Current Parks
| Park Name | County or Counties | Area in acres (ha) | Date founded |
Stream(s) and / or Lake(s) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alewife Brook Reservation | Middlesex | 7002120000000000000120 acres (48 ha) |
Little Pond, the Little River, and the 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 | 7002700000000000000700 acres (283 ha) | Cleveland Pond | The park is primarily used for boating and fishing. | |
| Appalachian Trail | Berkshire | 90 miles (145 km) of this trail are in Massachusetts. | |||
| Ashland State Park | Middlesex | 7002470000000000000470 acres (190 ha) | Ashland Reservoir | ||
| Ashuwillticook Rail Trail | Berkshire | (11 mi.) | Cheshire Reservoir, the Hoosic River | ||
| Bash Bish Falls State Park | Berkshire | Bash Bish Falls | Massachusetts' highest single-drop waterfall lies within the park borders. | ||
| Beartown State Forest | Berkshire | 700412000000000000012,000 acres (4,856 ha) | Benedict Pond | Approximately 7.5 miles (12.1 km) of the Appalachian Trail travels through the forest. | |
| Beaver Brook Reservation | Middlesex | 700159000000000000059 acres (23 ha) | The park includes a cascading waterfall and a wading pool. | ||
| Belle Isle Marsh Reservation | Suffolk | 7002152000000000000152 acres (62 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 | 70031000000000000001,000 acres (404 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 | 70037000000000000007,000 acres (2,832 ha) | 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 | 70031570000000000001,570 acres (635 ha) | 1971 | on National Register of Historic Places | |
| Boston Harbor Islands State Park | Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk | 70031482000000000001,482 acres (599 ha) | 1996 | Boston Harbor | |
| Bradley Palmer State Park | Essex | 7002721000000000000721 acres (291 ha) | Ipswich River | The park that features rolling meadows, lush evergreens and old carriage roads lined with rhododendrons. | |
| Breakheart Reservation | Essex | 7002640000000000000640 acres (258 ha) | Silver Lake, Pearce Lake, Saugus River | The reservation is hardwood forest principally used for birding, fishing and hiking. | |
| Brimfield State Forest | Hampden | Dean Pond | |||
| C. M. Gardner State Park | Hampden | Westfield River | |||
| Callahan State Park | Middlesex | 7002820000000000000820 acres (331 ha) | |||
| Cape Cod Rail Trail | Barnstable | (22 mi.) | |||
| Castle Island | Suffolk | 700122000000000000022 acres (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 | (17 mi) | Charles River | Features of the park include the Charles River Dam, the Charles River Basin and Esplanade, and John F. Kennedy Park, a small memorial park to the late president. Covers Charles River below Watertown Dam; see also Upper Charles River Reservation | |
| Chester-Blandford State Forest | Hampden | ||||
| Chestnut Hill Reservation | Suffolk | 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 | 7002575000000000000575 acres (232 ha) | Cooley Brook Reservoir | The park includes two 25-acre (100,000 m2) ponds. | |
| City Square State Park | |||||
| Clarksburg State Park | Berkshire | 7002368000000000000368 acres (149 ha) | Mauserts Pond | adjoins the 70033011000000000003,011 acre Clarksburg State Forest | |
| C. M. Gardner State Park | Hampden | Westfield River | |||
| Cochituate State Park | Middlesex | Lake Cochituate | |||
| Connecticut River Greenway State Park | Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire | Connecticut River | The park consists of a number of separate state land holdings in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. | ||
| Cutler Park | Norfolk | 7002700000000000000700 acres (283 ha) | 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 | 70031770000000000001,770 acres (716 ha) | 1929 | Upper and Lower Highland Lake | |
| Demarest Lloyd State Park | Bristol | ||||
