It started snowing early on New Year's Eve and ended up dropping around four inches on Boston. When I rode home during New Year's Eve evening rush hour, it was still pretty easy to bike through the snow, but on New Years Day, unplowed paths were pockmarked with footprints and a bit harder to ride than I would like. Without the studded snow tires I installed on the morning of New Years Eve, the paths and streets would have been more difficult. Even with a smaller snowfall, plowing is needed to make the paths safe for all users.

Please send updates and reports on the conditions of other paths in Massachusetts to Doug Mink.

Arnold Arboretum 1.5 miles of park roads which are mostly closed to automobile traffic with no intersections Boston Parks and Harvard University	These paths are kept plowed, but not always to bare pavement. I didn't ride them after the snow fell.
Blackwell Footpath A half-mile gravel path connecting the Forest Hills MBTA station and the South St. Arboretum entrance Boston Parks and Harvard University	No report yet.
Washington St. Bike Lanes A mile of bike lanes on both sides of Washington St. from Forest Hills to Roslindale Square and beyond on Belgrade Ave. Boston Public Works Department	At least half of the lanes were clear on New Years Day. Cars were parked pretty close to the curb.
Arborway "Bike Lanes" 1 mile of wide paved shoulder which is unmarked but usually clear of parked cars during rush hour Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	Over half the width was plowed, enough to mostly stay off the main travel lanes from the crosswalk almost to the Forest Hills entrance.
Jamaicaway Bikepath 1.5 miles of mostly bike/ped-separated paths paralleling a busy 4-lane parkway; two intersections with traffic lights Boston Parks Deparment	The Boston side was plowed from Route 9 to Willow Pond Ave. sometime during the snowstorm, but none of the rest was plowed as of Thursday night, though it was all bikable.
Perkins St. Bike Lanes 1.5 miles of mostly bike/ped-separated paths paralleling a busy 4-lane parkway; two intersections with traffic lights Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	Not checked.
Olmsted Park Paths 3/4-mile of mostly bike/ped-separated paths built over Riverdale Road, across Leverett Pond from the Jamaicaway. Brookline Park Department	The path was not plowed on New Years Eve, but I'm not sure about later.
Muddy River Path 12-foot-wide 0.6 mile shared bike/ped path with no intersections Brookline Park Department and DPW	Not plowed as of Thursday night, but bikable.
Commonwealth Ave. Bike Lanes Connecting the B.U. Bridge to Boston University Boston Transportation Department	Fairly clear
Brookline Bike Lanes Town of Brookline	The Beacon St. lanes looked clear, but I didn't check the rest.
Harvard (Mass. Ave.) Bridge bike lanes Cambridge to Boston Department of Conservation and Recreation, Plowed By Mass. Highway Department	No report.
Longfellow Bridge bike lanes Cambridge to Boston Department of Conservation and Recreation, Plowed By Mass. Highway Department	No report.
Charles River Bikepath Narrow, shared bike-ped path with few intersections Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	Not plowed, but fairly bikable on New Years Eve. Ken Cheeseman sent me a more complete report on Saturday, covering the Boston side of the Charles River Path from Kenmore Square heading west to Watertown Square: The footbridge at Kenmore Square leading over Storrow Drive was unplowed but rideable with approx. 3-5 inches of loose snow and ice. The bike path itself was plowed and, though not down to bare pavement, was quite rideable. For the first 1/4 mile to the small wooden bridge that goes under the rail/BU Bridge the path was clear but with some windblown and recently fallen snow, which was at times 1-3 inches deep. The wooden bridge was relatively snow free for 1/2 of the span and the second part was rideable with 3-5 inches of loose snow and some ice. From the wooden bridge (under BU Bridge) to the JFK Bridge the path was plowed and in fair to good condition considering the weather. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the path from the JFK bridge to the Eliot Street Bridge was in fair condition, as this is often a "no-man's land" of plowing . The pathway to the underpass, which goes under the Eliot Street Bridge was completely unplowed. The snow was light enough to chug through with some extra effort. The entrance to the underpass was a combination of slick ice and loose snow- studded tires are most appreciated at that point. From the Eliot Bridge to Arsenal Street the path had been plowed but was quickly getting reburied by windblown snow and newly fallen snow. Following the loop around the Publick outdoor Theatre will keep the rider on plowed pathway, the path closer to the river was unplowed. At the Northeast Univ. boathouse it was unplowed along the river but the sidepath/walk along Soldier's Field Road was well plowed. At Arsenal Street the path was plowed on the Watertown side and even the curb cut was clear- not always the case. The decent conditions remained all the way to Nonantum Road where it was well plowed all the way to Watertown Square. Overall assessment: The path from Kenmore to Watertown Square was in a rideable condition virtually the whole way for a cyclist on a bike well set-up for winter riding. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being down to bare pavement with no ice and 1 being "get out the ice boat and cross country skis" the path was about a 6.5 for much of the way. Be prepared for some occasional bushwhacking and a considerably slower ride than under ideal conditions but a fun ride and good work out if you want it and a not too bad alternative to the streets on a snowy night.
J.F.K. Park Wide, shared bike-ped path from river to Harvard Square Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	Not checked
Lincoln St. to Cambridge St. MassPike Bridge Bike/Ped connection from Harvard Square to Allston's Harvard Ave. district via Franklin St. Massachusetts Turnpike Authority	Not checked.
Southwest Corridor Bikepath Separated Bike/Ped path with poorly-designed intersections Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	Not checked.
South Bay Harbor Trail Bike/Ped path from the Federal Court House up Fort Point Channel to the Southwest Corridor City of Boston	Portions of the section along Melnea Cass Parkway were plowed, but it varied block by block. The section in front of the Crosstown Development near Mass. Ave. was especially well done. I was riding outbound, so I rode in the expressway access road instead of the unplowed sidewalk, but the path was clear where it goes under the Expressway. I didn't check the section along Fort Point Channel.
Neponset Trail Mostly paved Bike/Ped path Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	Probably plowed, but not checked. If you use this path regularly and want the DCR to plow it, let them know (or thank them when it is plowed) at 617-626-4973 or contact DCR Community Affairs. http://www.mass.gov/dcr/aboutDCR.htm.
Somerville Community Path Wide rail trail from Davis Square to Cedar St. City of Somerville	Not checked, but probably plowed.
Red Line Linear Park Path Alewife MBTA station to Davis Square over Red Line City of Cambridge City of Somerville	Not checked but probably plowed.
Danehy Park Paths City of Cambridge	Not checked yet.
Cambridge Bike Lanes Striped lanes of varying widths on major and connecting streets City of Cambridge	This was a small enough snowfall that the cars parked close enough to the curb to keep the lanes fairly clear.
Fresh Pond Bike Path Parallel to Fresh Pond Parkway in Kingsley Park City of Cambridge	No report yet
Alewife Parkway Bridge Sidewalk Connection from Minuteman Bikepath to Fresh Pond and beyond Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	No report yet.
Minuteman "Commuter Bikeway" Towns of Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington, and Bedford	No report yet, but the Arlington section should be plowed. Details are posted at http://www.clearthetrail.org
Upper Charles Reservation Watertown, Newton, Waltham 4+ miles of paved and unpaved bikepaths Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	These paths aren't plowed.
Stony Brook Reservation Hyde Park 4+ miles of paved bikepaths Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	These paths aren't plowed because they get relatively little transportation use and because they are used by cross-country skiers like me.
Assabet River Rail Trail Hudson and Marlborough, so far Town of Hudson, City of Marlborough (so far)	Not checked, but probably not plowed.
Northampton Bikeway East-west across the City of Northampton City of Northampton	Craig Della Penna, who lives next to the path, reports that it is the intention of the DPW to make it passable ASAP after a storm. If the storm is significant, then they plow it repeatedly --sometimes 10-12 times during the course of the storm to ensure its usability.
Norwottuck Rail Trail Northampton to Amherst Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of State Parks and Recreation	No report yet.