South cape beach, located between waquoit bay and vineyard sound, contains a wide variety of coastal environments, including barrier beach and dunes, salt marsh, scrub oak/pitch pine woodland and "kettle" ponds. a magnificent white sand beach stretches for over a mile. newly constructed over-the-dune boardwalks, a small parking area and bathrooms make this a lovely place to spend a day at the shore. interpretive programs are offered during the summer months.

The southwest corridor park is a 4.7 mile, 52-acre, linear park stretching from the back bay to forest hills. it links the neighborhoods of south end, back bay, roxbury and jamaica plain with a street-level, green open space for parkland and recreation. approximately a quarter of the parkland is decked over the railroad tracks, providing more space for grass and plantings, and such recreational facilities as 11 tot lot areas, 2 spray pools, 7 basketball courts, 5 tennis courts, 2 street hockey rinks, 2 amphitheatres, and approximately six miles of biking, jogging and walking paths.

Spencer state forest, a 965-acres area provides swimming and picnicking facilities on howe pond. other activities offered at spencer include fishing, canoeing, hiking, nordic skiing and snowmobiling. the Midstate Trail, a long-distance hiking trail that extends through central massachusetts to mt. watatic in the north, runs close to the park.

Open year-round, dawn to dusk. at squantum point, visitors can see the boston skyline across the harbor and dozens of species of wild birds in the park. the park was originally used as a naval airfield. it was also once the home of the bethlehem shipbuilding corporation, which built destroyers for the navy. the dcr developed the site as a waterfront park with financial support from the national grid, while maintaining both its bird habitat and the traces of its aviation history. the park officially opened to the public in june, 2001, and it is now a popular spot to watch the birds and take in the spectacular views of the harbor.

Open year-round, dawn to dusk. a peninsula on the hingham/weymouth line at the mouth of the back river, stodder's neck was once an unsightly gravel pit. reclaimed and landscaped in a manner reminiscent of frederick law olmsted's work at world's end, stodder's neck provides harborside walking trails and a hilltop view of the back river.

Open year-round, dawn to dusk. enneking, dedham and turtle pond parkways wind through extensive tree covered hills, valleys, rock-outcroppings and wetlands; past turtle pond and into hyde park. stony brook reservation contains 475 acres of scenic landscapes and a variety of recreational facilities.

This accessible area has a 100 car parking area and offers fishing, swimming and picnicking on 400 acre east brimfield reservoir. boating access is from ramps located on us army corps of engineers maintained ramps on rt 20.

In 1878 a system of reservoirs was constructed to provide water supply by holding back the sudbury river, to supplement the lake cochituate system in natick. these new reservoirs were sudbury, whitehall, hopkinton, ashland, stearns, brackett, and foss. in 1947 the whitehall, hopkinton, ashland and cochituate reservoirs were turned into state parks, and in 1976 the entire sudbury system was officially reclassified as an emergency water supply. today only the sudbury reservoir and foss (framingham reservoir no. 3) are classified as a reserve drinking water supply. the dcr owns and manages 4,943 acres of land in the sudbury reservoir watershed system.

The centerpiece of this state forest, located in the rolling southern berkshire hills, is the 1,065-acre otis reservoir. the lake provides a wide variety of recreational activities. a public boat launch ramp is available, popular with fishermen seeking out trout and bass in the lake's depths.

This 2660 acre forest offers visitors a natural diversity of flora and fauna accented with historically significant contributions of the civil conservation corps (ccc).

Rising above the surrounding forest to a height of 2006 feet, mount wachusett stands as a unique landmark within the central new england landscape. from the summit, a clear day reveals views of mt. monadnock in new hampshire, the berkshires to the west, and the boston skyline to the east. the 3,000-acre wachusett mountain state reservation surrounds the summit and offers a wealth of natural and recreational resources. the reservation's natural resources include forests, alpine meadows, ponds, streams, fields, and even a perched bog. recreational opportunities abound at the reservation including hiking, nature study, hawk watching, picnicking, and skiing. the reservation offers 17 miles of hiking and walking trails, including 3.9 miles of the Midstate Trail, which runs from ashburnham to the rhode island border. mountain road stretches to the john hitchcock visitor's center at the summit, a short distance from the Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, which is the largest in eastern massachusetts.

The 4,135-acre reservoir was built between 1897-1908 by damming the south branch of the nashua river. water was sent via an aqueduct to the weston reservoir. it now receives some of its water from quabbin reservoir and still supplies the boston area.

