From the Old North Church to the Boston Commons, there are many historic places to visit in Boston and the surrounding communities, but none offer the natural beauty of the Harbor Islands.

click on map to enlarge

The Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area is comprised of 34 islands and was established by Congress in 1996 as a unit of the National Park Service (NPS). The NPS is a non-land owning participant in the Boston Harbor Partnership and coordinates federal, state, and local authorities and the private sector in the management of the Boston Harbor Islands.

The islands’ proximity to a large urban population and their special natural and geological resources, and cultural and historic resources, contribute to their national significance. Unlike islands typical of the New England coast, many of the Boston Harbor Islands are glacier-formed drumlins.

Although within sight of a dynamic and densely populated metropolitan area, the Boston Harbor Islands offer visitors a rare sense of solitude if desired. Through the advocacy of groups such as The Boston Harbor Association and others, water quality in the Boston Harbor has significantly improved over the past 10 years. Recreational activities such as swimming, fishing, and boating have increased as residents return to the harbor and islands, and as national and international visitors discover the islands’ cultural and natural history and opportunities for recreation close to a major tourist destination.

As you explore the Boston Harbor Islands you will find many buildings and structures related to uses including defense, agriculture, commercial fishing, year-round and summer habitation, resort life, industry, public health, immigration, and social welfare. More than 100 building and structures including sea walls, forts, lighthouses, gun emplacements, concrete bunkers, wood-framed cottages, and brick military and institutional buildings, reflect the long history and changing character of the Boston Harbor Islands. The Islands contain evidence of Native American use of such archeological significance that, to date, 21 islands have been designated within an Archeological District listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

Visiting the Boston Harbor Islands

General Policy

Visitors must follow a “carry in and carry out” policy, taking out any trash they generate. Most islands don’t have drinking water or concession stands, so please plan accordingly. Composting toilets are available on some islands. Pets are not allowed on any islands within the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area.

Getting to the Islands

Enjoy the Boston Harbor Islands from 5 May to 8 October 2007. Visitors have two options: For Ferry Service information and events, please call (617) 223-8666, or go to www.bostonislands.com and click on Trip Planning or go to Harbor Island Express at www.harborexpress.com which operates park and inter islands ferries. Moorings: Limited docking space is available for private boats at Georges Island on a first-come, first-served basis. Small prams are available for anchoring off shore. For information on moorings for private boats at Spectacle, Bumpkin, Georges, Peddocks, and other Boston Harbor Islands, call 617-223-8666. For reservations, please call 617-241-9640 or email: moorings@bosport.com.

For information regarding the Boston Harbor Island events and seasonal opening, please call 617-223-8666 or visit the National Park Service at www.nps.gov/boha or Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/harbor.htm. Check out TBHA’s events calendar for upcoming cruises and tours of the harbor islands during the summer and fall months.

Camping on the Harbor Islands

Overnight camping is permitted on designated islands, including Grape, Bumpkin, Lovells and Peddocks Islands from late June to early September. Camping is by reservation only; be prepared to pay a site fee. Weather conditions are variable and temperatures in the harbor are usually cooler than those on the mainland. No water or food available on the islands, so please plan accordingly. To reserve campsites, call toll free 1-877-422-6762 or reserve on the web at www.reserveamerica.com

Boston Harbor Islands Highlights

Georges Island
This 30-acre island is dominated by Fort Warren, a National Historic Landmark. Constructed of granite between 1833 and 1869, Fort Warren was used during the Civil War for training Union soldiers and later as a prison for captured Confederates. Georges Island now serves as the entrance to the Boston Harbor Islands State Park and provides free inter-island water taxi service, rest room facilities, running water, concession stand, large picnic areas, and an information booth. Georges Island is open to the public from May to mid-October. Park rangers offer guided fort tours and historical and nautical programs as well as special events such as the Civil War Encampment that are scheduled on an annual basis. School curriculum packets are available. Contact the park office for a schedule of events. A free water taxi to the other islands departs from the pier on a frequent schedule.

Spectacle Island
After more than a decade of planning and restoration work, Spectacle Island opened to the public in June 2006. The 87-acre park, located just 20 minutes by ferry from Long Wharf, is the newest attraction for visitors to the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area. As part of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, over 3.5 million cubic tons of excavated earth was transported to Spectacle Island to cap the landfill that was in use from 1935-1959.

While at Spectacle Island, enjoy snacks at the Captain Flye Café. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers are grilled while you wait. Ice cream and beverages are also available. Beach umbrellas, tackle boxes, and fishing rods are also available for rent.

Spectacle Island features a marina, a visitors center with restrooms and concession stand, two sandy beaches, and five miles of walking trails that will lead visitors to the crest of a 157 foot-high hill offering magnificent panoramic views of the harbor and the city. Daytime dockage is available to visitors from 9:00am-5:00pm and overnight dockage is available from 5:00pm-10:30am. Supervised swimming is offered daily during the summer.

The Spectacle Island visitor center has excellent exhibits, and incorporates innovative renewable energy, oriented with a roofline facing south so a solar electric (photo voltaic) system could be installed with maximum solar gain. The photo voltaic panels produce enough energy to keep a small fleet of electric vehicles operational on the island as well as to send clean electricity to the electric utility company's power grid for use throughout the area.

Deer Island
The distinctive egg-shaped digesters of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s (MWRA) wastewater treatment facility on Deer Island is visible from downtown on clear days. Covering two-thirds of the 185 upland acres, the treatment plant provides secondary waste water treatment to ensure sound water quality of Boston Harbor.This facility, the second largest in the U.S., produces 10% of its energy demands using renewable energy technology.

