill
	Turn left on Laurel Avenue and on Walnut Avenue
	Take right on Orchis Path, then right again at the next trail intersection (Greeley tombstone), then left to walk down the hill
	Turn right on the road and left on Mound Avenue, which becomes Pond Road
	When you reach Willow Pond, take Azalea Path on your left to walk at the edge of the water; on the other side of the pond, you will take Spelman Road (no sign, but large Corleto tombstone) then left on Bigelow (again no sign but Freund T.S. tombstone); cross Crystal Avenue and take left at the next fork on Eagle Avenue
	Climb up Mountain Road to the tower; the tower’s top level offers great views once you have ascended the 95 steps (yes, we did count them)
	To continue, walk back on Mountain Avenue and take left on Magnolia Avenue; continue straight on this road at the intersection with Chestnut
	Take left on Oak Avenue, becoming Rosebay when you reach upper Auburn Lake; cross the small bridge and walk ahead through Auburn Court (the large monument with the passageway in the middle)
	Take left on Fountain Avenue, then right on Halcyon Avenue to walk around Halcyon Lake
	Turn right on Sycamore Avenue on the other side of the lake, then immediately left on Caltha Path, becoming Daphne Path, which brings you back to the entrance.