Mass Parks For All

Since 1634, there has been a fort at Castle Island for the defense of Boston. It’s now part of an oceanside park with trails connecting the entire fort by land. The Department of Recreation and Conservation maintains the beach, the bathrooms and the Head Island Causeway that creates a walking loop around Pleasure Bay: Castle Island to Head Island to Carson Beach and back to the free-but-packed Castle Island parking lot.

You can swim, picnic, stroll, fly a kite or just look at the ocean any time of year. Get there early enough you’ll be with a number of Bostonians coming to see the sun rise with you. Stay and get a tour of Fort Independence with the Castle Island Association.
Historic Boston Inc. - HBI Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park Boston Harbor Now Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

We are in the final days of our fundraising campaign.
Despite recent setbacks to funding for our parklands, our mission remains the same - to build a better park system for the 21 st century.
The Solomon Foundation will match your donation, so double your contribution now and support MPA’s work to make our state parks adequately funded, safe, clean, well- maintained, and affordable.
Remember, the park you save may be your own.
https://www.massparksforall.org/donate

Myles Standish State Forest may be 26 square miles, but it is still packing a lot in that giant territory. Part of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion, you'll see plenty of pitch pine and scrub oak forests, but it also has five campgrounds, 58 kettle ponds, 35 miles of horse trails, 13 miles of hiking trails and 15 miles of paved bike trails. Managed by the Department of Recreation and Conservation, it does have a number of privately-owned properties within the park, including two scout camps and a state prison. But with all that going on, established in 1916 it is still the largest open space in southeastern Massachusetts.

Plymouth Area Events
Visit Friends of Myles Standish State Forest to see some local activities supporting the park.

We had a great first meetup with our friends groups at Wachusett Mountain, learning how we can all be stronger together. https://www.massparksforall.org/focus-on-friends-2026

A loved park under a highway? Lynch Family Skatepark in East Cambridge is our feature. Lifted up by the Charles River Conservancy in a major campaign, this space under an off-ramp of I-93 is now a meetup spot for cyclists, skateboarders, skaters and content-creators looking to feature the newest moves.
There is a small DCR parking lot that fills quickly with parents' cars, but its also on a major bike route near the North Bank Pedestrian Bridge that connects to North Station, the walkway over the Charles River Locks, and Northpoint bikeways connecting to Somerville and Charlestown.
Tony Hawk Cambridge, Massachusetts

Join us tomorrow! Focus on the Friends is the meetup of friends of parks groups in Massachusetts. Come talk about our common wealth -- our parks!

Focus on Friends 2026 — Mass Parks For All

It's time for action! 🚨 We need you to urge the MA Senate to restore funding to our state parks.

Easy button? Hit this link and find your senator quickly https://secure.ngpvan.com/CSUXi65RgUmtE2-ztfjr8A2

Call and email your state senator and ask them to support amendments #323 and #324 by Senator Eldridge to restore funding to DCR’s operational and seasonal budgets.

Thank you! The park you save may be your own.

Getting ready for Saturday!
https://www.massparksforall.org/focus-on-friends-2026
Wachusett Mountain FMC Ice Sports Red Apple Farm Public Lands Mountainside Bakery & Cafe Friends of Wachusett Mountain

Did you know there's a DCR park that hosts a national monument that is the tallest in the state? It's not Bunker Hill, it's the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth.
Completed in 1889, this site is home to a 81 foot, granite monument that memorializes a Victorian era interpretation of the pursuits that motivated the Pilgrims to leave England and start their own colony. Be impressed by the osprey nest that has been built at the very top with a view to the harbor.
Plymouth Live Plymouth, Massachusetts - Trails Working Group WBZ / CBS News Boston
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/video/national-monument-to-the-forefathers-a-hidden-giant-in-plymouth/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1

National Monument to the Forefathers a "hidden giant" in Plymouth Plymouth Rock isn't the only monument in town. WBZ-TV's Chris Tanaka has more on the National Monument to the Forefathers.