List of Massachusetts state parks

This list of Massachusetts State Parks contains the state parks and recreation areas in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation as of 2015.[1]

Massachusetts State Parks (Hover mouse over pog to popup clickable link)

The Bureau of State Parks and Recreation division of Department of Conservation and Recreation (Massachusetts) (DCR) is responsible for the maintenance and management of over 450,000 acres (1,820 sq km) of privately and state-owned forests and parks, nearly 10% of the Commonwealth's total land mass. Within the lands managed by the Bureau of State Parks and Recreation are some 29 campgrounds, over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of trails, 87 beaches, 37 swimming, wading, and spray pools, 62 playgrounds, 55 ballfields, and 145 miles (233 km) of paved bike and rail trails.

DCR's Bureau of Urban Parks and Recreation manages the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston, the components of which are included in this list.

State parks

Name	County	Area[2]		Estab- lished	River / lake / other	Image	Remarks
		acres	ha
Alewife Brook Reservation	Middlesex 42°23′48″N 71°8′38″W	136 acres	55 ha	1900	Little Pond, Little River, Alewife Brook		A major portion of the Alewife Reservation is designated wetland. The Reservation is located at the end of the Minuteman Bike Path in Arlington
Ames Nowell State Park	Plymouth 42°7′12.8994″N 70°59′13.632″W	612 acres	248 ha		Cleveland Pond		The park is primarily used for boating and fishing.
Ashland State Park	Middlesex 42°14′30″N 71°27′58″W	472 acres	191 ha	1947	Ashland Reservoir
Bash Bish Falls State Park	Berkshire 42°06′53″N 73°29′34″W	424 acres	172 ha		Bash Bish Falls		Massachusetts' highest single-drop waterfall lies within the park borders.
Beartown State Forest	Berkshire 42°14′00″N 73°16′28″W	120 acres	49 ha	1921	Benedict Pond		Approximately 7.5 miles (12.1 km) of the Appalachian Trail travels through the forest.
Beaver Brook Reservation	Middlesex 42°23′26″N 71°11′52″W	303 acres	123 ha	1893			The park includes a cascading waterfall and a wading pool.
Belle Isle Marsh Reservation	Suffolk 42°23′21″N 70°59′21″W	188 acres	76 ha		Belle Isle Marsh		The reservation includes landscaped pathways, benches, and an observation tower. A portion of the Boston Harborwalk runs through the reservation.
Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park	Worcester 42°05′40″N 71°37′23″W	1,066 acres	431 ha		Blackstone River		The park is the midpoint of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor of the National Park System.
Blue Hills Reservation	Norfolk 42°12′40″N 71°7′40″W	6,165 acres	2,495 ha	1893	Houghton's Pond, Ponkapoag Pond		The reservation has the distinction of being the largest conservation land within a major metropolitan area.
Borderland State Park	Bristol, Norfolk 42°4′3″N 71°9′13″W	1,843 acres	746 ha	1971			On National Register of Historic Places
Boston Harbor Islands State Park	Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk 42°19′11.6″N 70°55′45.6″W	404 acres	163 ha	1996	Boston Harbor
Bradley Palmer State Park	Essex 42°38′0″N 70°53′43″W	736 acres	298 ha	1944	Ipswich River		The park that features rolling meadows, lush evergreens and old carriage roads lined with rhododendrons.
Breakheart Reservation	Essex, Middlesex 42°29′21″N 71°2′23″W	652 acres	264 ha	1934	Silver Lake, Pearce Lake, Saugus River		The reservation is hardwood forest principally used for birding, fishing and hiking.
Brimfield State Forest	Hampden 42°6′0″N 72°14′56″W	3,523 acres	1,426 ha		Dean Pond
