blue hills reservation

I hike here almost daily with my dogs and children. There are many levels of trail difficulty and scenery to choose from. My favorite part of visiting is that you will see people on the trails but they are rarely crowded. We completed the Skyline trail this summer, it was a great accomplishment, not for beginners. Love the Blue Hills.

Wonderful trails close to Boston. Many entrances to the park makes it highly accessible. You can get a good work out or just a leisurely amble in nature.

Have lived a few miles from the Blue Hill Reservation for years and have gone up and down the Blue Hills trails numerous times. But I had never walk around the Ponkapoag Pond. Somehow I read about the boardwalk and off we went. The Trail is easy to drive to - it's right off route 128, same exit as Houghton's Pond, but on the other side of 128. (Exit 3?) There is very limited parking right off the highway and also a sign not to leave valuables in the car. If it's crowded there's another parking area on the map.The trail goes around the pond. You can see the map at the start of the trail. Bear to the right and walk a little way and then the boardwalk trail starts on the left. The boardwalk is basically split logs either 1 or 2 logs wide which transverse a bag (apparently a very uncommon finding here) towards the center of the pond. Because it's been so dry this fall, the ground around the boardwalk is not that wet, but you can see where the water had come up to the logs. It takes you through beautiful areas. In the middle of the boardwalk it's hard to believe you are so close to the city. We passed two women painting on the way, balancing their canvas on the logs. A sign at the beginning of the boardwalk explains the bog as well as shows a drawing of some carnivorous plants (here in Mass, who knew?) We found this out as some other hikers pointed out the carnivorous sundew plant (about the size of moss, it has sticky hairs to attract insects). This was a serendipitous finding on our lovely walk. Highly recommended.

A hidden Jewel of a nature walk through marshy areas to view natural beauty up close and personal. A friend showed this amazing place which is part of the Blue Hills Reservation today and we were amazed. A narrow trail of wooden boards take you through the marshes. Very interesting short hike that I would take again. You will enjoy it!

While Blue Hills are indeed hills, with the highest point just above 600 feet, there are a lot of trails in the park, and they can be fairly demanding, exhibiting significant ups and downs over relatively short distances. And the hiker is rewarded with panoramic views of the Boston harbor and the Downtown Boston. Highly recommended!

This is an easy/moderate hike (depending on fitness level/ability) to make, even with kids. Be sure to bring some water and snacks as you can picnic at the bottom of the hill or take breaks as you make your way up the walking trail. Once you get to the top you can take in some amazing views of Boston and the surrounding area. Be sure to stop by the Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center. This is a fun little museum (albeit a bit tight on space) and you get even more amazing views from the top of the building.

The Blue Hills Reservation offers easy to challenging hiking throughout its 6300 acres. Access points are just 10 minutes from my Milton home. On the less traveled trails, I fee like I'm in NH!

Blue hills is an awesome spot for the first hike of the year. There's no need to bring a pack since the hill is not very large, but it's awesome to warm your legs up prior to hiking some of the larger peaks in the white mountains.

I planned to hike in the woods while husband did some mountain biking. I choose skyline trail, started on north trail from headquarters to Eliot Tower. I quickly encountered it was more like rock climbing. It was beautiful weather, shade all the way, clean trails and required so much attention. I was enjoying the challenge and feeling very accomplished until I would see an occasional person running over the rocks. It was not easy paying attention to the terrain and looking for the blue paint on the path, so I went off track several times. Returning on the south trail was much easier, even trails but again I got lost and ended up on the road. It was a great hike and would love to do it more of it next time.

I spend two days exploring Blue Hills on a recent trip to Boston. The first day was spent hiking with a friend. We started at the headquarters. We hiked up Hancock Hill to an overlook of the city. Then we headed towards the Great Blu Hill where we had lunch near Eliot Tower. We took the Accord Path back to headquarter which extended our trek a bit.On the second day, we took a shorter trip out to Ponkapoag Pond via the boardwalk over the bog. When you are in the middle of the bog it is hard to believe you are so close to the city. Visiting Blue Hills is a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of Boston. My only reason for not giving this attraction an excellent rating is that the board walk was in need of repairs.

Anyone who loves the outdoors will love the Blue Hills., A variety of trails makes it easy for hikers of any level, moderate to difficult. The view from the top is worth the hike. Take a picnic and enjoy it. Highly recommend it.

We have a lot of fun hiking around the Blue Hills. There is a great hike for kids that goes straight from the Hillside Museum and up to the top where there is a shelter and picnic tables. You can see Boston. It's fun for kids because it's all rocks-- mostly smooth ones-- and it's kind of like an obstacle course.If you hike a little further there is a working weather observatory-- which has been in operation for a long long time. You can pay $3 or so and get a funny little tour of it and see the view from the top-- a 360 degree view.

The dogs and I go on long hikes every weekend. You can see ponds. Skyline view of boston. Deer and hawks In the summer you can swim at houghtons pond or in the winter ski big blue.

You'll never know you were 5 miles outside of downtown. Until you hike to the top of the Blue Hills and look out over the city. Take a day and hike the 10 mile Skyline Trail. Take two cars and park on either end, then drive back to where you started. Easy enough for the whole family to do but never boring.Lots of Mtn biking that range from easy to advanced. Make sure you get a map from the ranger station first.

The Blues hills is practically next to the city of Boston, but gives you a chance to enjoy nature. Cant beat the great views of the city of Boston. Yes you can even ski there. Never have, but given its 10 miles from downtown Boston. Also great place to cool off is Houghton's Pond. If you love to hike. Awesome trails.