Outdoor Activities: State Parks & Forests

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Looking for family fun activities this summer like canoeing and bike riding? Get your kids a FREE Park Passport and start exploring Massachusetts’state parks! Brought to you by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism and the DCR.

The state parks and forests of Massachusetts are some of the most treasured areas of the state, and rightfully so. You can reconnect with nature, experience magnificent natural settings, hike, bike, climb, swim, fish and even paddle.

Massachusetts’ park system is actually one of the largest state park systems in the country with 450,000 acres of forests, parks, greenways and historical sites coupled with beautiful landscapes, seashores, lakes and ponds.

Myles Standish State Forest has 35 miles of equestrian trails. Harold Parker State Forest features 3,000 acres of dense forest to hike, bike and explore. There are freshwater ponds at Cape Cod's Nickerson State Park. Magnificent views at the peak of Mount Greylock Reservation. Scenic walking trails at Maudslay State Park.

Our state parks are impossibly gorgeous natural habitats, where you'll find a world of outdoor fun, all 12 months of the year. Like most places in Massachusetts, expect to be surprised when you visit any number of our state parks and forests.

Here are some other state forests and parks to visit:

Beartown State Forest
Clarksburg State Park
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) State Forest
Demarest Lloyd State Park
Douglas State Forest
Erving State Forest
Fort Phoenix Beach State Reservation
Granville State Forest
Lake Wyola State Park
Massasoit State Park
Mohawk Trail State Forest
Mount Everett State Reservation
Mount Holyoke Range State Park
October Mountain State Forest
Otter River State Forest
Pearl Hill State Park
Pittsfield State Forest
Salisbury Beach State Reservation
Sandy Point Beach State Reservation
Savoy Mountain State Forest
Scusset Beach State Reservation
Shawme-Crowell State Forest
South Beach State Park
South Cape Beach State Park
Tolland State Forest
Wachusett Mountain State Reservation
Walden Pond State Reservation
Wells State Park
Western Gateway Heritage State Park
Willard Brook State Forest
Windsor State Forest
Wompatuck State Park

Quick Hits

See the dramatic 80-foot waterfall at Bash Bish Falls State Park in Western Massachusetts...At Halibut Point State Park and Halibut Point State Reservation, located north of Boston, you'll enjoy hiking and beautiful views that extend to New Hampshire and Maine...To the south is Horseneck Beach State Reservation, which spans nearly 600 acres of barrier beach and salt marsh.