Bristol Blake State Reservation	Norfolk 42°6′28.6″N 71°19′5″W	140 acres	57 ha				Adjacent to Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
Brook Farm Historic Site	Suffolk 42°17′29″N 71°10′26.7″W	141 acres	57 ha	1988
C. M. Gardner State Park	Hampden 42°16′31″N 72°52′14.5″W	85 acres	34 ha	1959	Westfield River
Callahan State Park	Middlesex 42°20′35″N 71°26′55″W	958 acres	388 ha	1970
Camp Nihan Environmental Education Camp	Essex 42°29′32.6″N 71°1′11.4″W	65 acres	26 ha	1929	Saugus River		Part of Breakheart Reservation
Castle Island	Suffolk 42°20′15″N 71°0′38″W	22 acres	8.9 ha		Boston Harbor		The present fort, built between 1834 and 1851, is the eighth generation of forts and it is one of the oldest fortified sites in British North America.
Charles River Reservation	Suffolk, Middlesex 42°21′20″N 71°6′56″W	863 acres	349 ha	1910	Charles River		Includes Charles River Dam, Charles River Basin and Esplanade, John F. Kennedy Park, and Teddy Ebersol’s Red Sox Fields. Covers Charles River below Watertown Dam; see also Upper Charles River Reservation
Chester-Blandford State Forest	Hampden 42°14′58″N 72°56′58″W	2,776 acres	1,123 ha	1924
Chestnut Hill Reservation	Suffolk 42°20′7″N 71°9′29″W	1 acre	0.40 ha	1870	Chestnut Hill Reservoir		The Chestnut Hill Reservoir Historic District is considered a nineteenth-century masterpiece of engineering, urban planning and landscape design.
Chicopee Memorial State Park	Hampden 42°10′45″N 72°32′13″W	562 acres	227 ha	1893	Cooley Brook Reservoir		The park includes two 25-acre (10 ha) ponds.
Clarksburg State Park	Berkshire 42°44′5″N 73°4′35″W	3,629 acres	1,469 ha		Mauserts Pond		Adjoins 3,011 acre Clarksburg State Forest
Cochituate State Park	Middlesex 42°18′45″N 71°22′27″W	872 acres	353 ha		Lake Cochituate
Connecticut River Greenway State Park	Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire 42°36′27″N 72°32′30″W	1,048 acres	424 ha	1986	Connecticut River		Multiple state land holdings in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts
Constitution Beach	Suffolk 42°23′5.5″N 71°0′36.2″W	82 acres	33 ha	1952	Boston Harbor
Cutler Park Reservation	Norfolk 42°16′16″N 71°11′45″W	739 acres	299 ha	1962	Charles River		It contains the largest remaining fresh water marsh on the middle Charles, and includes a boardwalk through a cattail marsh out onto an island.
D.A.R. State Forest	Hampshire 42°27′25″N 72°47′50″W	1,728 acres	699 ha	1929	Upper and Lower Highland Lake
Demarest Lloyd State Park	Bristol 41°31′44″N 70°59′0″W	200 acres	81 ha	1953	Buzzards Bay
Dighton Rock State Park	Bristol 41°48′46″N 71°6′23″W	98 acres	40 ha	1955	Taunton River		Dighton Rock is an 11-foot (3.4 m) high glacial erratic covered with petroglyphs and has since been moved to a museum at the park.
Dorchester Shores Reservation	Suffolk 42°17′50″N 71°2′44″W	44 acres	18 ha	1962	Neponset River		The reservation comprises two beaches and a park.
Douglas State Forest	Worcester 42°3′30″N 71°47′13″W	5,525 acres	2,236 ha	1934	Wallum Lake		Features include a rare Atlantic White Cedar swamp and 7.8 miles (12.6 km) of the Midstate Trail
Dunn State Park	Worcester 42°34′48″N 71°58′12″W	132 acres	53 ha	1915	Dunn Pond
Ellisville Harbor State Park	Plymouth 41°50′34″N 70°32′13″W	97 acres	39 ha	1991	Cape Cod Bay		Walking trails overlooking a tidal marsh, sandy/rocky beach at trail end
Elm Bank Reservation	Norfolk 42°16′34″N 71°18′9″W	175 acres	71 ha	c. 1996	Charles River		Benjamin Pierce Cheney's property, now run by Massachusetts Horticultural Society
