Boston Fare Hikes: Find An MBTA-Accessible Hike Near You

Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

The golden light of a setting sun radiates through the branches of small deciduous trees in the foreground, setting them in silhouette. The grassy background is lit up golden.

Description: A romantic haven, the Arnold Arboretum sustains gentle hills of varied gardens, vibrant trees, and scenic paths....
Climb: easy-to-moderate
Features: accessible bicycle-friendly bird-watching dog-friendly foliage free gardens medium (151-1000 acres) skyline views
City: Boston, MA

Blue Hills Reservation

From a height, there is a forest with deciduous trees with spring blooms in the foreground, and some evergreen peaks in the distance. Far off, a green landscape, and the Boston skyline sits on the horizon.

Description: Popular for a reason, Blue Hills offers hundreds of miles of trails....
Climb: intense
Features: accessible bicycle-friendly bird-watching cross-country skiiing dog-friendly fishing foliage free ice skating large (>1000 acres) panoramic views pond reservoir skating rink skiing skyline views
City: Milton, MA

Breakheart Reservation

A rocky trail ascends a steep, densely wooded hill. The trees' foliage is mostly green but has started to turn orangey brown from the drought. In the left foreground, blueberry bushes grow. The face of the hill is in shadow from the trees, but the sunlight ahead shines through the leaves.

Description: Heartbreakingly beautiful, Breakheart Reservation's trails extend over seven rocky hills....
Climb: moderate-to-intense
Features: bicycle-friendly bird-watching cross-country skiiing dog-friendly foliage free medium (151-1000 acres) panoramic views pond remote river skyline views swimming
City: Saugus, MA

Description: Historically Boston's drinking water supply, the Brookline Reservoir makes a short and sweet loop for walkers and joggers....
Climb: flat
Features: dog-friendly fishing free reservoir skyline views small (<150 acres) urban
City: Brookline, MA

Charles River Park Reservation

In the foreground, a paved path stretches in front of two cherry blossom trees in bloom with pink flowers. Behind the trees, the Charles River, and a bridge spanning the river. The sky is clear blue.

Description: Twenty miles long, the Charles River Park Reservation maintains bike paths, pedestrian paths, playgrounds, athletic fields, and some of the best views of Boston and Cambridge....
Climb: easy
Features: accessible athletic fields bicycle-friendly bird-watching dog-friendly foliage free gardens large (>1000 acres) river urban
City: Boston and Cambridge, MA

Chestnut Hill Reservoir

Description: On either side of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, views of the city and Boston College stand on the horizon....
Climb: flat
Features: bird-watching dog-friendly free pool reservoir skating rink skyline views small (<150 acres)
City: Boston, MA

Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary

On the right and left, two trees stand at the top of a great hill. The grass on the hill is patchy and somewhat brown. Between the trees, a clearing shows blue sky and dense leafy trees extending to the horizon. Just on a horizon, the blue shadow of a mountain is visible.

Description: With only four miles of trails, animal exhibitions form the main attraction at Mass Audubon Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary....
Climb: easy-to-moderate
Features: accessible bird-watching farm foliage gardens remote small (<150 acres)
City: Lincoln, MA

Emerald Necklace Conservancy

There are geese in the water at Leverett Pond. At the far side of the pond, there are dense deciduous trees and a bridge. To the left, there are also dense deciduous trees, partially overhanging the water.

Description: The Emerald Necklace lays a string of parks from Back Bay through Jamaica Plain, its jewels a wide variety of recreational activities....
Climb: easy
Features: accessible athletic fields bicycle-friendly dog-friendly fishing free gardens medium (151-1000 acres) pond urban
City: Boston, MA

Forest Hills Cemetery

Graves on a grassy, wooded hill before a triangle of paved paths. The background is densely wooded.

Description: The sculptures and gardens of Forest Hills Cemetery create a restful yet visually stimulating escape from the city....
Climb: easy
Features: accessible free gardens medium (151-1000 acres)
City: Boston, MA

Fresh Pond

A fenced in path cuts through a densely wooded, grassy area. Sunlight shines throughout the thick and green leaves.

Description: A two and a half mile wooded path surrounds Fresh Pond, Cambridge's source of drinking water....
Climb: easy
Features: accessible bicycle-friendly dog-friendly free medium (151-1000 acres) pond reservoir
City: Cambridge, MA

Great Esker Park

In the distance, dense green deciduous trees. The sky is clear. The Weymouth Back River at high tide, in the middle background, blends into a salt marsh on the right. Tall grasses grow in the foreground and on the other side of the salt marsh.

