Franklin Park

Franklin Park Cross Country Track website | Course Maps 

1 Franklin Park Rd.
Boston, MA 02121 

Franklin Park, a partially-wooded 527-acre parkland in the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston, Mass., is maintained by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. It is Boston's biggest park and the site of Franklin Park Zoo.
 
Franklin Park is a famed cross country course, hosting countless high school and collegiate meets throughout the year. It is home to the Massachusetts All-States Meet as well as the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship every other year. It also contains the 18-hole William J. Devine golf course (the second oldest public course in the nation) as well as tennis courts, baseball fields and several basketball courts.

The park includes courses for 5,000 meters, 6,000 meters, 8,000 meters and 10,000 meters. Franklin Park also won the honor of hosting the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 1992, as a special 12.5 kilometer course was used for competition. Each course includes variants of three major loops, the stadium loop, the Bear Cage hill loop and the wilderness loop.

DIRECTIONS
From Storrow Drive
Take the Fenway exit to Route 1 south; follow Route 1 to Route 203 East, following signs for the Franklin Park Zoo. Cross country course is on the left before the zoo.

From Route 128 North or South
Take exit 15A (Dedham Exit) to Route 1A. Stay on Route 1 (approximately four miles) until it becomes the VFW Parkway. Continue on the VFW Parkway, approximately three miles, until it ends. Take a left on Centre Street. At the rotary take 203 East onto the Arborway. Pass the Arnold Arboretum and keep left to go on overpass. At next rotary, go (two-thirds) three-quarters of the way around and follow Zoo signs. Cross country course is on the left before the zoo.

From the North
Take I-93 South to Exit 15, Columbia Road. At the end of ramp take a right onto Columbia Road. At the third light, Columbia Road turns left. Continue on Columbia Road through nine more lights. Go straight across Blue Hill Avenue. Entrance into the zoo is on your right. Pass the zoo, cross country course is on the right.

From the South
Take I-93 North to Exit 15, Columbia Road. Take a right at the end of the ramp. Go up and around the rotary and then come back in order to head in the correct direction on Columbia Road. At the third light, Columbia Road turns left. Continue on Columbia Road through nine more lights. Go straight across Blue Hill Avenue. Entrance into the zoo is on your right. Pass the zoo, cross country course is on the right.

From Route 9
Take Route 1 (the Jamaicaway) south. Follow Route 1 to Route 203 East; stay in the left lane and go over the overpass. At the next rotary follow signs for the Franklin Park Zoo. 

PARKING
Limited parking is available at two lots along Circuit Drive, leading to The Playstead, and on Circuit Drive itself. Please cooperate with park rangers giving directions, and please do not park in spaces dedicated to the golf club or zoo. Park legally!