To Do Today: Visit Blue Hills Reservation
Hiking, camping, swimming, and more within minutes of downtown Boston
The Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center, a National Historic Landmark, sits atop Great Blue Hill and is open to visitors. Photo by Flickr contributor Bill Ilott
To Do Today: Visit Blue Hills Reservation
Hike, camp, swim, and more just a T ride south of Boston
What?
Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation’s Blue Hills Reservation, a 7,000-acre oasis perfect for kayaking, canoeing, swimming, hiking, mountain biking, and more.
When?
The reservation is open for hiking, biking, and picnicking from dawn to dusk. The designated swimming area is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm until Labor Day. Parking lots close at 8 pm unless otherwise noted.
Where?
725 Hillside St., Milton.
Visitor parking is available at the Houghton’s Pond Recreation Area, 840 Hillside St., Milton. Reachable from the parking area is a 24-acre pond and accessible beach, as well as trails for hiking and biking.
Find a trail map and guide here.
Why should I go?
Hiking enthusiasts owe a debt of gratitude to the Metropolitan Park Commission of 1893, which had the foresight to set aside the 7,000 acres known as the Blue Hills Reservation for public use, making it possible for Bostonians to easily flee the city for a slice of wilderness as close as a suburban shopping mall.
About a 30-minute drive from downtown Boston, with 125 miles of trails, the reservation stretches over sections of Quincy, Dedham, Braintree, Canton, Milton, and Randolph. In summer, the 22 hills are carpeted in green, with rocky outcrops affording sweeping views of the Boston skyline. Great Blue Hill, the highest at 635 feet, looms over a diverse expanse of bottomland forest, marsh, swamp, and Houghton’s Pond, where swimming is permitted. Rich in archaeological legacies from Colonial and early American farmers and quarry workers, the Blue Hills were home to the Native American Massachusett (which means “people of the great hills”) tribe for many centuries.
The reservation also offers free programs, like guided strolls and hikes and bird and animal talks. Find the full list and times here.
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