Description: Great Esker Park lies along the Weymouth Back River with salt water marshes, reversing falls, and six miles of trails....
Climb: moderate
Features: bird-watching dog-friendly esker fishing foliage free medium (151-1000 acres) remote tidal river
City: Weymouth, MA

Hammond Pond Park/Webster Conservation

A massive rock of Roxbury Puddingstone sits in a forest, partially obscured by some trees in the foreground.

Description: Sprinkled with lilies, Hammond Pond lies adjacent to the wooded trails of Webster Conservation Area....
Climb: easy-to-moderate
Features: bird-watching fishing foliage free gardens medium (151-1000 acres) pond rock-climbing
City: Newton, MA

Hemlock Gorge Reservation

From under the shade of a partially visible overhanging tree, the image shows a waterfall of the Charles River. There are logs and bits of wood trapped at the height of the fall.

Description: Tucked in between suburban Newton and Needham, tiny Hemlock Gorge Reservation features a few mild hills and waterfalls....
Climb: easy-to-moderate
Features: free river small (<150 acres) waterfalls
City: Needham, MA

Horn Pond Mountain

The Boston skyline stands on the horizon under a clear blue sky. Below the horizon, nothing but dense green trees and a mostly obscured body of water on the right.

Description: Skyline views and an abandoned reservoir await discovery atop Horn Pond Mountain....
Climb: moderate-to-intense
Features: bird-watching dog-friendly fishing foliage free medium (151-1000 acres) pond remote skyline views
City: Woburn, MA

Lynn Woods Reservation

A rusty door lies open leading into a dark space with a wooden staircase visible. The door frame is completely surrounded by stone.

Description: Lynn Woods Reservation entices with scenic trails, multiple reservoirs, rose gardens, and tall tales behind cryptic sites....
Climb: moderate-to-intense
Features: bicycle-friendly cross-country skiiing dog-friendly foliage free gardens large (>1000 acres) panoramic views pond remote reservoir rock-climbing skyline views
City: Lynn, MA

Mass Audubon Boston Nature Center & Wildlife Sanctuary

Tall yellow and green grasses grow in a field. In the mid-background, there are thick bushes and some bare deciduous trees. In the background, there are densely leafy deciduous trees. The sky is blue with some light clouds on the horizon.

Description: Mass Audubon Boston Nature Center's simple trails pass by wetlands, fields, and community gardens....
Climb: flat
Features: accessible bird-watching free gardens small (<150 acres)
City: Boston, MA

Middlesex Fells Reservation

Brilliant foliage reflects on a shallow pond beneath a partially cloudy day. Leafy deciduous trees grow thickly on the far shore, and in shadow in the foreground, a large boulder lies.

Description: Waterfalls, rocky hills, and city views grace the trails of Middlesex Fells Reservation....
Climb: moderate-to-intense
Features: bicycle-friendly bird-watching cross-country skiiing dog-friendly fishing foliage free large (>1000 acres) panoramic views pond pool reservoir rock-climbing skating rink skyline views waterfalls
City: Medford and Melrose, MA

Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary

A close up of a garter snake slithering across the ground which is covered in dead leaves, pine needles, and twigs.

Description: With 25 miles of trails, the Mass Audubon Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary harbors forests, fields, and wetlands....
Climb: moderate-to-intense
Features: bird-watching foliage medium (151-1000 acres) remote
City: Sharon, MA

Mount Auburn Cemetery

On the right, the trunk of a tree at close range. At mid-range, there are three gravestones in the center with three wild turkeys standing among them. To their right, there is a tree with intricate branches. To the left and behind, there are three more gravestones with three more turkeys, one partially cut off. In the background, a path in front of two sarcophagi and more gravestones and trees.

Description: Bucolic Mount Auburn Cemetery preserves a sanctuary of natural solace and urban wildlife....
Climb: easy-to-moderate
Features: accessible bird-watching foliage free gardens medium (151-1000 acres) panoramic views skyline views
City: Cambridge, MA

Pine Banks Park

Half a dozen ducks stand in the shade on the banks of a nearly dried up small pond. There are rocks embedded throughout the muddy banks. Lily pads float in the shallow water or lie on the mud. At the far end of the scene, there is much shrubbery.

Description: Pine Banks Park provides recreational fields and brief wooded trails that climb to a scenic outlook....
Climb: moderate
Features: athletic fields bicycle-friendly dog-friendly esker free rock-climbing small (<150 acres)
City: Malden, MA

Prospect Hill Park

On a hill sloping upwards left to right stands a dense forest of leafy deciduous and evergreen trees. The forest floor is brown orange with pine needles with patches of green ferns.

Description: Prospect Hill Park's steep hills, vernal pools, and dense woods open up to scenic outlooks east and west....
Climb: intense
Features: accessible bicycle-friendly dog-friendly foliage free medium (151-1000 acres) panoramic views skyline views
City: Waltham, MA