Follow the trail to explore Boston's changing coastline! High Tide Trail

The Massachusett Tribe has lived with and stewarded the Shawmut Peninsula for thousands of years, long before this place was called “Boston.” Since European colonists arrived, they built permanent structures along this waterfront. 30 years ago, an elevated highway and warehouses stood on this spot. As part of the “Big Dig” that transformed downtown Boston, this area became today’s Rose Kennedy Greenway. The Greenway provides important habitat to native species and space for humans to play and relax. As the ocean rises, this park could once again become a coastline. How will this place change in the future?

Over the course of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, Boston’s downtown became a maze of pavement, concrete, and traffic jams. By the 1970s, city planners and local advocates were searching for ways to solve these traffic issues – and in 1991 the Big Dig was born. One of the largest infrastructure projects in US history, this project buried Boston’s elevated highways into a system of tunnels underground. Local leaders and community members then came together and created The Greenway along a mile and a half of former highway. Now humans and wildlife alike enjoy this park, including wildflower meadows, community events, and public art. Find out more and explore the entire Rose Kennedy Greenway.

The Massachusett Tribe has lived with and stewarded the Shawmut Peninsula for thousands of years, long before this place was called “Boston.” When European colonists arrived, they claimed and transformed this landscape. For hundreds of years, generations of settlers used the islands as trash dumps, summer getaways, hospitals, and prisons. Now, many of these buildings are now slowly returning to nature. The Harbor islands have protected and nourished Boston Harbor for millennia. Rising seas and stronger storms erode more and more of these islands every year. How will the future change our harbor?

Boston Harbor is home to 34 islands and peninsulas, stretching from Winthrop in the north to Hull in the south. Formed by retreating glaciers, these islands have been a home and refuge for plants, animals, and indigenous tribes like the Massachusett and Nipmuc for thousands of years. When colonial settlers came to the area, they violently displaced indigenous peoples and used these islands as internment camps and prisons, leaving hundreds of people to die over the winter months. In the hundreds of years since, the islands have been sites for military installations, hospitals, trash dumps, and even schools and summer camps. Since the end of World War II, the islands have for the most part been returned to nature, with Spectacle Island undergoing a massive restoration process to become the most-visited island in the Harbor. Now, many of the harbor’s islands are showing the effects of human-caused climate change: erosion of steep cliffs and bluffs, crumbling sea walls and buildings, and flooding. As sea levels rise and storms become more severe, the erosion of outer islands shows what is to come for the inner harbor. With the erosion of these islands, much is lost from habitat to history. Learn more about how climate change is impacting the Harbor Islands.

The Massachusett Tribe has lived with and stewarded the Shawmut Peninsula for thousands of years, long before this place was called “Boston.” Once a place of warehouses and industrial buildings, this park was created in the 1970s to reconnect people to the waterfront as part of the “Walk to the Sea” initiative. This park is only a few feet higher than the nearby Harborwalk and Long Wharf. But those few feet will protect this place from flooding and could make this park an important refuge in the future. How can this park protect our city?

In the years after World War II, Boston’s waterfront was developed into landscape of warehouses, fences, and cement, effectively cutting residents off from the waterfront. Through the efforts of local activists, city planners, and communities, stakeholders worked together to clean up Boston Harbor and restore greenspace and access to the waterfront. This park was designed as part of an innovative “Walk to the Sea,” and features nautical designs and an iconic trellis walkway. The park is about 10 feet about sea level – that’s over 5 feet higher than nearby Long Wharf! Although much of Boston’s waterfront is at risk of flooding due to sea level rise, this small elevation change is enough to protect this park. Explore the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management flood maps to see what other places in Boston might be a natural refuge in the decades to come. Learn more about this neighborhood park.

The Massachusett Tribe has lived with and stewarded the Shawmut Peninsula for thousands of years, long before this place was called “Boston.” When European colonists arrived, they transformed the shoreline with stone, cement, and concrete. Since the 1990s, the City of Boston and partners have grown the public Harborwalk along Boston’s seawalls to reconnect residents and visitors with the water. The Harborwalk is mostly built on hard and immobile surfaces. As the ocean rises and the Harborwalk floods more regularly… How can we stay safe and connected to our waterfront?

First envisioned in the 1980s, the Boston Harborwalk stretches along 43 miles
of coastline from East Boston to Dorchester. This publicly accessible trail is designed to return access of the waterfront to Boston’s residents and visitors. Friends of the Boston Harborwalk is a dedicated group of volunteers that maintains signage and access along the Harborwalk, hosts tours, and supports the continued growth of the trail. The Harborwalk is built on top of the fill and concrete that makes up most of Boston’s coastline, making some areas especially susceptible to flooding. Here on Long Wharf, tourists, commuters, and vendors all use this space to travel, work, and play by foot, bicycle, and ferry.

The Massachusett Tribe has lived with and stewarded the Shawmut Peninsula for thousands of years, long before this place was called “Boston.” European colonists built Long Wharf to support a growing maritime industry. At first, Long Wharf stuck out 1/3 of a mile into the harbor. Now, the city has been built up behind it, and ferries and sightseeing boats use this wharf. Long Wharf has existed for 300 years – a short time in the long history of our coast! As the ocean rises, the Wharf has begun to regularly flood. What will the future hold for this place?

After colonists took over the Shawmut Peninsula and began establishing Boston, settlers constructed Long Wharf in the late 1700s to support a growing maritime trading industry. The very end of Long Wharf, where you now stand, stuck out a half mile into Boston Harbor, so ships could easily dock and unload their wares. Over the coming centuries, the city was built up closer and closer behind Long Wharf, until present day where it is barely 0.1 of a mile from the shoreline. As the ocean has risen, Long Wharf is facing regular flooding events. In early 2024 Long Wharf experienced some its highest flooding ever, with over two feet of water washing up its steps. A new coastal resilience project organized by the Boston Planning & Development Agency for Long Wharf is already underway.