Kensington Walking Paths

Distance and Duration of Walk: 2.0 miles at a moderate pace with 300 ft. of climbing.  Duration is 2 hrs. Tour finishes in business district at thr Colusa Circle, a 20-min. uphill walk from the start

Starting Location: Raxakoul Coffee & Cheese (299 Arlington Ave.; Kensington)

We will visit the set of walking paths in Kensington that go between streets and were originally created to facilitate access to streetcars and later buses. The tour will start in front of Raxacoul Coffee and Tea at 299 Arlington Ave. and finish at the Colusa Circle, where it will be possible to procure lunch from Semmifreddi's or vendors at the Kensington Farmers Market. Our tour will go at a moderate pace. But since much of our route goes uphill, participants should have a level of fitness to comfortably ascend stairs and streets such as Coventry Ave. (some may find walking sticks to be useful). The tour is approximately 1.5 miles in length.

During the tour, guide Rodney Paul will talk about the history of the paths and efforts to secure public ownership by the Kensington Pathkeepers group he's involved in. We will see portions of two paths that are currently blocked and hear about efforts to make improvements to the others.

Note: The tour finishes 0.8 miles from the start. It’s about a 20 min. walk back to Raxakoul, much of it uphill. It may be possible to arrange rides for those who need assistance getting back.

Children and dogs are allowed on the walk but it may not be ideally suited for them.