<p>Hello, I was wondering if you could help with some questions?</p>
<p>(1) Is Middlesex Fells park the closest and best park region for trail running and hiking?</p>
<p>Map of park and area:
[middlesex</a> fells - Google Maps](<a href=“Google Maps”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>Are there trails that go up and down steep hills, eg, several hundred vertical feet?</p>
<p>(2) Are there any especially hilly areas near campus ( even street areas) that make for difficult hill running?</p>
<p>Um, there’s also a nice pond in the vicinity that you can walk around on a Sunday morning, but I haven’t seen any steep hills yet out here in this fairly urban area…</p>
<p>The [Harvard</a> Outing Club](<a href=“http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~oc/]Harvard”>http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~oc/) frequently organizes hiking trips and lends out free gears for a membership fee of only $10, so perhaps you can look into that. There’re many hiking trails in MA, but they’re farther out from campus.</p>
<p>As xrCalico23 says, there’s not much in the way of hills in Cambridge, though there are hills in various points in Boston and beyond – Beacon Hill in downtown Boston, and Hearbreak Hill on the Boston Marathon route, for example. For running in Cambridge, you can create routes in and around Harvard, along the Charles River, and around Fresh Pond.</p>
<p>Blue Hills Reservation south of Boston provides a more serious hill experience – Great Blue Hill gets to a height of about 650 feet and there are a number of trails on the reservation’s 7,000 acres. Middlesex Fells is also a good place for hiking. </p>
<p>For more serious hikes, head for the mountains of New Hampshire. Mt. Washington, New England’s highest peak, tops out at a little over 6,000 feet. That might seem low in comparison to the Rockies or the Sierra, but timberline in that area is below 5,000 feet, so there’s extensive alpine terrain.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information – very helpful.</p>
<p>Have you explored Middlesex Fells? Looks like it’s closest to campus for daily exercise. (How far is it away driving, and by public transportation)? I’m curious if there are any significant hills there, eg, 100+ vertical feet, or whether it’s mainly flat. I did see some photos of rock climbing areas (cliff structures) so am hoping there are some hilly areas.</p>
<p>From Harvard Square, Middlesex Fells is about 20 minutes by car, maybe 45 minutes by bike, and possible but tough by public transit (count on at least an hour, with multiple transfers – your best bet is probably Red Line to Orange Line to the 99 bus).</p>
<p>I haven’t been to Middlesex Fells in a few years (and what I remember most about the last time I was hiking there is that one of my sons got stung by a wasp), but it’s a good place to hike and there is some hilly terrain. You can get some info about the trails at [url=<a href=“http://www.fells.org/Visit-Trails.html]Visit:Trails[/url”>http://www.fells.org/Visit-Trails.html]Visit:Trails[/url</a>].</p>
<p>Cambridge is basically flat and very urban although there are (very flat) nice trails along the banks of the Charles … this is my favorite night time run in Boston. Arlington and Belmont both have some pretty good hills and are pretty close to Cambridge … I have no idea if there are good parks with long hill trails … but Arlington/Belmont could provide a pretty rigorous hilly run on streets.</p>
<p>Is it common for students etc to run in the Mt. Auburn Memorial area? Looks like it may be hilly with the winding streets depicted on the map.
[Somerville</a> (Winter Hill - Google Maps](<a href="Google Maps;
<p>Is there a website or webpage that discusses the different neighborhoods around Cambridge? I’d like to live somewhere within 1-2 miles of campus and where it is very friendly, safe to be outside, low car traffic, near parks, near a food cooperative, health conscious people, etc.</p>
<p>Do you have any recommendations on apartment complexes that have studios in the $1000-$1200 region?</p>
<p>I think most of the students who run run on/adjacent to campus, especially along the Charles River. And if you’re looking to live off campus, do be aware that something like 97% of students here live on campus all four years. If you want to be at a school that has a culture where students move off-campus as soon as possible, this is not that school.</p>
<p>Exactly as exultationasy said, student life evolves around the House communities on campus. You’re going to miss the essence of the residential college system by moving off to live on your own (which is something that is so rarely done by anyone). Also, everything in Boston/Cambridge seems terrible expensive to me, and I very much doubt you’ll find somewhere so near that’s not affiliated with Harvard and not costing too much.</p>
<p>Try visiting the school some time. Though you’ll get a tourist’s view, it’ll give you a better sense of the physical environment.</p>
<p>I usually run along the Charles which is a pretty flat route, but if you go into Allston there are a lot more hilly areas.</p>
<p>I’ll be in graduate school.</p>
<p>In terms of OP’s question about Mt. Auburn Memorials: it’s a private cemetery, a beautiful spot, and a nice place for a walk. It might be one of the best places in Cambridge for a run, except that they don’t allow jogging, bikes, skates, etc.</p>
<p>^^Oh, I see. Well, it looks like you’ll definitely be missing the House life :p</p>