Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area

Understand

Park website The Boston Harbor Islands national park area is managed by a unique 13-member partnership called the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership, ☏ +1 617-223-8666, which includes the National Park Service and other public and private organizations. Massachusetts claims 17 of the islands within Boston Harbor Island State Park. During the summer season, the islands are open daily from 9AM until sunset. During spring and fall the islands are open on an abbreviated schedule. Special arrangements for school groups are possible for weekdays in spring, summer, and fall seasons. Some sites have additional hours. Pets are not allowed on the islands. Bicycle riding and rollerblading are not permitted. Georges and Peddocks islands have paved walkways suitable for strollers. Day-use permits are required for groups of 25 or more.

History The islands have great historical significance in a number of ways. Archeological sites on 21 of the islands have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places and all the islands are considered likely to have significant sites. Evidence indicates that Native American peoples lived on the islands as early as 1000 BC and perhaps before they separated from the mainland sometime in the 2000 years previous to that. The highly alkaline shell-fragmented soils which preserve artifacts better than typical New England soils, and the relatively low-intensity use by Euro-Americans, make the islands an archeological treasure. The islands have undergone many various uses over the years: agriculture, cemetery, fishing colony, fortifications, hospital, hotel or resort, industrial, poorhouse, prison, prisoner-of-war camp, quarantine, sewage treatment, lighthouses, and dumps. Deer Island has particular significance to Native Americans as a place of imprisonment and interment during King Philip's War in the 1670s. Contemporary Native Americans return each October to commemorate their ancestors' suffering in this tragic slaughter. Indications are

Getting there

By boat Ferries run from four mainland locations to George's Island. Shuttles run a loop between George's and Hull to Lovells, Peddocks, Bumpkin, and Grape Islands. Daily ferry service is available from Long Wharf, Boston to Spectacle Island, and on Sundays, only a loop runs from EDIC Pier in South Boston to Thompson and Spectacle Islands.[1] Mainland ferry terminals, Phone: +1 617-223-8666, Schedules: [2]. Boston, 66 Long Wharf, at Christopher Columbus Park North of the Long Wharf Marriott. MBTA Blue Line to Aquarium stop. South Boston, Dock #10, Drydock Av., off Summer Street, at EDIC Pier. Taxi or bus from South Station. Hull, 180 Main Street, at Pemberton Point. Quincy, 703 Washington Street, at Fore River Shipyard. Moorings: Limited docking space is available for private boats at Georges Island on a first-come, first-served basis. On all other islands, docks are available for off-loading only. Small prams are available for anchoring off-shore. For information on moorings for private boats at Bumpkin, Georges, Peddocks and other Boston Harbor Islands, phone: +1 617-223-8666. For reservations and technical information, phone: +1 617-241-9640, email: [email protected]. $10 day use, $25 overnight (2006).

By land Even though some of the "islands" are really peninsulas, car travel is discouraged. Limited parking is available at Deer Island, Nut Island, Webb Memorial, and World's End. Long and Moon Islands are accessible by land, but are not open to the public. Access is restricted by a police guard station at the mainland end of the causeway connecting them to the Quincy neighborhood of Squantum.

Deer Island Public transportation: Take the MBTA Blue Line to Orient Heights station. Then Paul Revere Bus company has transportation to Point Shirley (Buses # 712 or 713.) By car: Take the I-93 to the Callahan Tunnel. Enter Callahan Tunnel. Turn right onto William F. McClellan Highway. Turn right onto Boardman Street to rotary, go halfway around and continue on Sa

Getting around

Walk the trails and beaches. There are no vehicles. Sea kayaking is excellent here, but aware that very large ships use the channel areas.

See

Georges Island 1 Georges Island is the transportation center for shuttles to other islands. It has a large dock, picnic grounds, open fields, paved walkways, a parade ground and a gravel beach. Georges also has a snack bar.

1 Fort Warren. And the 1840s vintage fort was built to protect the harbor, but obsolete by the time it was finished. It was used for a century for training and patrol and, during the Civil War, as a prison. Guided tours of historic Fort Warren are offered. (updated Jan 2024)

Peddocks Island Military ruins exist on this large island from Fort Andrews but most are closed to the public. There also over forty cottages, some of which are private residences. Views of downtown Boston and Hull.

Bumpkin Island Remains of an old stone farmhouse and the foundation of a burned hospital is about all there is to see here. Two group picnic areas on the southwest of the island offers excellent views of the Hingham Islands, Sara, Ragged, Langlee and Worlds End, Slate, Grape and Sheep Islands. An outlook shelter on the northwest side of the island offers views of Boston, Peddocks, and Hull, with a partial view of Great Brewster Island. A sand spit, exposed at low tide, connects the eastern end of the island to Sunset Point in Hull.

Lovells Island Fort Standish. The remains of this World War I-era fortification. A favorite of campers, Lovells has trails that pass by dunes and woods, picnic areas, and a supervised swimming beach. Lovells is famous for its shipwrecks, especially the French warship Magnifique in 1782.

Grape Island Primarily used for agriculture in the past, this island has abundant berries and is managed as a wildlife sanctuary by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Grape Island has camping, picnic areas, wooded trails and guided walks. Special events include a "wild edibles" tour.

Spectacle Island

2 Spectacle Island features a visitor center and marina. A café sells burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, chowder, c

Do

For park event listings phone: +1 617-223-8666, or check the web [3]. Public tours, ☏ +1 617 223-8666. Special park boats take passengers with reservations from three mainland locations in Boston. for details. to Little Brewster Island for Boston Light Tour. to Thompson Island for public tours, and for discovery tours of the outer harbor.

Buy

Boston Harbor Islands On-line Store. Show your support.

Eat

Refreshment concessions are available on Georges Island and Spectacle Island.

Drink & nightlife

There is no nightlife on any of the islands, but sometimes there will be beer tastings on George's Island in the afternoon.

Sleep

There are no motels, hotels or bed and breakfasts in the park.

Camping Camping is available on three of the islands: Grape, Bumpkin, and Lovells. The season runs from late June and ends Labor Day weekend. Reservations are required and can be made online or call