You Can Visit All Massachusetts State Parks for Free This Saturday

Mount Greylock trail photo via iStock

Sure, an arctic front is supposed to sweep the state with cold weather this weekend, but have frigid temperatures ever stood in the way of a (free) exhilarating hike?

In honor of Veterans Day, parking at all Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) properties across the state will be free on Saturday. Gov. Charlie Baker announced the fee waiver on Thursday, and he’s encouraging visitors to explore the many veterans’ memorials, military forts, and other sites and statues found in many Massachusetts state parks.

Plenty of DCR properties have military histories. There’s Fort Revere in Hull, first fortified by Patriot troops during the American Revolution, as well as Fort Independence at Castle Island, which has protected Boston Harbor since the 1600s. If you decide to make the trek to the 3,491-foot-tall summit of Mount Greylock in Adams, you’ll find a recently renovated Veterans War Memorial Tower.

Quabbin Reservoir photo via iStock

About 60 miles east of Mount Greylock, staffers at Quabbin Reservoir are hosting a special event in the visitor center to share stories of Massachusetts veterans enlisted from 1776 through the Korean War in 1953.

While parking fees at Massachusetts state parks aren’t exorbitant (Mount Greylock charges $5 for Mass. residents), the fee waiver offers an incentive to get outside before the first snowfall. Plus, Saturday is also free admission day for National Parks across the country. May we suggest a visit to Minuteman National Historical Park or Maine’s Acadia National Park?

Before you bundle up this weekend, you can see a complete list of DCR properties at mass.gov and New England national park sites at nps.gov.