Erving State Forest	Franklin 42°37′21″N 72°22′41″W	2,422 acres	980 ha	1920	Millers River		The 110-mile (180 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail passes through a western parcel of the state forest.
F. Gilbert Hills State Forest	Norfolk 42°3′28″N 71°17′0″W	1,030 acres	420 ha
Fall River Heritage State Park	Bristol 41°42′20″N 71°9′38″W	14 acres	5.7 ha	1985	Taunton River
Federated Women's Club State Forest	Worcester 42°29′27″N 72°15′15″W	970 acres	390 ha		Fever Brook
Fort Phoenix State Reservation	Bristol 41°37′27″N 70°53′56″W	1 acre	0.40 ha		Atlantic Ocean		Revolutionary War fort; 1/2 mile of Buzzards Bay beachfront
Fort Revere Park	Plymouth 42°18′17″N 70°54′21″W	6 acres	2.4 ha		Atlantic Ocean		On Telegraph Hill in Hull, Massachusetts. Remnants of two seacoast fortifications, water tower with observation deck, military history museum and picnic facilities
Francis D. Martini Memorial Shell Park and Moynihan Recreation Area	Suffolk 42°14′36″N 71°7′37″W	5.6 acres	2.3 ha		Neponset River		Outdoor theatre and play fields
Freetown-Fall River State Forest	Bristol 41°45′28″N 71°3′48″W	5,217 acres	2,111 ha	1930			The park includes Profile Rock, a granite outcropping which local Native Americans believe to be the image of Chief Massasoit. Also in the forest is a 227-acre (92 ha) Wampanoag reservation
Gardner Heritage State Park	Worcester 42°34′38″N 71°59′39″W	0 acres	0 ha	1985			Restored 19th century fire station with exhibits; closed since 2002
Georgetown-Rowley State Forest	Essex 42°42′5″N 70°58′26″W	1,041 acres	421 ha
Granville State Forest	Hampden 42°3′35″N 72°58′17″W	2,432 acres	984 ha		Hubbard River
Great Brook Farm State Park	Middlesex 42°33′21″N 71°21′12″W	909 acres	368 ha	1967	Meadow Pond
Greycourt State Park	Essex 42°43′46″N 71°10′51″W	24 acres	9.7 ha	2001			The park is built atop the restored ruins of the Charles H. Tenney estate.
Halibut Point State Park	Essex 42°41′22″N 70°37′59″W	55 acres	22 ha	1981			Features a former granite quarry and 60-foot (18 m) tower with coastal views
Hammond Pond Reservation	Middlesex 42°19′30″N 71°10′36″W	59 acres	24 ha	1968
Hampton Ponds State Park	Hampden 42°10′45″N 72°41′22″W	47 acres	19 ha		Pequot Pond
Harold Parker State Forest	Essex 42°37′33″N 71°4′54″W	3,320 acres	1,340 ha	1916	Stearns Pond
Hemlock Gorge Reservation	Middlesex 42°18′52″N 71°13′35″W	16 acres	6.5 ha	1895	Charles River
Holyoke Heritage State Park	Hampden 42°12′18″N 72°36′26″W	7 acres	2.8 ha	1986			The park features include a visitor center with exhibits about paper manufacturing and Holyoke's industrial and cultural history.
Hopkinton State Park	Middlesex 42°14′57″N 71°31′32″W	1,245 acres	504 ha	1947	Hopkinton Reservoir		The park features a bathing pond for swimming that is physically separated from the reservoir, where nonmotorized boating is permitted
Horseneck Beach State Reservation	Bristol 41°30′28″N 71°2′55″W	815 acres	330 ha	1956			Popular for its two-mile (3 km) long sandy beach on the shore of Buzzards Bay. Also camping, fishing and a salt marsh.
Jug End State Reservation and Wildlife Management Area	Berkshire	1,191 acres	482 ha	1994
Kenneth Dubuque Memorial State Forest	Franklin	7,405 acres	2,997 ha	1997	Hallockville Pond, Crooked Pond
Lake Dennison Recreation Area	Worcester	121 acres	49 ha		Lake Dennison		The park is an extension of Otter River State Forest
Lake Lorraine State Park	Hampden	3 acres	1.2 ha				closed to the public
Lake Wyola State Park	Franklin	42 acres	17 ha	1997	Lake Wyola
Lawrence Heritage State Park	Essex	50 acres	20 ha	1980
Leominster State Forest	Worcester	4,246 acres	1,718 ha	1922			The Midstate Trail runs through the western edge of the forest.
Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest	Middlesex	1,109 acres	449 ha	1941
Lowell Heritage State Park	Middlesex	60 acres	24 ha	1975	Merrimack River		Precursor to Lowell National Historical Park; preserves the city's seminal role in the American Industrial Revolution
Lynn Heritage State Park	Essex	4 acres	1.6 ha	1986
Lynn Shore Reservation	Essex	22 acres	8.9 ha
Manuel F. Correllus State Forest	Dukes	5,215 acres	2,110 ha	1908	Little Pond		In the interior of Martha's Vineyard, the park is the focus of one of the largest environmental restoration projects in the country.
Massasoit State Park	Bristol	1,207 acres	488 ha		Lake Rico, Furnace Pond, King's Pond, Middle Pond, Little Bearhole Pond, and Big Bearhole Pond
Maudslay State Park	Essex	483 acres	195 ha	1985	Merrimack River
Middlesex Fells Reservation	Middlesex	2,283 acres	924 ha	1893	Bellevue and Spot Ponds
Mohawk Trail State Forest	Franklin	7,758 acres	3,140 ha	1921			Includes Cold River Virgin Forest, National Natural Landmark
Monroe State Forest	Franklin	3,750 acres	1,520 ha	1924	Dunbar Brook
Moore State Park	Worcester	737 acres	298 ha		Eames Pond
Mount Everett State Reservation	Berkshire	2,492 acres	1,008 ha	1908	Guilder Pond
Mount Grace State Forest	Franklin	1,578 acres	639 ha	1920	Mount Grace
Mount Greylock State Reservation	Berkshire	12,455 acres	5,040 ha	1898
Mount Holyoke Range State Park	Hampshire	3,000 acres	1,200 ha
Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation	Franklin	533 acres	216 ha
Mount Tom State Reservation	Hampden	1,967 acres	796 ha
Mount Washington State Forest	Berkshire	4,619 acres	1,869 ha	1958
Myles Standish Monument State Reservation	Plymouth	30 acres	12 ha	1920			A 120-foot (37 m) tower with 125 steps that overlooks Plymouth Harbor and Duxbury Beach.
Myles Standish State Forest	Plymouth	12,029 acres	4,868 ha	1916			Pitch pine and scrub oak forest with sixteen ponds for fishing, canoeing, swimming. Camping on four of the ponds, bicycle trails, equestrian trails, and horse camping.
Mystic River Reservation	Middlesex	359 acres	145 ha	1893	Mystic Lakes; Mystic River
Nahant Beach Reservation	Essex	67 acres	27 ha		Atlantic Ocean
Nantasket Beach Reservation	Plymouth	39 acres	16 ha
Nasketucket Bay State Reservation	Plymouth	210 acres	85 ha	1999
Natural Bridge State Park	Berkshire	44 acres	18 ha	1985	Hudson Brook		It contains the only natural white marble arch/bridge in North America. The natural bridge spanning Hudson Brook, was formed by glacial melt about 11,000 BC, from 550 million year old bedrock.
Neponset River Reservation	Suffolk	1,880 acres	760 ha
Nickerson State Park	Barnstable	1,967 acres	796 ha	1934	Cliff Pond
October Mountain State Forest	Berkshire	16,460 acres	6,660 ha	1915
Otter River State Forest	Worcester	1,022 acres	414 ha	1915	Otter River, Millers River
Pearl Hill State Park	Middlesex	1,000 acres	400 ha		Park Hill Brook
Pilgrim Memorial State Park	Plymouth	6 acres	2.4 ha	1920			Site of Plymouth Rock
Pittsfield State Forest	Berkshire	10,601 acres	4,290 ha
Pope John Paul II Park Reservation	Suffolk	66 acres	27 ha	2001	Neponset River Estuary		Reclaimed former landfill and commercial area
Purgatory Chasm State Reservation	Worcester	100 acres	40 ha	1919			The Chasm was created when glacial meltwater from a burst ice dam ripped out blocks of bedrock at the end of the last Ice Age (14,000 years ago).
Quabbin Reservoir	Hampshire	39 sq mi	100 km^2
Quincy Quarries Reservation	Norfolk	22 acres	8.9 ha	1985
Quincy Shores Reservation	Norfolk	87 acres	35 ha	1899
Quinsigamond State Park	Worcester	38 acres	15 ha
