ATHLETIC 4227 FIELDS

4011 4235

LANE 4014

4133

4223 4124 ATHLETIC FIELD

4086 4085 4234 4082

4102 Dollar 4049 Lane 4166 4096

Hemenway Pond 4134

3171 Hemlock 4053 Dr 4013 3131 1214 4052 3104 Squamaug Notch Path 3174 1165 1166 3094 3024

1182

1046 3065 1217

1121 1033 1154 1122 1208 1206 3051 3085 1023 1150 1170 1210

1209 1172 1051 3040 3155 2181

1010

Closed in winter in Closed 1186 1002 2072 1045 6670 6877 1050 3090 6650 6900 2071 6880 1030 6896 6891 1001 1003 5610

5620

CONCESSION Accord Path 5600 6600 STAND 5611

1077

1057 1079 ATHLETIC FIELDS

5320 Park open dawn to dusk. 5322

5218

5380

5383

5413

5360

5216 5355 5420

ATHLETIC FIELD

MAP PRINTED WITH SOY INK AND ON RECYCLED PAPER. COLORS MAY CHANGE IN BRIGHT LIGHT. 2.01 STAY ON DCR DESIGNATED TRAILS FOR SAFETY AND RESOURCE PROTECTION DCR official map printed November 2012 Printed courtesy of Trailside Museum Charitable Trust. DCR Proceeds to benefit Blue Hills Trailside Trail Map and Guide Museum.

