Blue Hills Reservation:
Free, Open Dawn to Dusk
120+ miles of trails, 22 hills and a swimming pond, minutes south of Boston.
Do You Need Tickets? Is It Free?
No. You don't need a ticket, pass or reservation to enter the Blue Hills Reservation. DCR's page on mass.gov lists no entrance fee, and visitor parking at Houghton's Pond is free. The only things that charge are extras run inside the reservation: Mass Audubon's Trailside Museum, Blue Hill Observatory tours and the ski area (hours and fees).
Gates and trails open dawn to dusk, all year round. The reservation covers 7,000+ acres in Milton, Quincy, Canton, Randolph, Braintree and Dedham, only minutes from downtown Boston, and DCR calls it the largest open space within 35 miles of the city.
Where to Get a Blue Hills Trail Map
DCR publishes its Blue Hills Trail Map & Guide as a free PDF, along with a colour-coded hiking trails sheet and a mountain bike map (all three, with download links). Printed copies are sold at Reservation Headquarters on Hillside Street and at the Trailside Museum. Trails are marked by coloured blazes (red dots up Great Blue Hill, blue rectangles on the Skyline, green dots round Ponkapoag Pond), so a map you can read on your phone is enough for most walks.
Four Hikes, From a Pond Loop to the Skyline
Distances and times from DCR's 2026 trail map and hiking guide.
The highest summit, Eliot Tower and the observatory, from the Trailside Museum. 1 to 1.5 hours.
Five hilltops between Reservation Headquarters and Eliot Tower. 2 to 2.5 hours.
A quiet, mostly level loop around the largest pond, with a boardwalk into a cedar bog.
A flat 30-minute walk around the swimming pond. Good with young kids.
Is Houghton's Pond Open for Swimming?
In summer, yes. Houghton's Pond is the reservation's only swimming beach. The swimming area is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with lifeguards weekends from Memorial Day, then every day from June 15 to Labor Day, and the parking is free. Dogs are welcome on leash elsewhere in the Blue Hills but not on this beach (rules).
Why People Keep Coming Back
DCR calls the Blue Hills a four-season park. These are the six things most people come for.
Hiking
More than 120 miles of trails, from a flat 0.75-mile pond loop to the 7.5-mile Skyline Traverse over the summits.
Best Hikes →
Swimming
Houghton's Pond has the reservation's only swimming beach, with lifeguards in summer and free parking.
Houghton's Pond →
Downhill Skiing
A small ski area on Great Blue Hill with lessons, rentals and night skiing, generally mid-December to mid-March.
Blue Hills Ski Area →
Wildlife & Museum
Mass Audubon's Trailside Museum has live native animals and is the starting point for the climb up Great Blue Hill.
Trailside Museum →
Rock Climbing
Top-rope climbing on the old granite walls of the Quincy Quarries, where America's granite industry began.
Quincy Quarries →
Paddling & Camping
Ponkapoag Pond is the only pond open to boats, and the AMC cabins there are the only place to camp.
Ponkapoag Pond →The Reservation in Brief
The state bought the land in 1893 as one of the first parks in the Metropolitan Parks System. Early European explorers named the hills for their bluish colour seen from the sea; the Massachusett people, here thousands of years earlier, called themselves "people of the great hills." The 635-foot summit of Great Blue Hill is the highest of the 22.
Parking Lots and MBTA Buses
Pick the lot that matches your plans, or take an MBTA bus. DCR warns that parking is limited on weekends.
By Car
Houghton's Pond (840 Hillside Street, Milton, MA 02186) for swimming and easy loops; the Trailside Museum lots on Route 138 for Great Blue Hill. Every lot is on our parking page.
By Public Transit
MBTA bus 716 from Mattapan Station serves the Trailside Museum, ski area and Houghton's Pond. Bus 240 from Ashmont serves Chickatawbut Overlook.
Park Office
Reservation Headquarters, 695 Hillside Street, Milton, MA 02186. Phone (617) 698-1802. A self-service station sells trail maps.
Blue Hills, Quickly Answered
Do you need tickets for the Blue Hills Reservation?
No. Entry is free and needs no ticket or reservation; DCR lists no entrance fee and Houghton's Pond parking is free. Only the Trailside Museum, Blue Hill Observatory tours and the ski area sell tickets.
What is the hardest trail in the Blue Hills?
The Skyline Traverse: 7.5 miles one way over the summits, 4 to 7 hours. DCR calls it the longest and most challenging hike in the reservation. The 2.6-mile Skyline Loop is a shorter difficult option.
How far is the Blue Hills from Boston?
DCR puts it only minutes from downtown Boston, in Milton, Quincy, Canton, Randolph, Braintree and Dedham. MBTA bus 716 from Mattapan Station stops at the Trailside Museum, the ski area and Houghton's Pond.
What time does the Blue Hills close?
At dusk. The reservation is open dawn to dusk every day; the Houghton's Pond lots close at 8 p.m. unless posted.
Can you camp in the Blue Hills?
Only in the AMC cabins and tent sites at Ponkapoag Pond, which take advance reservations. There is no other camping in the reservation.
Are dogs allowed in the Blue Hills?
Yes, on a leash. Dogs are not allowed on the Houghton's Pond beach or on the Trailside Museum grounds.