| Dighton Rock State Park | Bristol | 700185000000000000085 acres (34 ha) | 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 | Neponset River | The reservation comprises two beaches and a park. | ||
| Douglas State Forest | Worcester | 70035730000000000005,730 acres (2,318 ha) | 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 | 7002119000000000000119 acres (48 ha) | Dunn Pond | ||
| East Mountain State Forest | Berkshire | ||||
| Ellisville Harbor State Park | Plymouth | Ellisville Harbor | Walking trails overlooking a tidal marsh, sandy/rocky beach at trail end | ||
| Elm Bank Reservation | Norfolk | 7002182000000000000182 acres (74 ha) | c. 1996 | Charles River | Benjamin Pierce Cheney's property, now run by Massachusetts Horticultural Society |
| Erving State Forest | Franklin | 70034000000000000004,000 acres (1,618 ha) | 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 | 70031027000000000001,027 acres (416 ha) | |||
| Fall River Heritage State Park | Bristol | 70008500000000000008.5 acres (4 ha) | Taunton River | ||
| Federated Women's Club State Forest | Worcester | 7002984000000000000984 acres (398 ha) | Fever Brook | ||
| Fort Phoenix State Reservation | Bristol | Revolutionary War fort; 1/2 mile of Buzzards Bay beachfront | |||
| Fort Revere | Plymouth | 70008000000000000008 acres (3.25 ha) | On Telegraph Hill in Hull, Massachusetts. Remnants of two seacoast fortifications, water tower with observation deck, military history museum and picnic facilities | ||
| Freetown-Fall River State Forest | Bristol | 70035441000000000005,441 acres (2,201 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 (0.92 km2) Wampanoag reservation | |
| Gardner Heritage State Park | Worcester | Restored 19th century fire station with exhibits | |||
| Georgetown-Rowley State Forest | Essex | 70031112000000000001,112 acres (450 ha) | |||
| Granville State Forest | Hampden | 70032426000000000002,426 acres (982 ha) | Hubbard River | ||
| Great Brook Farm State Park | Middlesex | 70031000000000000001,000 acres (405 ha) | Meadow Pond | ||
| Greycourt State Park | Essex | 2001 | The park is built atop the restored ruins of the Charles H. Tenney estate. | ||
| Halibut Point State Park | Essex | Features a former granite quarry and 60 ft (18 m) tower with coastal views | |||
| Hammond Pond Reservation | Middlesex | ||||
| Hampton Ponds State Park | Hampden | Pequot Pond | |||
| Harold Parker State Forest | Essex | 70033000000000000003,000 acres (1215 ha) | |||
| Hemlock Gorge Reservation | Middlesex | 700123000000000000023 acres (9.3 ha) | Charles River | ||
| Holyoke Heritage State Park | Hampden | The park features include a visitor center with exhibits about paper manufacturing and Holyoke's industrial and cultural history. | |||
| Hopkinton State Park | Middlesex | 70031450000000000001,450 acres (586 ha) | 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 | 7002600000000000000600 acres (243 ha) | 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 | 70031158000000000001,158 acres (469 ha) | |||
| Kenneth Dubuque Memorial State Forest | Franklin | 70037882000000000007,882 acres (3,190 ha) | 1997 | Hallockville Pond, Crooked Pond | |
| Lake Dennison Recreation Area | Worcester | 70034221000000000004,221 acres (1,708 ha) | Lake Dennison | The park is an extension of Otter River State Forest | |
| Lake Lorraine State Park | Hampden | ||||
| Lake Wyola State Park | Franklin | Lake Wyola | |||
| Lawrence Heritage State Park | Essex | 700123000000000000023 acres (9 ha) | |||
| Leominster State Forest | Worcester | 70034300000000000004,300 acres (1740 ha) | The Midstate Trail runs through the western edge of the forest. | ||
| Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest | Middlesex | 70031140000000000001,140 acres (461 ha) | |||
