Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park

Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park
Path curves to left toward visitor center and pier in the distance.
View of Spectacle Island showing trails, visitor center, and pier from the island's north side.
Map showing the location of Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park
Map showing the location of Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park
Map showing the location of Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park
Map showing the location of Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park
LocationNorfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk counties, Massachusetts
Nearest cityBoston, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°19′7″N 70°56′45″W / 42.31861°N 70.94583°W / 42.31861; -70.94583
Area1,482 acres (6.00 km2)[1]
EstablishedNovember 12, 1996
Governing bodyBoston Harbor Islands Partnership which includes the National Park Service together with other federal, state, city, and nonprofit agencies.
WebsiteBoston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area

Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park is a combination national recreation area and state park situated among the islands of Boston Harbor. The park is made up of 34 islands and peninsulas[2][3] and is managed by the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership.[4] Twenty-one of the islands are also included in the Boston Harbor Islands Archeological District.

The park is significant for a wide range of natural and cultural resources, including three national historic landmarks, unique geological features, archaeological resources resulting from thousands of years of occupation of the islands by indigenous people of Massachusetts, and complex natural communities.[4]

Attractions include hiking trails, beaches, the Civil War-era Fort Warren, and Boston Light, the oldest lighthouse station in the United States.[5] Georges Island and Spectacle Island are served seasonally by ferries to and from Boston, and Peddocks Island is served by a ferry from Hingham.[6]

In 2008, Peddocks Island was used for filming scenes in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island.[7]

  1. ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved December 16, 2012. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. ^ "Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area". June 27, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  3. ^ "World's End (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "National Historic Landmark nomination for Boston Light". National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved June 18, 2006.
  6. ^ "Ferry Schedule". Boston Harbor Islands. Boston Harbor Islands. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  7. ^ Riglian, Adam (April 14, 2008). "DiCaprio, Scorsese filming on Peddocks Island". The Patriot Ledger. GateHouse Media. Archived from the original on October 27, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2008.