This is a fun running tour of the island of Nahant. We love it because it is a relatively traffic-free road run, and offers great variety: water and Boston skyline views, pretty homes, parks, and hills. The full tour as we’ve mapped it is 7 miles, but there are options to make it shorter. Tides Restaurant is a good starting point. Run for about 1/2 mile on Nahant Rd. onto the island. The route then hugs the water around the island. Take Castle Rd. for 3/4 mile, RIGHT on Gardner Rd. and LEFT on Bass Point Rd. Follow through the lovely Baileys Point, onto Willow Rd., for 1.2 miles, which turns into Cliff St. near the Village Church. Optional: jaunt out to East Point, 1 mile out and back. For the back half, LEFT on Nahant Rd., RIGHT on Pleasant St., and then follow Marginal Rd. & Maolis Rd. to the end, forced LEFT on Pond St. to Nahant Rd., with a quite dramatic hill down, coming off the island.
Options for Shorter: Eliminate the 1 mile East Point out and back, or start start on Castle Rd., eliminating the first 1/2 mile on Nahant Rd. each way.
Option for Longer: Continue on Nahant Rd. west/north of Tides, for up to 3 lovely waterfront miles to Swampscott Center. See our route.
This is a fun running tour of the island of Nahant. We love it because it is a relatively traffic-free road run, and offers great variety: water and Boston skyline views, pretty homes, parks, and hills. The full tour as we’ve mapped it is 7 miles, but there are options to make it shorter. Tides Restaurant is a good starting point. Run for about 1/2 mile on Nahant Rd. onto the island. The route then hugs the water around the island. Take Castle Rd. for 3/4 mile, RIGHT on Gardner Rd. and LEFT on Bass Point Rd. Follow through the lovely Baileys Point, onto Willow Rd., for 1.2 miles, which turns into Cliff St. near the Village Church. Optional: jaunt out to East Point, 1 mile out and back. For the back half, LEFT on Nahant Rd., RIGHT on Pleasant St., and then follow Marginal Rd. & Maolis Rd. to the end, forced LEFT on Pond St. to Nahant Rd., with a quite dramatic hill down, coming off the island.
Options for Shorter: Eliminate the 1 mile East Point out and back, or start start on Castle Rd., eliminating the first 1/2 mile on Nahant Rd. each way.
Option for Longer: Continue on Nahant Rd. west/north of Tides, for up to 3 lovely waterfront miles to Swampscott Center. See our route.
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Essentials
7 mile (11.2 km) loop; Options for shorter/longer
219 feet
Tides Restaurant, Nahant Rd. For shorter run, park on island.
Parking: In season, can be tricky - might have to park at one of the paid lots for Nahant Beach
This newly completed paved rail-trail passes for 10 miles through Everett, Malden, and Saugus, ending in Lynn. Mix of landscape: industrial, woods, and some marsh views. Plans to extend 1.5 miles to the sea at northern end.
The second largest municipal park in the United States is a hidden gem just north of Boston. Trail running for all abilities: 10 miles of wide fire roads and 20 miles of more rugged trails. Three reservoirs, Dungeon Rock, rose gardens.
There are several great running beaches on Boston's North Shore. Closest to Boston is Revere Beach, and just north, Kings Beach and Nahant Beach. The most scenic is Crane's Beach in Ipswich. Salisbury Beach near the NH border is also good for running.
We love this run for its combination of boardwalk and runnable beach, with great water and Boston skyline views. There is a wide paved sidewalk/boardwalk paralleling Nahant Rd. and Lynn Shore Drive for nearly 3 miles.
One of the prettiest and most historic towns on Boston's North Shore. Wonderful running options include a loop of Marblehead Neck, waterfront roads hugging the harbor, historic streets, and off-road options on conservation land and a 4-mile rail trail.
A 'runseeing' tour of this historic coastal town, famous as a seaport and for the 1692 Witch Trials. Our 5-mile route is a modified version of the red-lined Heritage Trail, passing Salem's major sites, historic downtown, and the waterfront.
Beverly is another pleasant town on Boston's north shore, just north of Salem. We've put together a 4-mile loop, combining some lovely waterfront running, several parks, and Beverly's historic downtown.
Scenic Olmsted-designed former estate and farm on Lake Wenham in Beverly, restored and opened to the public in 2024. Enjoy 4 miles of trails on three 'carriage' loops around fields, forests, and estate grounds.
This affluent coastal town is known for the white-sanded Singing Beach. The best running is to create your own route along Beach St. and the roads off of it, leading past gorgeous homes and out to scenic vista points. Also nice running in Coolidge Reservation.
Some of the most scenic waterfront running on the North Shore centers around the small town of Magnolia, which lies between Manchester-By-The-Sea and Gloucester. Enjoy great coastal views, quiet roads, gorgeous homes.
Important center of the fishing industry and a popular summer destination. The best running is a ~2 mile stretch along the Harbor, and on Eastern Point, where the Atlantic Ave. side boasts fantastic views and homes. The hilly village is also fun to explore.
The town is known for its fishing harbor, granite quarries, boulder-strewn beaches, and the famous "Motif #1". We've mapped a 3.3 mile one-way run near the center, with waterfront homes, great views, beach, and Bearskin Neck.
Pick a section of this 10-mile, 'hidden gem' one-way run between Gloucester and Rockport. Oceanfront promenades, two beach run sections, cute coves, gorgeous homes, and spectacular views. Seasonally a bus runs between the towns.
Great coastal town with terrific running options: 4.5 miles along the water and marshes out to Plum Island; Clipper City Rail Trail; and Maudslay State Park, with miles of trails featuring 19th century gardens, rolling meadows, & towering pines.
A separate guide for this area, with wonderful running in the coastal area from Salisbury Beach to the border just south of Kittery, Maine. Plus some interior off-road trails that are great for running.
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Essentials
7 mile (11.2 km) loop; Options for shorter/longer
219 feet
Tides Restaurant, Nahant Rd. For shorter run, park on island.
Parking: In season, can be tricky - might have to park at one of the paid lots for Nahant Beach
Option for Longer: Continue on Nahant Rd. west/north of Tides, for up to 3 lovely waterfront miles to Swampscott Center. See our route.
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Share your feedback on this route and see that of other Great Runs users. Click on the image icon to upload a photo. And please let us know if there are notes or changes we should incorporate!