LocationsBoston & the Blue Hills
3 parks · 64 challenges · Massachusetts
Outdoor things to do with kids in Boston & the Blue Hills
In Milton, Charlestown, Boston and Boston.
A granite spike over Charlestown, seven thousand acres of hills, and the river that runs between them to the sea.
Finish all 3
Play every park here and your family are Explorers of Boston & the Blue Hills.
Where to go, and what to expect
Blue Hills Reservation
Milton, Massachusetts · 21 challenges
Seven thousand acres of woods and rocky hilltops minutes from downtown Boston, 125 miles of trails, and Great Blue Hill rising 635 feet above the whole metropolitan area.
About 2 hoursBathrooms
Underfoot. 125 miles of trails over 22 hills. The paved Summit Road is 0.9 miles one way but steep — a 9% average and 20% at its worst.
Parking. Free at the Houghton's Pond lot on Hillside Street. Park headquarters up the road is ten-minute parking only. Dawn to dusk.
Bunker Hill Monument
Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts · 21 challenges
A 221-foot granite spike on a hill over Boston, standing where the redoubt was dug overnight in 1775, with 294 steps inside it and the whole city laid out at the top.
About an hour and a halfStroller in placesBathrooms
Underfoot. The walk from the Navy Yard is uphill through streets. The lodge and the base of the monument are step-free; the top is 294 stairs in a tight spiral, and it keeps its own hours — check them before you promise anyone the climb.
Parking. There is no parking at the monument. The Park Service says to put Constitution Road, Charlestown in your GPS and use the Nautica garage by the Navy Yard — $14–$18 validated at the Navy Yard Visitor Center or the USS Constitution Museum, $25 a day otherwise. It is a 10 to 15 minute walk to the monument from there.
Neponset River Reservation
Boston, Massachusetts · 22 challenges
A river running down to the harbour through marsh and wetland, with a riverwalk beside it, playgrounds along it, and the city standing up behind the whole thing.
About an hour and a halfStroller fine
Underfoot. Flat riverside path most of the way, with playgrounds and spray decks along it. The Quincy Riverwalk runs two miles with views out over the estuary and back at the city.
Parking. Free, with free parking on site. Dawn to dusk.
Play all 3 around Boston & the Blue Hills
Free. Works with no signal once you're there.