Surrounding the treatment plant is a sixty-acre park that offers walking, jogging, sightseeing, picnicking, and fishing. There is a 2.6-mile perimeter pathway and another 2 miles of trails on the hills of the island. Near the entrance to the HarborWalk is a new memorial dedicated in 2007 to the late Federal Judge A. David Mazzone, who oversaw the federally-mandated Boston Harbor cleanup project for almost 20 years. Mazzone was a major force for the project, declaring that, "the law secures to the people the right to a clean harbor." The memorial includes granite benches and a bronze sculpture in a beautifully landscaped space that faces a dramatic view of the city. Designed by landscape architects Polly Reeve and Margaret Coyle Nestler and local sculptor Joseph Pesce, the memorial is a fitting tribute to a great Bostonian and key architect of the Boston Harbor Project. The Boston Harbor Association administered the Judge David Mazzone Memorial Fund, established to fund construction of the memorial.

The public areas around Deer Island are open dawn to dusk every day. Deer Island is not currently served by public boats and is only accessible by public transit or private car. Group tours of the state-of-the-art treatment facility are available by advanced appointment. For more information call (617) 660-7607 or go to www.mwra.com.

Lovells Island
Characterized by its curved beaches and diverse wildlife, Lovells is a peaceful and primitive island. Visitors will enjoy exploring the remains of Fort Standish and walk along trails that pass by dunes and salt-marsh woods. Along its shores are rocky tide pools, sand dunes and some of the best views of the outer harbor. The island offers picnic areas, scenic overlooks, 11 campsites and a swimming beach. Special events and daily programs in the summer months bring alive the military history, folklore, geology, water quality, plants and birds of the island. For camping reservations, call toll free at 1-877-422-6762.

Peddocks Island
Spanning188 acres, Peddocks Island is one of the largest and most diverse island in the harbor. At the island's East Head sits the remains of Fort Andrews, active in harbor defense from 1904 to the end of World War II. The island has 10 campsites and its trails pass by a salt marsh, a pond and mature coastal forests. Peddocks Island Visitor Center has educational displays on the island's natural and military history. Park rangers offer island walks, fort tours, and special events that highlight the military use, folklore and natural history of the island and the harbor.

Bumpkin Island
Measuring 35 acres in size, Bumpkin Island, in Hingham Bay, lies just off the town of Hull. Initially formed by a glacier over 15,000 years ago as a drumlin, the island now consists of a central upland surrounded by a rock –strewn shoreline. Wildflowers grow along trails that lead visitors to the remains of a children's hospital and stone farmhouse. The island's slate and shell beaches and open fields provide a relaxing atmosphere.

Grape Island
Grape Island was once used by Native Americans and colonial farmers. The island's 50 acres are a haven for wildlife. Wild blackberries, bayberries and rose hips proliferate on the island, providing food for a wide variety of birds and hours of delight for naturalists. Grape is one of the few Boston Harbor islands without historic structures. Other features include picnic areas, one group and ten individual campsites, and many wooded trails.

Great Brewster Island
Great vistas out to Massachusetts Bay and in to all of Boston Harbor can be seen from the 100-foot height of glacial till on Great Brewster Island. This island played a great role throughout the history of Massachusetts' coastal defense. Great Brewster Island is available for day-use only. Visitor facilities on this 23-acre island include picnic tables, a self-guided trail, a composting toilet, and a small weather shelter.

Little Brewster Island
The National Park Service offers three and one-half-hour ranger-guided tour of Little Brewster Island and Boston Light, the oldest light station in the country. On the way to Little Brewster Island, visitors will enjoy a 45-minute narrated harbor tour and will view the three other lighthouses of Boston Harbor. Once on the island, visitors will have two hours to explore and learn about the light station's history, as well as have the opportunity to climb to the top of the light tower, where you will enjoy a spectacular view of the harbor and other islands.

Gallops Island
GALLOPS ISLAND IS CURRENTLY CLOSED TO PUBLIC VISITATION. Gallops Island, measuring16 acres in size, is one of the smallest islands in the harbor. Initially formed by the last glacier 15,000 years ago, the island now consists of a central upland with eroded cliffs on its eastern and northern sides. The island’s first owner John Gallop, a Boston harbor pilot who during the mid-17th century, spent summers on the island.

Thompson Island
Once used by Native Americans, the island is now the home of the Outward Bound program which provides an outdoor classroom for people of all ages. Activities include guided tours, hiking and picnicking. Public access to Thompson Island is available Memorial Day through Labor Day on Sundays only. The boat departs the Fan Pier at 11:30 am and returns at 6 pm. The National Parks Service conducts tours on Sundays. Please call (617) 328-3900 x918 or e-mail info@thompsonisland.org for more information. For tour information, please visit www.thompsonisland.org.

World's End
Worlds End is one of two peninsulas included in the national park area. This 244-acre getaway is located in Hingham. Once used as private farmland in the 1800s and landscaped by Frederick Law Olmstead who designed New York's Central Park and Boston's Emerald Necklace, visitors can now enjoy scenic, wooded hikes with ocean views. Parking is available. This area is owned and managed by Trustees of Reservations. More information is available at www.thetrustees.org

return to top
 

The Boston Harbor Association   -   374 Congress Street, Suite 307   -   Boston, MA 02210   -   617-482-1722 (P)   -   617-482-9750 (F)   -   mail@tbha.org