Enjoying the Reservation The Blue Hills Reservation Headquarters is located at 695 Hillside Street y in Milton, 1/4 mile north of Houghtons Pond, beside the State Police te ou t Station. Please stop by, or call (617) 698-1802 for further information. i  o Athletic Fields v Three reservable athletic fields are available at Houghtons n the Blue Hills Reservation. d Pond. For reservations, call DCR Recreation at (617) 727-4708. i  Stretching from Dedham to Quincy, Milton to Randolph, Blue Hills Trailside Museum i This DCR facility, managed by the Mass Audubon Society, the Blue Hills Reservation encompasses over 7000 acres, providing the s features cultural, historical and natural history exhibits with c a display of live wildlife of the Blue Hills. Trailside Museum is largest open space within 35 miles of . More than 125 miles of trails weave o located at 1904 Canton Avenue (Route 138), 1/2 mile north of We route 93 (Exit 2B) in Milton. An admission fee is charged. For through the natural fabric of forest and ponds, hilltops and wetlands. Hikers can count 22 hills . ver.. more information and operating hours, call (617) 333-0690. in the Blue Hills chain with noted as the highest landmark at 635 feet above sea level.  Boating The trails of the Blue Hills lead to the park’s most beautiful areas, inviting you to explore the subtlety and richness of the Non-motorized boats are permitted in Pond and woodlands. Park visitors may enjoy numerous outdoor activities including hiking, biking, horseback riding, skiing and savoring the only. nature. We share a fragile green oasis amidst the bustle of the city. It is a legacy we can hand to our children – if we care for it today.  Camping Overnight camping is permitted only at the Appalachian Mountain Club cabins on . Call the AMC at (781) 961-7007 for reservations. A World  Fishing The Faces and Places “For crowded populations to Fishing is permitted at Houghtons Pond, Ponkapoag Pond, live in health and happiness, St. Moritz Pond, Hillside Pond, Blue Hill Reservoir and Pine of Nature ^ ^ they must have space for air, off the rich resources of the Blue Hills. The natives referred to  for light, for exercise, for rest, Friends of the Blue Hills The reservation boasts a rich variety of plants and animals, including themselves as Massachuseuck, or “people living near the great !" several rare and endangered species, such as the P:' and for the enjoyment of that volunteer organization has been dedicated to protecting and promoting the Blue Hills Reservation. Call (781) 828-1805 or and Eastern copperhead found nowhere else in the Boston area. Boston, high vantage points and an abundance of quarry materials peaceful beauty of nature, Trails traverse a diversity of habitats, upland and bottomland visit [email protected] for more information. have made the reservation lands an attraction throughout which…, is so refreshing forests, swamp and pond edges, meadows and an Atlantic white history. Today, the reservation is rich in both archaeological  cedar bog. and historical resources. Interesting structures and other traces to the tired souls of the The 36 hole Ponkapoag Golf Course is located in Canton on of our past include observation towers built by the Civilian townspeople.” Charles Eliot Route 138, 1/2 mile south of Route 93. Call (781) 828-4242. The scenery before you is a product of a variety of forces. Geology, Conservation Corps, old homesteads and legacies of the granite  Hiking industry at the Quincy quarries. Enriching the reservation are delicate harmony of land and life you see today. The Blue Hills Reservation offers over 125 miles of scenic more than 50 prehistoric sites, 15 historic structures listed on Charles Eliot trails for hikers. Please refer to the map and legend on the '#$# The Father of the Metropolitan Parks System reverse side for details of hikes. Remember to dress [!&#"` appropriately and carry water on all hikes. Visionary landscape architect, Charles Eliot was a major force  reservation. The habitat and the season of the year play a large role behind the creation of the Blue Hills Reservation, one of the Horseback Riding A number of privately owned stables operate in the area of / " $! 4 the Blue Hills Reservation. Many of the dirt roads through the ()UY^>&! park are former carriage roads and are suitable for trail riding. the moist lowlands to the drier, rocky hilltops. Eliot Tower atop Great Blue Hill, named in honor of one of the  founding fathers of the Metropolitan Parks System. Ice Skating The DCR owns and leases three ice skating rinks in the Blue Ponds and Marshes Hills Reservation. For Ulin Rink in Milton, call (617) 696-9869, The Wet and Wild The Civilian Conservation Corps for Shea Rink in Quincy, call (617) 472-9325, and for Metropolis Rink in Canton, call (781) 575-6660 The freshwater wetlands of the reservation are teeming with life. Roosevelt’s Tree Army  Treat yourself to a dazzling display of pink and white pond lilies The Civilian Conservation Corps lived and labored in the Blue Mountain Bicycling at St. Moritz Pond in July or watch patiently as a great blue heron Mountain bicycling is allowed in certain areas of the Hills from 1933 to 1937, adding two stone observation towers, #"$%&'# !""#$ miles of trails and numerous other features to the Reservation. in Milton to pick up a mountain bike brochure and map. ! of the CCC camp located east of Randolph Avenue.  