Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area in Massachusetts, USA - map and visitor information

Research checked: 2026-10-30. Check linked official notices before travel.

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area brings island landscapes and historic sites within reach of metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts. The regular 2026 island ferry season ended October 12. For an outing now, consider a mainland park or confirm a specific off-season program before planning a boat trip.

Choose an island experience or a mainland walk

For a future ferry visit, Spectacle Island has a 1.5-mile accessible perimeter route. Georges Island centers on Fort Warren, where paved exterior paths lead toward a more demanding historic interior. Mainland Webb Memorial offers walking paths and harbor views without an island crossing.

Know before you go

Fees, hours, and seasonal access

Plan for an exposed harbor environment

Bring drinking water, food and layers for changing weather. Wet gangways and historic steps can be slippery. Keep children close during boarding, and stay back from eroding edges. Emergency access takes longer than on the mainland. Read the NPS safety guidance for the setting you choose.

Match the rules to the destination

Take every item of trash back with you. Ferry-accessed islands exclude pets, with service dogs permitted. Leashed pets can use the four mainland sites. Keep bikes, alcohol, fireworks and amplified sound off the DCR islands. Do not feed or follow animals.

Separate tickets from permissions

Reserve ferry travel when the appropriate service operates. Groups of 25 or more need the free group authorization form. Private events, use after hours and activities needing staff support require a special-use permit. Commercial photography and filming need their own permit. Check the official planning questions before organizing a group.

Use the correct mainland gateway

The usual passenger gateways are Long Wharf North beside Christopher Columbus Park in Boston and Hingham Shipyard. Ferries do not carry vehicles. The Greenway welcome center is at 191W Atlantic Avenue in Boston. This is a planning stop, not an island entrance. Use the partnership ferry schedule to match the departure point to the destination.

Parks near the mainland gateways

Castle Island at 2010 Day Boulevard offers a mainland walk in South Boston. Wompatuck State Park at 204 Union Street in Hingham is a separate road destination near the southern gateway. Both list sunrise-to-sunset access. Check their current notices before extending the day.

Build the day around one destination

• Walk Spectacle’s perimeter when seasonal transport and services are operating.
• Explore the military landscape of Georges Island, allowing for steep stone stairs and narrow doorways.
• Choose Webb Memorial’s mainland paths for a walk that does not depend on a ferry.

Check services for the chosen island

Spectacle has ground-level visitor facilities and a crushed-gravel trail network. Georges has paved exterior paths, but parts of Fort Warren have thresholds and steep stairs. These features do not mean every island or historic interior is accessible. Confirm vessel access and seasonal facilities for the same trip.

A park with several managers

Federal, state, municipal and nonprofit organizations share stewardship through the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership. The national recreation area includes 34 islands and peninsulas. Access arrangements belong to particular destinations and activities rather than one universal entrance.

Layers of human use

Indigenous communities used these islands as seasonal homes and ceremonial places for thousands of years. Later uses included farms, lighthouses, quarantine stations, military forts, prisons and internment camps. The landscape holds those different histories alongside present recreation.

Coastal habitats within the city region

Rocky shores, sandy edges, salt marshes, seagrass beds and tidal flats support coastal life. Double-crested cormorants are among the birds described by NPS. From April through August, breeding birds limit access to several islands. Long, Gallops, Moon, Little Brewster and The Graves remain closed to public entry.

Official information

Use the NPS park page and its partnership planning links. The welcome center number is 617-819-3587 and is checked only while the center operates. Use the official contact form or email channel during the off-season.