By Warwick Ford - The Charles River Reserve is Boston and Cambridge's most popular running trail. The Dr. Paul Dudley White Bicycle Path is a loop stretching from the Science Museum upstream nine miles to Watertown on both sides of the Charles River. The trail segments downstream of the Eliot Bridge, which are convenient to downtown Boston, the Hynes Convention Center, MIT, Boston U, and Harvard, are particularly popular. There are several runnable bridges between the Science Museum and Eliot Bridge – the Longfellow Bridge, Massachusetts Avenue Bridge, Boston U Bridge, River Street Bridge, Western Avenue Bridge, Harvard U Footbridge, and JFK Street Bridge. Putting all this together you have an enormous number of route variations. All trails are paved, frequently with earthy side tracks. For help on selecting your particular route, download the free printer-friendly Charles River runners' map (which has all segment mileages marked) at www.funonfoot.com/boschrmap.html.html. There are subway stations convenient at several points but restrooms and water fountains are scarce. (They are marked on the map.)

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