Norman Smith Environmental Ponkapoag Bog Education Center A Quaking Experience Located on Chickatawbut Hill and operated by the Mass Native Americans The Blue Hills Today… Audubon Society, the center offers environmental educa- Ponkapoag Bog is a unique and mysterious tion workshops, including overnight programs and summer camp. Call (617) 333-0690. The People of the Great Hills Z U*** ^ is a realm in between. A cedar boardwalk Preserving Open  Americans quarried in the Blue Hills, seeking brown volcanic Observation Towers at the northwest corner of Ponkapoag Observation towers are located at Great Blue Hill and rock or hornfels which they crafted into tools, spearheads and Pond allows safe entrance into an Space for Public Use Chickatawbut Overlook. Both offer scenic views of the Atlantic white cedar bog. Look Today the Department of Conservation and Recreation Boston skyline and surrounding area. &# for the carnivorous pitcher plants  land. preserves and maintains this living green museum for Picnicking and sundews which capture insects to the use and enjoyment of the public. A limited number of picnic tables and charcoal grilles are available at Houghton’s Pond and Chickatawbut Overlook. supplement their diet in this acidic and Look for Park Rangers on sterile environment. The Colonists Picnic sites at Houghton’s Pond are in great demand during Of Axes and Ploughs the trails or stop by the the summer. Plan accordingly. Please call the reservation Park Headquarters at *%+:;%&> The Meadow Seventeenth century Europeans and their descendants settled in "?>" A Pioneer the Blue Hills, introducing orchards and honeybees, houses and 695 Hillside Street 25 or more persons. < in Milton for more  Ranger Programs %&#' for pasture. Look for the stone walls, which once separated information. with an occasional wooded area or small orchard. Such was the scene DCR Park Rangers offer free educational and recreational &# programs throughout the year. Look for program schedules ()**R' posted on park bulletin boards, call (617) 698-1802 or visit - / 4 Quincy Granite www.mass.gov/dcr for details. Colonial times, much of the Blue Hills has reforested, although  The Birth of Two Industries Rock Climbing turkey, mice and songbirds. Rock climbing is popular at the Quincy Quarries Historic The granite hills at the east end of the reservation launched the Site off Ricciuti Drive in Quincy and in the Rattlesnake Hill /();V area in the eastern section of the reservation. Proper safety ();F\ ">#""> The Forests groups. Visit www.mass.gov/dcr used in the construction of some of the most impressive granite Of Oak and Hickories  Skiing, Cross-country Today, oaks and hickories abound & 4 Cross-country skiing is permitted on trails throughout the & # Orleans and San Francisco. II$ suggested Cross-Country Ski Routes is available at the ularly on south facing slopes. Prior to the 1940’s, the once mighty American chestnut dominated the The Blue Hill Weather Observatory  Skiing, Downhill woodland canopy. The chestnut Of Kites and Clouds A Precious Resource… On the west side of Great Blue Hill, the William F. Rogers Ski The Blue Hills Reservation is a fragile ecosystem under heavy use. Slopes offer the nearest downhill skiing to the metropolitan blight, a damaging fungus from %())V[ We ask you to extend special respect to the parkland, please: Boston area. Call (781) 828-5070. : '  nut population to sprouting trees, weather observatories in the country s Carry out all trash. Swimming usually able to grow no taller than Stay on marked trails to prevent erosion. Swimming is allowed only at Houghtons Pond beach with atop Great Blue Hill. Rotch used kites s DCR lifeguard supervision. Seasonal restrooms are provided. ;* < ! hickory forest produces a wealth and balloons, strung with piano wire, to s Leave plants and animals undisturbed. of acorns and nuts which provide food for hungry gray squirrels, study the winds and clouds high above s Keep pets on a leash at all times.  TrailWatch chipmunks and wild turkeys. Look for the broken shells identifying Great Blue. s Comply with all visitor regulations listed on the Blue Hills TrailWatch is an all-volunteer organization of where a squirrel may have enjoyed a meal. reverse side of this brochure. concerned recreational trail users whose goal is to promote safe and cooperative trail use by acting as an educational Important Contacts: liaison between reservation managers and the public. For more information, call (617) 698-1802. Rocky Hilltops ?:'&#'@F(KNFU)()*; A Windswept World FUV#4""*;()F  Visitor Center The Houghtons Pond Visitor Center features park information Lowbush blueberry and huckleberry can tolerate the dry acidic soils ?:';X'?@F(KNK;;(()) and exhibits highlighting the human history of the Blue Hills. 4!= &#<"@F(KNYYY*FU* Wheelchair accessible restroom facilities are provided. >!&!## Z?:'@F(KNFU)()*;  Hill. Early spring and fall are great times to watch for hawks, Weather Observatory and Science Center falcons and other birds winging over the hilltops on their seasonal Check DCR Website for updates: www.mass.gov/dcr Perched atop the summit of Great Blue Hill, the Blue Hill Ob- servatory and Science Center features continuous weather migration. Over 160 bird species may be seen in the Blue Hills In case of emergency, call 911 or contact the State Police, study from 1885 through today. Educational programs and during the year. &#&!@F(KNFU)V)X* tours are offered. A fee is charged. Call (617) 696-0562 or visit www.bluehill.org for more information.