On Friday at 5 p.m., DCR opened the newest section of the Neponset Greenway, a 1.3-mile stretch from near Central Avenue into Mattapan that includes the new Harvest River Bridge crossing the river between Mattapan and Milton.

If you pull into the parking lot for the Ryan Playground, on River Street, sort of opposite Gladeside Avenue in Mattapan, follow the new path into the woods, which will take you to the Greenway. Turn left and you'll soon come to the bridge, the river and the path towards Lower Mills.

A tablet explains the bridge's name:

You'll get glimpses of the historic Mattapan trolleys (but if you want better views, head towards Lower Mills or Mattapan Square):

Along the way, you'll find some wildflowers - some of which are pretty small and require some bending over to get a good view of.

Construction of the new segment.

When completed, the Greenway will let you walk or bike from the mouth of the Neponset at Dorchester Bay to the Martini Shell in Hyde Park (which in turn is a relatively short walk to another path into the Blue Hills Reservation).