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Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Spectacle Island - Massachusetts.jpg
Spectacle Island, in Boston Harbor, and part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. Behind Spectacle Island is Thompson Island.
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area is located in Massachusetts
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Location in Massachusetts
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area is located in the United States
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Location in the United States
Location Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk counties, Massachusetts
Nearest city Boston, Massachusetts
Area 1,482 acres (6.00 km2)
Established November 12, 1996
Governing body Boston Harbor Islands Partnership which includes the National Park Service together with other federal, state, city, and nonprofit agencies.
Website Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area

The Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area is a special place made up of many islands in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. It's a fun spot where you can explore nature, history, and enjoy the outdoors. This area includes islands, a former island, and a peninsula. Many of these places are open for everyone to visit. Some smaller ones are just for wildlife. The Boston Harbor Islands Partnership helps manage this area. Twenty-one of the 34 islands are also part of the Boston Harbor Islands Archeological District. This means they have important historical sites.

What Can You Do There?

You can find lots of exciting things to do on the islands. There are hiking trails for exploring. You can relax on beaches. You can also visit Civil War-era Fort Warren on Georges Island. Don't miss Boston Light on Little Brewster Island. It is the oldest lighthouse in the United States.

Getting to the Islands

You can take ferries to Georges Island and Spectacle Island. These ferries leave from Boston during certain times of the year. On weekends and summer weekdays, a shuttle boat connects to other islands. It also goes to Hull and Hingham.

Interesting Facts

In 2008, Peddocks Island was used for filming parts of the movie Shutter Island.

Islands and Peninsulas to Explore

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Map of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.

The Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area has many islands and other spots. Here are some of them:

Some islands in Boston Harbor are not part of this special area. Also, some former islands like Apple Island no longer exist. They were changed when East Boston and Logan International Airport grew.

How the Park is Managed

The Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area is managed by a group called the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership. This group was created by a special law. It includes people from different government groups and non-profit organizations. These groups work together to take care of the park.

Some of the groups involved are:

There is also an Advisory Council that gives advice to the Partnership. Each island or site is managed day-to-day by one of these partner groups. The Partnership makes sure everyone works together for the whole park.

Boston Harbor Islands State Park

The Boston Harbor Islands State Park is a Massachusetts state park. It includes 13 islands in Boston Harbor. These islands are now part of the larger Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.

This state park started in the 1970s. It was managed by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management (DEM). In 1996, the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area was created. It included the State Park's islands and many others. The State Park still exists as a smaller part of the bigger area. It is now managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The islands that are part of the Boston Harbor Islands State Park are:

Getting Around the Islands

Boston Harbor Islands Express ferry
Ferries of the Harbor Islands Express link downtown Boston with some of the islands.

Boston Harbor Cruises offers ferry service. You can catch a ferry from Long Wharf in Boston. These ferries go to Georges and Spectacle Islands. There is also free service between Georges and Spectacle islands. You can also travel between other islands. During the summer, ferries go from Hingham Shipyard and Hull to Georges Island. These ferries stop at Grape, Bumpkin, and Lovells Islands.

Thompson Island is usually open to the public only on Sundays in the summer. A ferry takes visitors from Spectacle Island or the EDIC dock in South Boston. This ferry is run by the Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center.

If you have a private boat, you can dock at Spectacle, Grape, Bumpkin, Lovells, and Peddocks Islands. The public dock on Georges Island is currently closed. However, you can still get to Georges Island by anchoring your boat offshore. Then you can use a smaller boat to get to the shore.

Some islands are connected to the mainland by road. These include Deer Island, Nut Island, Worlds End, and Webb Memorial. Moon Island and Long Island are not open to the public. Moon Island can be reached by road from Quincy. But access is controlled by a police guard station. The road from Moon Island to Long Island was taken down in 2015. So, Long Island is no longer reachable by road.

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