The park opening was delayed for several years by a number of logistical and bureaucratic issues, but its design, including small islands, bridges and kayaking canals, has been characterized as "grand" and "ambitious" by the local press.

The park was designed by Carr Lynch & Sandell of Cambridge and Oehme, van Sweden & Associates of Washington, DC.

[4] This bridge, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), allows pedestrians to traverse the north side of the Charles River basin.

Pedestrian bridges are also planned over the Charles River from North Point Park to Nashua Street Park in Boston, and a South Bank Bridge over the MBTA Commuter Rail tracks on the south bank of the river from Nashua Street Park to the riverfront just upstream of the Zakim Bridge south tower, connecting the Charles River Reservation to Boston Harbor.

[4][5][6][7] A portion of the pedestrian and bicyclist path forms a segment of the Mass Central Rail Trail and the East Coast Greenway.