MASSACHUSETTS - Greater Boston and Cambridge

Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area offers a quiet place to relax, explore, camp, swim, fish or picnic. Tours to Boston Light ("The ultimate Lighthouse experience," according to the Boston Globe) operate Thursday-Sunday from June to October. Ranger narrated Discovery Cruises and Sunset Cruises are offered on a frequent basis in the summer. Ranger-led activities and special events are offered on many islands for a variety of audiences. Not only are these islands a source of natural beauty and wonder--they're also rich in history and legends, with tales of pirates, shipwrecks, wars, abandoned prisons, and even ghosts! It's all right in Boston Harbor and accessible by boat or public ferry from Long Wharf downtown or the South Shore... so near, and yet so far away!

Callahan has seven miles of marked trails and is used for activities including fishing, hiking, horseback riding (horses not provided) and cross-country skiing. Within the park are nearly 100 acres of open fields. Recreational activities include mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, and walking.

Fort Independence, built between 1834 and 1851, is the dominating feature of this historic site, surrounded by a small park with fishing and swimming areas, and bike trails.

Cochituate State Park is a popular regional day use park featuring water-based recreational opportunities including boating, swimming, windsurfing, and fishing on its three large lakes. Picnicking, swimming, and boat launching are limited to the main area of the park on the middle lake and boaters can gain access to the other lakes through channels under roadways. Jet skis are not allowed on the lake.

Hopkinton State Park offers a year-round recreation, including two guarded swimming beaches, stocked fishing, a group picnic site, 12 shaded picnic areas, 10 miles of marked trails, open field space, a boat launching ramp for non-motorized watercraft, and seasonal boat rentals. The swimming areas are supervised by lifeguards from late May through Labor Day. The waterfront has a handicapped accessible ramp.
Hours: Summer, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; rest of the year, 8 a.m.-sunset. Pets on leash are welcome. Trail system is multi-use. Hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, cross country skiers are welcome. Snowmobiles are permitted when snow cover is at least four inches deep.

Open year round, dawn to dusk. The banks of the Mystic River are almost entirely publicly owned from the Amelia Earhart Dam at the mouth of the Mystic Lakes. The property is accessible via the MBTA public transit system. The property includes:
Mary O'Malley Park. The park has striking views of the harbor and the Tobin Bridge over the Mystic River. A boat landing and shelter are located on an historic granite pier and a wind sculpture by William Wainwright enlivens the waterfront. Tennis courts and a large open lawn area for concerts and picnics are also available.
Torbert Macdonald Park. Macdonald Park has an award-winning landscape design of the meandering paths, trees and open lawns provides space for rest and enjoyment as well as bicycling, jogging, walking and informal games in a riverside setting.
Draw Seven Park. The Draw Number Seven Railroad Bridge, which once crossed the Mystic River, gave this park its name. This park provides field game space for Somerville and adjacent communities. Draw Seven Park offers nine acres of parkland including two soccer fields, a bikeway/walkway, a picnic area with shelter and beautiful landscaping.
Mystic Lakes. Today the Mystic Lakes are popular for freshwater swimming at Sandy Beach. Special sailing programs are available at the Tufts University Boathouse. The Upper Mystic Lake is for non-powered boats only. The Lower Mystic Lake is for power boats with no wake. Information about Shannon Beach: 617-727-5380.

Lifeguards are on duty from late June to early September. Revere Beach boasts miles of shoreline which welcomes throngs of visitors every summer. Along the boulevard there is a bandstand for summer concerts, a bathhouse and many shade shelters. Revere Beach is very accessible by public transportation which makes it a popular spot for people from all around metro Boston. Open year round, dawn to dusk.