Walking the Battle Road Trail at Minute Man National Historical Park
The Battle Road Trail is a 4.9-mile trail that runs the length of the Battle Road Unit of Minute Man National Historical Park. The eastern terminus is at Fiske Hill and the western terminus is at Meriam’s Corner. The trail runs directly past or very near to all of the historical attractions in this section of the park, and hiking or biking it is the only way to see everything. However, for those who prefer not to leave the car far behind, there are parking lots at all of the major sites.
Battle Road in Minute Man National Historical Park passes in front of the Hartwell Tavern
If you want to start your journey from Fiske Hill, there is a parking lot on Old Massachusetts Avenue near the corner of Wood Street. Park there and walk across the road to the Ebenezer Fiske House Site to find the trailhead. Markers along the trail indicate the distance remaining from one end to the other.
Start of the Battle Road Trail at Fiske Hill, Minute Man National Historical Park
Parking for the Meriam’s Corner trailhead is on Lexington Road just east of the official start of the trail at the Nathan Meriam House. If you are a stickler for details and want to start at the very beginning, you must walk west from the parking lot for .2 mile to reach the house. Once there, turn around and start back east. (Note that there is a restroom facility behind the house.)
Battle Road—originally called Bay Road or Concord Road among other names—is the road that 700 British soldiers used to march from Boston to Concord on a mission to find a cache of Patriot weapons supposedly being stored near Concord. Any sections of the original road east of the park towards Cambridge have been paved over by modern roads or buried beneath buildings; the entire area back to Boston is heavily developed. The original road segments west of Meriam’s Corner are now Lexington Road. Thus, the only sections of the original Battle Road that are accessible for hiking and biking are within the Battle Road Unit of Minute Man National Historical Park.
Even within the Battle Road Unit, only about 40 percent of the Battle Road Trail follows the original road, with all original segments lying between Fiske Hill and Bloody Angle. The exception is the segment between the John Nelson House and the Captain Smith House, which is now Route 2A. None of the trail from Bloody Angle to Meriam’s Corner follows the original road. A portion of the road now runs through private property and the rest is Lexington Road, so the National Park Service cut a new trail that runs as close to the original route as possible. (In the following map, the yellow line is the original Battle Road and the blue dotted line is the Battle Road Trail. An overlapping of the two indicates where the trail follows the original road.)
Battle Road Unit map (click to enlarge)
In addition to the changes in the actual route, another major difference between the road from the 1700s and the road today is the trees. Nearly all of this area was farmland and pastures during the American Revolution. The National Park Service estimates that 80 percent of the trees that you see today did not exist back then.
Scenery along the Battle Road in Minute Man National Historical Park
The Battle Road Trail is about as easy a trail as you will find—much of it is a wide, gravel path—so on a nice day the walk along its entire length is quite enjoyable. The trail is open to both hikers and bikers, and while it does have some minor hills, those in wheelchairs can travel along it with some assistance. If biking, young children might have to push their bikes up some of the hills, but they are barely noticeable to adults. Furthermore, the trail has shaded areas as well as areas out in the open, so if avoiding the sun is important to you, wear a hat and apply sunscreen.
Open area of the Battle Road in Minute Man National Historical Park
To me, the best way to experience the trail is on foot. Biking is great too, but there are things you may miss—like wildlife or flowers—when you are passing by at seven miles an hour on a bike. However, keep in mind that the Battle Road Trail is an out-and-back trail, so if you don’t have a ride at the end, you must walk another five miles to get back to where you started. If you have a friend and both of you have a vehicle, park one at each end of the trail. I didn’t have that option, but I did have a bike. I drove to one end and chained my bike to a tree, then drove to the other end to start the hike. When done, I biked back.
Jogging on the Minute Man National Historical Park’s Battle Road Trail
The following is a list of stops along the Battle Road Trail from east to west.
Farwell Jones House and Carty Barn
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on September 4, 2023