| Lowell Heritage State Park | Middlesex | 1975 | Merrimack River | a precursor to the Lowell National Historical Park the park preserves the city's seminal role in the American Industrial Revolution | |
| Lower Neponset River Trail | Suffolk | ||||
| Lynn Heritage State Park | Essex | ||||
| Lynn Shore Reservation | Essex | ||||
| Manuel F. Correllus State Forest | Dukes | 70035100000000000005,100 acres (2063 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 | Lake Rico, Furnace Pond, King's Pond, Middle Pond, Little Bearhole Pond, and Big Bearhole Pond | |||
| Maudslay State Park | Essex | Merrimack River | |||
| Middlesex Fells Reservation | Middlesex | 70032575000000000002,575 acres (1,042 ha) | Bellevue and Spot Ponds | ||
| Mohawk Trail State Forest | Franklin | 70036400000000000006,400 acres (2,589 ha) | includes Cold River Virgin Forest, National Natural Landmark, Apr 1980. | ||
| Monroe State Forest | Franklin | Dunbar Brook | |||
| Moore State Park | Worcester | 7002730000000000000730 acres (295 ha) | Eames Pond | ||
| Mount Everett State Reservation | Berkshire County | 70031356000000000001,356 acres (548 ha) | Guilder Pond | ||
| Mount Grace State Forest | Franklin | 70031458000000000001,458 acres (590 ha) | |||
| Mount Greylock State Reservation | Berkshire | 1898 | |||
| Mount Holyoke Range State Park | Hampshire | 70033000000000000003,000 acres (1,214 ha) | |||
| Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation | Franklin | ||||
| Mount Tom State Reservation | Hampden | 70032082000000000002,082 acres (842 ha) | |||
| Mount Washington State Forest | Berkshire | ||||
| Myles Standish Monument State Reservation | Plymouth | A 120 ft (37 m) tower with 125 steps that overlooks Plymouth Harbor and Duxbury Beach. | |||
| Myles Standish State Forest | Plymouth | 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 | 1893 | Mystic Lakes; Mystic River | ||
| Nahant Beach Reservation | Essex | ||||
| Nantasket Beach Reservation | Plymouth | ||||
| Nashua River Rail Trail | Middlesex | ||||
| Nasketucket Bay State Reservation | Plymouth | 1999 | |||
| Natural Bridge State Park | Berkshire | 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 | ||||
| Nickerson State Park | Barnstable | 70031900000000000001,900 acres (768 ha) | Cliff Pond | ||
| Norwottuck Rail Trail | Hampshire | 9.5-mile (15.3 km) | 1992 | Connecticut River | |
| October Mountain State Forest | Berkshire | ||||
| Otter River State Forest | Worcester | 1915 | Otter River, Millers River | ||
| Pearl Hill State Park | Middlesex | 70031000000000000001,000 acres (405 ha) | Park Hill Brook | ||
| Pilgrim Memorial State Park | Plymouth | site of Plymouth Rock | |||
| Pittsfield State Forest | Berkshire | ||||
| Pope John Paul II Park Reservation | Suffolk | 2001 | Reclaimed former landfill and commercial area bordering Neponset River estuary. | ||
| Purgatory Chasm State Reservation | Worcester | 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 | ||||
| Quincy Quarries Reservation | Norfolk | 700122000000000000022 acres (9 ha) | 1985 | ||
| Quincy Shores Reservation | Norfolk | ||||
| Quinsigamond State Park | Worcester | ||||
| Revere Beach Reservation | Suffolk | 1896 | |||
| Robinson State Park | Hampden | 7002852000000000000852 acres (344 ha) | Westfield River | ||
| Roxbury Heritage State Park | Suffolk | The 1750 Dillaway-Thomas House and a small park | |||
| Rumney Marsh Reservation | Essex, Suffolk | 7002600000000000000600 acres (245+ ha) | Saugus River; Pines River | ||
| Rutland State Park | Worcester | 7002300000000000000300 acres (121 ha) | Whitehall Pond | Swimming, picknicking and boating. | |
| Salisbury Beach State Reservation | Essex | 7002521000000000000521 acres (210 ha) | 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 | York Lake | |||
| Sandy Point State Reservation | Essex | 700177000000000000077 acres (31 ha) | |||
| Savoy Mountain State Forest | Berkshire | ||||
