LocationsBoston & the Blue Hills
Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts
Bunker Hill Monument
Photo: National Park Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A 221-foot granite obelisk on Breed's Hill, where colonists dug a fort overnight in 1775. Climb 294 steps to the top; the monument and museum are free.
Written for ages 3–12.
Researched from this park's own sources. Nobody's walked it yet.
Read this bit out
This hill was a battlefield. Fifty years after the battle, people began building a giant stone monument on top of it, but work stopped twice and the money kept running short. What finally finished it was a week-long fair run by women at Quincy Market, which raised about a quarter of the whole cost. The fair was Sarah Josepha Hale's idea, and she had already written "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Here is the funny part: this is Breed's Hill. The battle is named after Bunker Hill, the taller hill next door.
One of your three free places, or the Explorer Pass. What that costs
Before you go
- Time there
- Plan on about an hour and a half at the park.
- Parking
- No parking at the monument. NPS says to put Constitution Road, Charlestown in your GPS and use the Nautica garage by the Navy Yard: $14-$18 for up to four hours with a ticket validated at the Navy Yard Visitor Center or USS Constitution Museum, $25 a day otherwise. It is a 10-15 minute walk.
- Underfoot
- Uphill through Charlestown from the Navy Yard. Stairs lead up to the grounds, or use the ramp at the Massachusetts Gate entrance. The lodge and the base are accessible; the top is 294 steps in a tight spiral, 25 people at a time, and it can close for weather.
- Stroller
- A stroller works on some of it.
- Bathrooms
- There are bathrooms.
21 challenges written for this place
A game deals seven to fifteen of them, so no two visits are alike.
4 things to spot, 4 things to work out and 3 things to climb, cross or balance on.
Every game includes this one
The Great Stone Spike
Find the enormous stone spike on top of the hill and walk all the way around the bottom of it.
A few of the others
All 294
There are 294 steps to the top. Climb them and count out loud. Try not to lose your place.
Around And Around
The staircase turns all the way around eight times on the way up. Count the turns.
How Many Rests
Before you start climbing, everybody guesses how many rests they will need. Then find out.
Eight Inches Each
Every step is eight inches high. Work out how many of your hands that is.
The Wrong Hill
You are standing on Breed's Hill, where the battle was fought. It was named after Bunker Hill, the taller hill next door. Decide whether the name should be changed.
Fat At The Bottom
The walls are six feet thick at the bottom and only two feet thick at the top. Work out why anybody would build it that way.
The rest are a surprise — that's the whole point.
Also around Boston & the Blue Hills
Blue Hills Reservation
Milton
Climb 635-foot Great Blue Hill for a view over the whole Boston area, then cool off at Houghton's Pond. 7,000 acres and 125 miles of trails.
Neponset River Reservation
Boston
A tidal river running out to Boston Harbor past salt marsh, with a paved riverside trail, playgrounds, herons in the shallows and views of the city.
Play this at Bunker Hill Monument
Free. Works with no signal once you're there.