Blue Hills Reservation is a state park in

Norfolk County, Massachusetts Norfolk County is located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 725,981. Its county seat is Dedham. It is the fourth most populous county in the United States whose county seat is neither a city nor a bor ...

in the United States. Managed by the

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission i ...

, it covers parts of Milton, Quincy, Braintree,

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...

, Randolph, and Dedham. Located approximately ten miles south of downtown

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

, the reservation is one of the largest parcels of undeveloped conservation land within the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The park's varied terrain and scenic views make it a popular destination for hikers from the Boston area.

History

European colonizers sailing the coastline noticed the bluish hue of the mountains, which is caused by the presence of

riebeckite Riebeckite is a sodium-rich member of the amphibole group of silicate minerals, chemical formula Na2(Fe2+3Fe3+2)Si8O22(OH)2. It forms a solid solution series with magnesioriebeckite. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system, usually as long prism ...

, which gave area its modern name. The name of the state of Massachusetts derives from the

Massachusett The Massachusett were a Native American tribe from the region in and around present-day Greater Boston in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name comes from the Massachusett language term for "At the Great Hill," referring to the Blue Hil ...

Indian tribe's name of the hill: ''massa-adchu-es-et.'' In 1893, the Metropolitan Parks Commission purchased the lands of Blue Hills Reservation as one of the state's first areas dedicated to public recreation. The practice of

First Day Hikes First Day Hikes is a program of free, guided hikes offered by the fifty state park systems of the United States each year on New Year's Day. The program began locally in Massachusetts in 1992 and then went nationwide in 2012 under the aegis of ...

to mark New Year's Day with an outdoor activity began in 1992 at Blue Hills Reservation. By the 2010s, the idea had spread and such hikes were taking place in state parks nationwide.

Flora and fauna

The ecology of the Blue Hills is diverse and includes marshes,

swamps A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

, upland and bottomland forests,

meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifici ...

, and an

Atlantic white cedar ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' (Atlantic white cedar, Atlantic white cypress, southern white cedar, whitecedar, or false-cypress), a species of ''Cupressaceae'', is native to the Atlantic coast of North America and is found from southern Maine to Geo ...

bog. A number of endangered species in Massachusetts, such as the

timber rattlesnake The timber rattlesnake, canebrake rattlesnake, or banded rattlesnake (''Crotalus horridus'') Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of ...

and copperhead snake, reside in the reservation. Other flora and fauna include dogwood,

lady's slipper Cypripedioideae is a subfamily of orchids commonly known as lady's slipper orchids, lady slipper orchids or slipper orchids. Cypripedioideae includes the genera ''Cypripedium, Mexipedium, Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium'' and '' Selenipedium''. ...

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

coyotes The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological nich ...

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey, which was originally d ...

, red fox, and

turkey vultures The turkey vulture (''Cathartes aura'') is the most widespread of the New World vultures. One of three species in the genus ''Cathartes'' of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South ...

Climate

The reservation experiences a humid continental climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Dfb''), typical of most of New England. Summers are short but very warm with mild nights. Winters are short, very snowy, and very cloudy. Precipitation is heavy and very consistent year round.

Points of interest

Observatory

The highest point within the reservation, Great Blue Hill in Milton, is the site of the historic

Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory The Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory in Milton, Massachusetts is the foremost structure associated with the history of weather observations in the United States. Located atop Great Blue Hill about 10 miles south of Boston, Massachusetts, it ...

. The observatory was founded in 1885 and is the oldest continuous weather recording station in the United States. Its tower offers views of Boston and the surrounding area. The tower and observatory are among numerous reservation features listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Features listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Blue Hills Trailside Museum

The Blue Hills Trailside Museum, which is operated by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, offers indoor and outdoor animal exhibits. The museum opened in 1959, and was initially operated by the Museum of Science. Mass Audubon began operating the museum in 1974.

Houghton's Pond Recreation Area

Houghton's Pond is located within Blue Hills Reservation.

Activities and amenities

Blue Hills Reservation is primarily used for

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histo ...

and mountain biking. It is also used for

snowshoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

ing, downhill skiing, and

cross country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...

during winter, and rock climbing (in certain areas) and horseback riding during permissible months. Between approximately December and March, Great Blue Hill offers a ski area. Houghton's Pond and nearby Ponkapoag Pond are popular swimming and recreation areas during the summer. Other recreational opportunities include non-motorized boating, camping, fishing, picnicking, playing fields, ice skating, interpretive programs, and a children's playground is accessible from the Hillside St entrance to Houghton's Pond.

References

External links

Blue Hills Reservation
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Brochure and trail mapFriends of the Blue HillsBlue Hill Observatory HazeCam
Current panoramic photo from observatory
Online (mobile compatible) trail map
* Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) {{authority control Hills of Massachusetts Landforms of Norfolk County, Massachusetts Massachusetts Audubon Society Massachusetts natural resources Museums in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Nature centers in Massachusetts Natural history museums in Massachusetts Geography of Braintree, Massachusetts Parks in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Religious places of the indigenous peoples of North America Protected areas established in 1893 State parks of Massachusetts 1893 establishments in Massachusetts