Blue Hills Reservation
Managed by Division of State Parks and Recreation
2,530 acres51.8 mi of trail
Skyline TrailSawcut Notch PathPipe LineCrags Foot Path+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Quincy
35% of Quincy’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 75 miles of mapped trail cross Quincy, 4.5 per square mile of land. 35% of Quincy’s land is conserved, about 3,744 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #42 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
Conserved land
35%
3,744 acres · of 16.6 sq mi of land
Trails
75 mi
4.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,487 ac
34 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
8.0 mi lanes · 2.3 mi paths
Highest peak
512 ft
Chickatawbut Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
15 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Quincy?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Quincy have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Quincy is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #42 of 283 in Massachusetts. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Quincy’s overall grade.
Conserved land35% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails4.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (75 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land34 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,487 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 85%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Quincy ranks #2 on Outdoors.
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Quincy’s 35% is ahead of 82% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 94% of them.
Water is 38% of Quincy’s area (10 of 27 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 22%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Blue Hills Reservation, with 51.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Passanageset Park at Broad Meadows
Park
101 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cunningham Park
Park
42 acres1.5 mi of trail
Quarry Trail to Cunningham ParkQuarry Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Quincy Shore Reservation
Park
71 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rock Island Cove Salt Marsh
Nature preserve
46 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 51 parks & preserves
Blue Hills Reservation2,530 acres · 51.8 mi of trail · Division of State Parks and Recreation
DirectionsMerrymount Park94 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsPassanageset Park at Broad Meadows101 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCunningham Park42 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsFaxon Park56 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsQuincy Shore Reservation71 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNickerson Rock Park20 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsRock Island Cove Salt Marsh46 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Squantum Point Park71 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsNeponset River Estuary52 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsFurnace Brook Parkway23 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsKincaide Park4 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Quarry Hills Complex16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSnug Harbor Playground8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCaddy Memorial Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Quincy Shore Reservation
DirectionsNut Island18 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
DirectionsAdams National Historical Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsForbes Hill Playground5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Brill Field5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMoon Island46 acres
Former Eastern Nazarene College18 acres
DirectionsMound Street Field & Beach9 acres
DirectionsSgt. Robert Allen Curry and Michael G. Therrien Fields9 acres
DirectionsLaBrecque Field6 acres
DirectionsO"Rourke Playground6 acres
Bishop Playground6 acres
DirectionsRaccoon Island5 acres
Fore River Field4 acres
DirectionsCavanaugh Stadium4 acres
DirectionsPerkins Playground3 acres
Welcome Young Park3 acres
DirectionsFreedom Park3 acres
DirectionsAvalon Beach2 acres
Joy Hanlon and Malcolm MacNeil Soccer Fields2 acres
DirectionsHancock Adams Common2 acres · City of Quincy Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsBradford Street Playground2 acres
Generals Park1 acres
DirectionsTaffrail Road Playground1 acres
Neponset Landing Park1 acres
DirectionsBaker Beach Salt Marsh1 acres
Safford Park1 acres
Maypole Park1 acres
William H. Flynn Playground1 acres
DirectionsFlaherty Park1 acres
Arthur Boyson Park1 acres · City of Quincy Parks and Forestry Department
Smith and Quarry Street Playground1 acres
McKinnon Playground1 acres
DirectionsWollaston Beach Playground1 acres
Bear Hug Park1 acres
DirectionsPaul Vincent Grasso Memorial Park1 acres
Abigail Adams Park1 acres
Who protects it
3,744 conserved acres
35% of Quincy’s land. Water is left out: Quincy has 16.6 square miles of land and 10.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Quincy’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city388 ac
Private owners249 ac
State parks99 ac
State conservation13 ac
National Park Service9 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2 ac
Not recorded3,057 ac
State Park · 2,673 acLocal Other or Unknown · 379 acConservation Easement · 277 acLocal Park · 112 acState Conservation Area · 97 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 257 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 134 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Hills Reservation State Park | Not recorded | 2,551 | Open |
| Broad Meadows Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 100 | Open |
| Neponset River Reservation State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 97 | Open |
| Furnace Brook Parkway State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 65 | Open |
