Boston Harbor Islands

781-740-1605 ext. 205

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (MA DCR, State Parks) is one of twelve managing partners of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. This park system includes 34 islands and peninsulas spread over fifty square miles of bays, harbors, and rivers within the greater Boston Harbor basin.

The unique natural, cultural and recreational resources available to the public make the Boston Harbor Islands a perfect adventure getaway. Visitors to the park enjoy shell and slate beaches, tidal pools, old roads to historic foundations and forts, and easy hiking trails past fields with bayberry and raspberry. Shaded trails lead to scenic vistas of the harbor, the city skyline, and outward to Massachusetts Bay. Resident Park Rangers live on-island during the visiting season. They provide island supervision, campground management, and offer island tours and educational programs. Check the Boston Harbor Islands partnership website for ferry schedules, island openings and calendar event listings.

Click here to see a map of the Boston Harbor Islands

Things to know before you go.

• TRASH: Visitors to all the harbor islands must use a carry in, carry out policy. There are no trash receptacles on the harbor islands. Reduce what you need to carry off; separate recyclables from your trash and use the Georges and Spectacle Island recycling receptacles.

• FOOD: Food service concessions are available on Georges and Spectacle Island. Picnic tables and small charcoal grills are available on a first come first served basis on Spectacle (no grills), Georges, Bumpkin, Grape, and Lovells and Peddocks Islands.

• WATER: Potable water is available on Georges, Peddocks and Spectacle Islands. There is no water on Grape, Bumpkin, Great Brewster and Lovells Islands.

• REST ROOMS: There are restroom facilities on Spectacle and Georges Island.  Grape, Bumpkin, Lovells and Peddocks Islands have composting toilets only.

• RECREATIONAL USE PERMITS: Permits for normal day-use activities are required for groups of 25 people or more.  Contact the park office to register; email is preferred at Cheryl.desantis@state.ma.us, phone 781-925-1032, or fax 617-727-3947.

Directions

Getting There: Spectacle, Georges, Grape, Bumpkin, Lovells and Peddocks Islands can only be accessed by boat. Passenger Ferries are located at Long Wharf Boston, the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, and Hingham Shipyard in Hingham. For Boston parking use commercial garages; for Shipyard parking use commuter boat lots. 

For Ferry Service schedules, please call (617) 223 8666, or go to www.bostonharborislands.com and click on Getting There.

Private Boaters: Limited docking space is available for private boats at Georges Island on a first-come, first-served basis. The marina on Spectacle Island is a managed fee based docking facility. On all islands, designated dock space is available for drop off and pick up only. A small self serve dinghy is available for rowing to and from anchorage areas.  Kayak beach landings and small motor boat beach anchoring is welcome. A limited number of mooring balls are available along Georges, Peddocks and other Boston Harbor Islands; call 617-223-8666 for information on moorings and docking at the Spectacle Island marina.

Camping

Overnight camping is permitted only on designated islands, including Grape, Bumpkin, Lovells, and Peddocks, from late June to early September. Camping is by reservation only and a fee is charged. Camping on the islands is a primitive camping experience. Weather conditions are variable and temperatures in the harbor are usually cooler than those on the mainland. There is no water or food available on the islands, so please plan accordingly. See ferry information above for transportation to the islands. Camping on Grape, Bumpkin, Lovells, and Peddocks: To reserve campsites on Grape, Bumpkin, Lovells, or Peddocks call toll free 1-877-422-6762 or reserve on the web at www.reserveamerica.com.

Georges Island

This 30-acre island is home to 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. Visitors can explore the fort with a friendly park ranger, a self-guided brochure, or on their own. A small scale fort play area is available for younger kids. Outside the fort there are broad open recreational spaces and two large picnic areas with tables, charcoal grills and drinking water fountains nearby. The Visitor Center on Georges Island offers a chance to learn more about the history of the island through a brief film, colorful exhibits, and a virtual interactive display.  The visitor center also houses a conference center, a gift shop, and restrooms.

Georges Island is open from May to mid-October. Swimming is not permitted from Georges Island. Outdoor café service is available from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Park Rangers offer guided fort tours. Ongoing community programs including children’s theater, musical performances, and vintage baseball are offered during the summer season.  The inter-island ferry connecting visitors from Boston to the camping islands operates during the summer season.  Call 617-223-8666 or go to www.bostonharborislands.com for all current schedules.

Spectacle Island

Renewed as parkland between 1992 and 2005, Spectacle Island features a marina, visitor center, two sandy beaches, and five miles of walking trails. Visitors can hike the shore trail and the terraced hills, taking in clear, broad vistas of the harbor and city. The island swimming beach is lifeguarded, with changing and rinsing stations offered daily through the summer. A café service is available from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

The Spectacle Island visitor center showcases renewable energy in action, with photo electric panels mounted on the roof’s south facing slope. The panels produce energy to recharge the electric vehicles used on the island. Excess energy is sent to the power grid for use throughout the area. The visitor center offers exhibits, interior lounge, restrooms, drinking water fountains, and a large outdoor veranda.

Lovells Island
Characterized by its curved beaches and diverse wildlife, Lovells is a peaceful and primitive island. Visitors can enjoy exploring the remains of Fort Standish and walk along trails that pass by dunes and salt-marsh woods. Along its shores there 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

PLEASE NOTE: CAMPING ON PEDDOCKS ISLAND WILL REOPEN IN THE 2011 SUMMER SEASON.

At 188 acres, Peddocks is one of the largest, most diverse islands in the harbor. The island's East Head contains the remains of Fort Andrews, active in harbor defense from 1904 to the end of World War II. The island has campsites and its trails pass by a salt marsh, a pond and mature coastal forests. For camping reservations, call toll free at 1-877 422-6762.

Bumpkin Island
Wildflowers grow along the 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. One group and 10 individual campsites are available on this 35-acre island. For camping reservations, call toll free at 1-877 422-6762.

Grape Island
Grape 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, 1 group and 10 individual campsites, and many wooded trails. For camping reservations, call toll free at 1-877 422-6762.

Great Brewster Island

Public ferry service does not serve Great Brewster Island. This island is accessible only by private boat. There is no pier on Great Brewster Island. Approach this island with caution and with approved NOAA nautical charts. At high tide a submerged gravel bar extends from the southeast end of the island for approx. 1 ¼ mile toward the Narrows Channel.

Lying in the outer harbor, Great Brewster Island played strategic roles throughout the history of Massachusetts' coastal defense. Great vistas of Massachusetts Bay and Boston Harbor can be seen from its 100-foot height of glacial till. Visitor facilities are limited to a composting toilet and wild paths. Limited capacity outback camping permits are available by calling the park office at 781 740-1605 x 205.

Webb Memorial State Park   371 River St. Weymouth
A partner of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, this DCR State Park is a 36-acre peninsula in Weymouth featuring a scenic healthy heart walking trails with shore access and harbor vistas. This peninsula is rich in history beginning with Native Americans through to the Cold War when the area served as a Nike missile site. Webb Memorial State Park has picnic tables, charcoal grills, a covered picnic pavilion, restrooms, a drinking water fountain, and 50 free parking spaces. Call (781) 925-1032 for pavilion rental. Open year round.

Gallops Island
CURRENTLY CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC
Gallops Island is closed to visitors during 2002. Portions of Gallops Island were closed in 2000 due to the presence of asbestos-containing building debris. The DCR has determined that the island will be closed to the public until visitors can be welcomed back safely.

Other State Parks

Waquoit Bay National Research Estuarine also offers island camping.

Wompatuck State Park, Union St., Hingham, 781 749-7160 – offers tent and RV camping close to Boston.