Start the Freedom Trail
in Massachusetts · centroid 0 mi from Boston
Welcome to Boston’s Freedom Trail. Originally designed in the 1950s, the Freedom Trail is an iconic symbol of Boston. Its red brick line snakes through some of the oldest parts of this City, leading visitors to notable historic sites in the Downtown, North End, and Charlestown neighborhoods of Boston.
The trail introduces visitors to Boston's storied, complicated, and multi-faceted history. While many sites are primarily recognized for their role in the American Revolution, all the sites on the Freedom Trail have stood as the backdrop of subsequent social, political, and religious movements, controversies, and challenges.
- States
- Massachusetts
- Trail type
- National Historical Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Boston, MA · 0 mi · ~0 min drive
- Centroid coords
- 42.3554°, -71.0637°
About Boston National Historical Park
This trail is inside Boston National Historical Park, a national historical park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/freedom-trail-start.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/bost/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Start the Freedom Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Bay Circuit Trail
3 miles from this trail's centroid
Nature Trail
8 miles from this trail's centroid
BCT 7 First Drumlin Route (LincolnWeston/Wayland)
15 miles from this trail's centroid
BCT Section 7 Concord/Lincoln
15 miles from this trail's centroid
BCT 5a & 6 Billerica/Bedford/Concord
16 miles from this trail's centroid
BCT 7 Lincoln/Wayland
17 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.