New Bedford is the largest city in the South Coast region of Massachusetts. It has a history as an important center of the whaling industry in the 19th century, and was at one time the wealthiest city per capita in North America! New Bedford is a very interesting place to visit for its historic architecture of Captains homes, and location on the Acushnet River and Buzzards Bay. Our guide to running in New Bedford includes neighboring Fairhaven and Mattapoisett.
Our favorite run in New Bedford is a several mile waterfront route that includes a section along Cove Rd., a multi-use path alongside Rodney French Blvd. to Ford Rodman, and the Harbor Walk. We’ve also designed a ‘runseeing‘ tour of New Bedford, which explores the city’s history & historic architecture. For another longer off-road run, head over the bridge to Fairhaven to enjoy the 5-mile Phoenix Rail Trail that heads east to Mattapoisett. Also in Mattapoisett is scenic, easy trail running at Nasketucket Bay State Reservation, with a connector to the Phoenix Rail Trail.
For more running in this area, see our running guides for Boston’s South Shore/MA South Coast and Cape Cod.