Revere Beach Reservation	Suffolk	84 acres	34 ha	1896
Robinson State Park	Hampden	1,025 acres	415 ha	1934	Westfield River
Roxbury Heritage State Park	Suffolk	3 acres	1.2 ha	1992			The 1750 Dillaway-Thomas House and a small park
Rumney Marsh Reservation	Essex, Suffolk	815 acres	330 ha		Saugus River; Pines River
Rutland State Park	Worcester	284 acres	115 ha		Whitehall Pond		Swimming, picnicking and boating.
Salisbury Beach State Reservation	Essex	355 acres	144 ha		1931		The park's main feature is its 3.8-mile (6.1 km)-long beach, one of the most popular in the Commonwealth.
Sandisfield State Forest	Berkshire	4,190 acres	1,700 ha		York Lake
Sandy Point State Reservation	Essex	134 acres	54 ha
Savoy Mountain State Forest	Berkshire	10,457 acres	4,232 ha	1918
Scusset Beach State Reservation	Barnstable	459 acres	186 ha	1957			On Cape Cod Bay at the east end of the Cape Cod Canal, a popular swimming and camping area.
Shawme-Crowell State Forest	Barnstable	624 acres	253 ha				Forested 285 site campground
J.A. Skinner State Park	Hampshire	843 acres	341 ha	1940	Connecticut River
South Cape Beach State Park	Barnstable	460 acres	190 ha				A component of the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve with a one-mile (1.6 km) stretch of beach.
Southwest Corridor Park	Suffolk	221 acres	89 ha	1987			Greenway of 4.7 miles (7.6 km) that runs South End, Back Bay, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods
Spencer State Forest	Worcester	903 acres	365 ha	1922	Howe Pond
Squantum Point Park	Norfolk	46 acres	19 ha	2001
Stony Brook Reservation	Suffolk	616 acres	249 ha	1894	Turtle Pond
Streeter Point Recreation Area	Worcester	1 acre	0.40 ha		East Brimfield Reservoir		Fishing, swimming, picnicking
Sudbury Reservoir	Middlesex; Worcester	4,943 acres	2,000 ha	1898	Sudbury Reservoir
Tolland State Forest	Berkshire	4,415 acres	1,787 ha	1925	Otis Reservoir
Upper Charles River Reservation	Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk	863 acres	349 ha		Charles River		Covers Charles River between Watertown Dam and Riverdale Park, West Roxbury; see also Charles River Reservation
Upton State Forest	Worcester	2,790 acres	1,130 ha	1915			Has Civilian Conservation Corps structures
Wachusett Mountain State Reservation	Worcester	2,288 acres	926 ha
Wachusett Reservoir	Worcester	4,135 acres	1,673 ha		Nashua River; Quinapoxet River
Wahconah Falls State Park	Berkshire	48 acres	19 ha		Wahconah Falls Brook
Walden Pond State Reservation	Middlesex	335 acres	136 ha	1922	Walden Pond
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve	Barnstable	110 acres	45 ha	1987	Waquoit Bay; Quashnet River; Childs River; ponds
Ware River Watershed Area	Worcester	23,000 acres	9,300 ha
Watson Pond State Park	Bristol	163 acres	66 ha
Webb Memorial State Park	Norfolk	59 acres	24 ha	1980	Hingham Bay
Wells State Park	Worcester	1,445 acres	585 ha	1968	Walker Pond
Wendell State Forest	Franklin	7,566 acres	3,062 ha		Millers River, Quabbin Reservoir
Western Gateway Heritage State Park	Berkshire	8 acres	3.2 ha	1986
Weymouth Back River Reservation	Norfolk	35 acres	14 ha				Site of Stodder's Neck and Abigail Adams Park
Whitehall State Park	Middlesex	837 acres	339 ha	1947	Whitehall Reservoir
Willard Brook State Forest	Middlesex	2,929 acres	1,185 ha	1930
Willowdale State Forest	Essex	2,491 acres	1,008 ha		Hood Pond
Wilson Mountain Reservation	Norfolk	215 acres	87 ha	1995
Windsor State Forest	Berkshire	1,824 acres	738 ha		Westfield River
Winthrop Shore Reservation	Suffolk	18 acres	7.3 ha	1900	Atlantic Ocean
Wompatuck State Park	Plymouth	3,579 acres	1,448 ha	1967	Aaron River Reservoir