| Jordan Marsh Service Center State Park | State parks | 61 | Open |
| Squantum Marshes Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 55 | Open |
| Faxon Park Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Mount Wollaston Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Not recorded | 51 | Open |
| Moon Island Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 42 | Unknown |
| Cunningham Park Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 42 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
93 places to go in Quincy
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Quincy
Back Beach
DirectionsEdgewater Drive Beach
DirectionsFire Station Beach
DirectionsHeron Beach
DirectionsNickerson Beach
DirectionsNorton Road Beach
DirectionsOrchard Beach
DirectionsPost Island Beach
Directions5 more beaches
Rhoda Beach
DirectionsSailors Snug Harbor Beach
DirectionsShea Beach
DirectionsWollaston Beach
DirectionsWollaston Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Quincy
Montclair Playground
DirectionsWendall Moses Playground
Directions40 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Quincy
Quincy Dog ParkHours: sunrise-sunset
DirectionsBoat launches in Quincy
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Quincy
12 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Quincy
Chickatawbut Hill512 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsBuck Hill495 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsFenno Peak495 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsNahanton Hill476 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsKitchamakin Hill436 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsTucker Hill436 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsHawk Hill394 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsBoyce Hill377 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
Directions12 more peaks
Burnt Hill338 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsWampatuck Hill338 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsFox Hill312 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsRattlesnake Hill295 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsThe Crags233 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsGreat Dome210 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsPenns Hill200 ft elevation · In Faxon Park
DirectionsForbes Hill177 ft elevation
DirectionsLittle Dome161 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsPresidents Hill121 ft elevation
DirectionsBabel Rock115 ft elevation · In Blue Hills Reservation
DirectionsMount Wollaston112 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Quincy
Babcock ArboretumIn Former Eastern Nazarene College
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 16.1 miUnpaved · 45.2 mi
Skyline Trail4.4 mi
Sawcut Notch Path1.4 mi
Pipe Line1.2 mi
Crags Foot Path0.9 mi
Bouncing Brook Path0.9 mi
Quarry Trail0.7 mi
Quarries Foot Path0.6 mi
Buck Hill Path0.4 mi
Hawk Hill Path0.4 mi
Red Dot Loop0.4 mi
15 more trails
Indian Camp Path
0.3 miTucker Hill Path
0.3 miOld Furnace Brook Path
0.3 miDark Hollow Path
0.3 miAngle Path
0.3 miWinnemoiset Path
0.3 miBurnt Hill Path
0.3 miSnug Harbor Sailor Path
0.3 miSavoy Path
0.3 miMurphy Path
0.2 miDoe Hollow Path
0.2 miQuarry Trail to Cunningham Park
0.2 miShort Path
0.2 miOld Route 128
0.1 miQuincy Riverwalk
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.3 mi
off-road bike paths
2.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
39Tennis
28Basketball
18Baseball
7Soccer
4Football
3Softball
1Volleyball
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →106 places on the National Register, 7 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 13 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
United First Parish Church (Unitarian) of QuincyNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1970
About itAdams National Historic SiteDistrict · listed 1966
About itMoswetuset HummockSite · listed 1970
About itQuincy Granite Railway InclineStructure · listed 1973
About itQuincy Granite RailwayStructure · listed 1973
About itJosiah Quincy HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About it94 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Quincy: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 39 | 46 | 57 | 67 | 77 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.9 |
July is the driest month (3.5 in) and the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.9 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Quincy →
Next door
Quincy and its neighbors
Quincy has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quincy | 35% | 4.5 | 34 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Randolph Town | 24% | 2.2 | 28 | 93% | A+ |
| Braintree Town | 23% | 1.5 | 32 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Boston | 18% | 1.9 | 8 | 99%+ | A |
| Weymouth Town | 14% | 1.8 | 18 | 99%+ | A |
| Milton | 40% | 4.1 | 87 | 98% | A+ |
| Hull | 23% | 0.9 | 40 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Quincy
Where can I hike in Quincy?
The longest trail networks: Blue Hills Reservation, 51.8 miles; Merrymount Park, 2 miles; Passanageset Park at Broad Meadows, 1.8 miles; Cunningham Park, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Quincy is conserved land?
35% of its land, against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Quincy’s trails?
Blue Hills Reservation and Merrymount Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Quincy?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.0 of painted or protected lanes, 2.3 of off-road paths and 2.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Quincy?
46,926 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Quincy or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,515 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Quincy have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #42 of 283 in Massachusetts. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Quincy neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →