The snow from two weeks ago never really melted, but it started snowing again on Sunday night and continued off and on through Tuesday morning. The bulk of the first wet, heavy snow fell Sunday night, and there was only a dusting of lighter snow coming down on Tuesday. I shoveled wet snow on Monday morning, but by the afternoon, it was frozen hard. The paths on Tuesday morning were all plowed, but of varying quality.

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	The park roads were all plowed, but seldom to bare pavement. There was a lot of ice under a thin layer of snow along Hemlock Hill, but mostly bare pavement or packed powder in the rest of the Arboretum. Not much of the sand from the last storm seemed to be around.
Blackwell Footpath A half-mile gravel path connecting the Forest Hills MBTA station and the South St. Arboretum entrance Boston Parks and Harvard University	This often gets plowed, but I haven't ridden it 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	Mostly clear, except when they are next to the curb and half the bike lane is unplowed.
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	The shoulders are plowed most of the way to the curb, especially where they are used for parking. Closer to the Forest Hills downramp, the shoulders are not as well plowed. The sidewalks are plowed but hard-packed powder. The sidewalks across Murray Circle weren't plowed all of the way to May St., only to the sidewalks along May St. and the Arborway, which were pretty clear.
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	From Kelly Circle to Perkins St., it was plowed to packed powder. From Perkins St. to Route 9, the path was salted and sanded and clearer than it has been since December.
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	Jon Niehof reports that Bike lanes on both Chestnut and Perkins are clear.
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	Jon Niehof reports:Brookline paths along Pond Ave. are less deep but more icy than further north; I appreciated the studs here. As I went back orth the plow was coming around for another pass... The path from the Chestnut St. rotary up to Perkins St. is unplowed and I was unable to get through on a bike, too much to plow through uphill.
Muddy River Path 12-foot-wide 0.6 mile shared bike/ped path with no intersections Brookline Park Department and DPW	Plowed to packed powder, often thin over bare pavement. The contraflow cycle track wasn't plowed by 10:00 am, but Jon Niehof reports that it was clear by 11:30.
Commonwealth Ave. Bike Lanes Connecting the B.U. Bridge to Boston University Boston Transportation Department	These were totally clear to wet pavement near the B.U. Bridge
Brookline Bike Lanes Town of Brookline	The Beacon St. lanes looked clear.
B. U. Bridge west sidewalk Boston to Cambridge Department of Conservation and Recreation, Plowed By Mass. Highway Department or B.U.	Pretty clear by 10:00 am Tuesday.
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 Bikepaths Narrow, shared bike-ped path with few intersections Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	From the B.U. Bridge upstream to Hawthorn St., the Cambridge side path is plowed to packed powder, with extensive bare sections downstream from River St., where it was pretty bad last week. Ken Cheeseman reports on the Boston side Tuesday night: From the Fieldler Foot Bridge west it was slippery with a thin coating of slush but very rideable until just after the BU Sailing Boathouse onto the wooden bridge that runs under the BU bridge. It was quite sloppy there. From there no big issues until the Eliot Bridge underpass, which was practically inaccessible from the path running parallel to Storrow due to snow, slush and ice. From the Eliot Bridge the path conditions deteriorated considerably with more slush, considerable amounts of water mixed with snow. The path is now plowed around the NU boathouse but the drainage is so bad that a poorly equipped cyclist or runner could not get through there without extremely wet feet. From there to Watertown conditions remained roughly the same- mixed snow, ice and slush and the bike tracks showed that I was not the only cyclist struggling at times to hold a straight line. The curb cuts at the entrances of the bike path at Western Ave and Arsenal Street are particularly hazardous. If the current conditions on the path are subject to a deep freeze it's going to be a tough ride. Grade with 10 being excellent: Overall: 5 (rideable but hazardous at times) fine for a fun mountain bike ride but not great for the commuter. Ken followed up on Friday: Picked up the bike path along the Charles on the Boston side at Massachusetts Avenue and rode westward to Watertown Square. The path was well cleared until the BU Sailing Boathouse and the backside of it leading to the wooden bridge under the BU bridge- at that point it was icy and rutted. The path was otherwise great until, as usual, the Eliot Bridge. The path leading down to the entrance of the underpass at Eliot Bridge was extremely hazardous. From the Eliot Bridge underpass through Brighton it was plagued with black ice and as it rounded the NU boathouse it was very, very icy where there are serious drainage issues- I wonder about the wisdom of even plowing that section- sometimes they don't and just plow out to the "sidewalk/sidepath along Soldier's Field Road to Western Ave., which is perhaps a better route at this time of year. From Western Ave to Watertown there are sections of bad ice, rough frozen snow and ruts. Basically, the path is a relatively easy ride for a bike equipped with studded tires and a rider with good to excellent bike handling skills (ie a mountain biker) with an occasional challenging section or two but for all others there will be times when it would be best to take extreme caution and/or choose an alternative route. Charles River Basin path plowing is supported this winter by a donation from New Balance shoes: Under the agreement, New Balance, which is based in Boston, has pledged to provide funding to support snow removal efforts along the 17-plus mile Charles River path spanning from the Museum of Science area in Cambridge to the Galen Street Bridge in Watertown. The snow removal will be performed by DCR within 24 hours of the completion of a storm. Because the route runs in close proximity to the river bank, there is limited salting and sanding that can be performed, so the DCR and New Balance urge runners to continue to use caution.
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	Clear pavement.
N. Harvard St. bike lanes Boston Boston DPW	Not checked yet
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 but probably clear
Southwest Corridor Bikepath Separated Bike/Ped path with poorly-designed intersections Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	Not checked yet.
South Bay Harbor Trail Bike/Ped path from the Federal Court House up Fort Point Channel to the Southwest Corridor City of Boston	Not checked yet, bu I suspect that the section in front of the Crosstown Development near Mass. Ave. will be done, and the path will be clear where it goes under the Expressway.
Neponset Trail Mostly paved Bike/Ped path Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	Probably plowed to packed powder. 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	Not checked.
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	Details are usually 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	John Allen reports Saturday January 23 on the path upstream from Moody St. in Waltham: Riverwalk in Waltham between Moody Street and Pleasant Street on north side of the Charles (paved surface) : not plowed. Riverwalk in Waltham on south side of the Charles between watch factory and Woerd Avenue boat-launching area (crushed stone surface): not plowed. Riverwalk in Waltham either side of Farwell (North Street, Newton): not plowed. Calvary Cemetery roads: all plowed, useful shortcuts for some trips in Waltham. Riverwalk/access road behind watch factory: plowed Gold Star Mothers Bridge (prospect Street) -- sidewalks plowed. Mt. Feake Cemetery roads: all plowed and clear, very short walk in packed snow to get around the gate at the Sawyer Road/Brandeis commuter rail station end.
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. There are marked narrow bike lanes on Enneking Parkway through the reservation, but I didn't notice how clear they were when I dropped by to take snow pictures there this morning.
Former Metropolitan State Hospital Belmont, Waltham paved bikepaths Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Urban Parks and Recreation	John Allen reports: DCR path on Metropolitan State Hospital property (sidepath adjacent to 22-foot wide roadway between granite curbs, ugh): plowed except for big mound of snow at Trapelo Road end. Still snow-covered in many places and has patches of snowmelt that become black ice when it freezes -- not rideable.
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	Lynn Grabowski reports: There is a group of us who have loosely organized, and are continuing to request that DCR clear the Norwottuck for year round use. Check out the Friends of the Norwottuck Trail website. At the last Norwottuck Rail Trail Advisory Committee meeting in December, DCR claimed - no money, no manpower and liability issues. What a surprise! (Of course out here in Western MA we are used to such low priority treatment) This week I may get some more info if one of the towns could step in - for the right price ( if the money could be raised.) However, a cycling commuter who remains anonymous- has kept a shoveled path cleared from Route 116 to Station Road, which allows for careful cycling down the middle- along with peds & joggers, while the xc skiers are thrilled to be able to use the sides.