State trails

Name	Towns	County	Length		Estab- lished	Image	Remarks
			mi	km
Ashuwillticook Rail Trail	Cheshire, Lanesborough, Adams	Berkshire	11 mi	18 km	2001		Conversion of rail corridor dating from 1845
Canalside Rail Trail	Deerfield, Montague	Franklin	3.7 mi	6.0 km	2008		Trail along the Connecticut River
Cape Cod Rail Trail	Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet	Barnstable	25.5 mi	41.0 km			22-mile trail on Cape Cod
Lower Neponset River Trail	City of Boston	Suffolk	2.4 mi	3.9 km			Runs along the Neponset River in Dorchester
Mahican-Mohawk Trail		Berkshire, Franklin	30 mi	48 km			In development
Nashua River Rail Trail	Ayer, Groton, Pepperell, Dunstable	Middlesex	12.5 mi	20.1 km	2002		Trail along the Nashua River
Norwottuck Rail Trail	City of Northampton, towns of Hadley, Amherst, and Belchertown	Hampshire	11 mi	18 km	1992		Part of the Mass Central Rail Trail
Southern New England Trunkline Trail	Douglas, Uxbridge, Millville, Blackstone, Bellingham, Franklin	Norfolk, Worcester	22 mi	35 km			22-mile trail from Franklin State Forest to Douglas State Forest

Other trails

Name	Towns	County	Length		Estab- lished	Image	Remarks
			mi	km
Appalachian Trail	Great Barrington, Dalton, Cheshire, North Adams, Williamstown	Berkshire	90 mi	140 km	1923		Part of 2200-mile East Coast foot trail; maintained by the Berkshire Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club

References

1. "Massachusetts State Parks". MassParks. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
2. "2012 Acreage Listing" (PDF). Department of Conservation and Recreation. April 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2015.

See also

• List of National Natural Landmarks in Massachusetts
• List of Massachusetts state forests

External links

• Department of Conservation and Recreation website
• DCR page regarding fees and passes