Located in the heart of the berkshire hills, wahconah falls offers visitors spectacular scenic views anytime of year. wahconah falls brook flows over several smaller tiered falls then cascades about 40 feet into a deep pool. the falls "roar," especially during spring run-off. relax, picnic or fish in the shade of the northern hardwood-conifer forest, or take a hike on the 0.5 mile loop trail (moderate difficulty) through open woods and along upper portions of the falls.

Henry david thoreau lived at walden pond from july 1845 to september 1847. his experience at walden provided the material for the book walden, which is credited with helping to inspire awareness and respect for the natural environment. because of thoreau's legacy, walden pond has been designated a national historic landmark and is considered the birthplace of the conservation movement. park interpreters provide tours and ongoing educational programs. the reservation includes the 102-foot deep glacial kettle-hole pond. mostly undeveloped woods totaling 2680 acres, called "walden woods," surround the reservation.

The waquoit bay national estuarine research reserve (wbnerr) is located on the south shore of cape cod, in the towns of falmouth and mashpee. it encompasses some 2,700 acres of open waters, barrier beaches, marshlands and uplands. washburn island, South Cape Beach State Park, reserve headquarters and the quashnet river corridor are components of the reserve which include trails through or near marshes, beaches, rivers and woodlands. the waquoit bay reserve is representative of typical shallow bay environments, from chesapeake bay to cape cod. for more information on research, coastal monitoring and stewardship projects, visit the reserve's website at

The dcr owns approximately 23,000 acres in an area commonly known as the Ware River watershed. located in central massachusetts between the quabbin reservoir and the wachusett reservoir, the ware river watershed is the land and water which drain to the mwra diversion facility on the ware river in barre. the water that enters the intake travels to either the quabbin or wachusett reservoir through an underground tunnel, the quabbin aqueduct.

Watson pond state park is a beautiful 10 acre park in taunton.  operated seasonally, it offers swimming and picnicking.  amenities include a 300’ beach, a picnic area, a bath house and a small pavilion.  easy access from rte. 495 makes it a popular park for families and groups.

Located on boston harbor close to the boston harbor islands, webb memorial offers quiet enjoyment and vistas of the harbor and boston skyline. the park is a scenic peninsula that extends nearly half a mile into hingham bay. recreational activities include fishing, picnicking and walking. a large pavilion with grills is available for rent to organized groups from may through october.

Wells state park is a popular 1,400-acre woodland park. the two principal activities are camping and hiking. the campground has 60 attractive sites. walker pond provides a peaceful setting for fishing, canoeing, and swimming. the swimming beach is for campers' use only. during the summer, wells has an interpretive program available which provides guided walks, hikes, recreational activities and evening campfire programs. contact the park for a weekly schedule of events.

Located south of the millers river, wendell state forest covers 7,566 acres of rolling forested hills, streams, ponds, and trails. purchased in the 1920s the area had been heavily burned during the early 1900s. some of the park development and most of the road systems are attributed to civilian conservation corps activities in the 1930s.

A former railroad yard, this urban park uses historical artifacts and exhibits to bring to life the controversial and danger-filled construction of the hoosac tunnel, one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century. the tunnel was dug 4.75 miles through hoosac mountain, linking massachusetts to albany, ny. 200 men lost their lives building the tunnel, which is still being used today. an audio-visual presentation takes visitors back in time, where the sounds of dripping water, pickaxes against stone, explosions, and debates re-create the hardships and heroism of the tunnel's construction.

Open year-round, dawn to dusk. a peninsula on the hingham/weymouth line at the mouth of the back river, stodder's neck was once an unsightly gravel pit. reclaimed and landscaped in a manner reminiscent of frederick law olmsted's work at world's end, stodder's neck provides harborside walking trails and a hilltop view of the back river.

This park consists almost entirely of water: the 592 acre whitehall reservoir was once used as a source of drinking water. the area offers boating, fishing, a public boat ramp, and hiking trails

Willard brook state forest contains 2,597 acres and is located in the towns of ashby and townsend, 50 miles from boston. here you can find the character and feeling of forests usually found much farther west in the state with a tumbling brook and quick water amid groves of classic new england woods.

Willowdale offers trail-use opportunities on 40 miles of trails and fishing and boating on 100 acre hood pond. there are no developed recreational facilities at the forest which exists as two separate parcels divided by route 1. the eastern block of the forest abuts bradley palmer state park and the ipswich river.