| Scusset Beach State Reservation | Barnstable | On Cape Cod Bay at the east end of the Cape Cod Canal, a popular swimming and camping area. | |||
| Shawme-Crowell State Forest | Barnstable | 7002700000000000000700 acres (383 ha) | Forested 285 site campground | ||
| Skinner State Park | Hampshire | Connecticut River | |||
| South Cape Beach State Park | Barnstable | A component of the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve with a one mile (1.6 km) stretch of beach. | |||
| Southwest Corridor Park | Suffolk | 700152000000000000052 acres (21 ha) | Greenway of 4.7 mi (7.6 km) that runs South End, Back Bay, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods | ||
| Spencer State Forest | Worcester | 7002965000000000000965 acres (390 ha) | Howe Pond | ||
| Squantum Point Park | Norfolk | 2001 | |||
| Stony Brook Reservation | Suffolk | 7002475000000000000475 acres (192 ha) | Turtle Pond | ||
| Streeter Point Recreation Area | Worcester | 7002450000000000000450 acres (182 ha) | East Brimfield Reservoir | ||
| Sudbury Reservoir | Middlesex; Worcester | 70034943000000000004,943 acres (2,000 ha) | Sudbury Reservoir | ||
| Tolland State Forest | Berkshire | Otis Reservoir | |||
| Upper Charles River Reservation | Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk | Charles River | Covers Charles River between Watertown Dam and Riverdale Park, West Roxbury; see also Charles River Reservation | ||
| Upton State Forest | Worcester | 70032660000000000002,660 acres (1,076 ha) | Has Civilian Conservation Corps structures | ||
| Wachusett Mountain State Reservation | Worcester | 70033000000000000003,000 acres (1214 ha) | |||
| Wachusett Reservoir | Worcester | Nashua River; Quinapoxet River | |||
| Wahconah Falls State Park | Berkshire | Wahconah Falls Brook | |||
| Walden Pond State Reservation | Middlesex | 7002462000000000000462 acres (187 ha) | 1922 | Walden Pond | |
| Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve | Barnstable | Waquoit Bay; Quashnet River; Childs River; several ponds | |||
| Ware River Watershed Area | Worcester | 700423000000000000023,000 acres (9,300 ha) | |||
| Watson Pond State Park | Bristol | 700110000000000000010 acres (4 ha) | |||
| Webb Memorial State Park | Norfolk | 1980 | Hingham Bay | ||
| Wells State Park | Worcester | 70031400000000000001,400 acres (566 ha) | Walker Pond | ||
| Wendell State Forest | Franklin | 70037566000000000007,566 acres (3,061 ha) | Millers River, Quabbin Reservoir | ||
| Western Gateway Heritage State Park | Berkshire | ||||
| Weymouth Reservation | Norfolk | Abigail Adams and Stodder's Neck sites | |||
| Whitehall State Park | Middlesex | Whitehall Reservoir | |||
| Willard Brook State Forest | Middlesex | 70032597000000000002,597 acres (1,051 ha) | |||
| Willowdale State Forest | Essex | Hood Pond | |||
| Wilson Mountain Reservation | Norfolk | 7002213000000000000213 acres (86 ha) | 1995 | ||
| Windsor State Forest | Berkshire | Westfield River | |||
| Wompatuck State Park | Plymouth | 70034000000000000004,000 acres (1,618 ha) | 1967 | Aaron River Reservoir |
Read more about this topic: List Of Massachusetts State Parks
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“Through this broad street, restless ever,
Ebbs and flows a human tide,
Wave on wave a living river;
Wealth and fashion side by side;
Toiler, idler, slave and master, in the same quick current glide.”
—John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892)
“Towns are full of people, houses full of tenants, hotels full of guests, trains full of travelers, cafés full of customers, parks full of promenaders, consulting-rooms of famous doctors full of patients, theatres full of spectators, and beaches full of bathers. What previously was, in general, no problem, now begins to be an everyday one, namely, to find room.”
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