Boston Harbor Islands

For more than two decades, The Boston Harbor Association has been promoting the Boston Harbor Islands. In the mid-1970s, The Boston Harbor Association was the first organization to organize trips to introduce the public to the Harbor Islands. TBHA actively participated on the Spectacle Island Park Advisory Committee whose work will result in the first time public opening of Spectacle Island next year with a visitor's center, dock, and beach. As a member of the Boston Harbor Island Advisory Council, TBHA actively promotes affordable water transportation to ensure access to the Islands for all. TBHA sponsors dozens of free programs to the Harbor Islands every year which introduce the public to the joys of the Boston Harbor Islands and provides background and information about these local treasures.

Boston's Harbor Islands were designated as a national park area in 1997, consisting of 32 islands and 2 coastal peninsulas. As close as 45 minutes from Boston's downtown by ferry, the Harbor Islands provide the perfect escape for a short day trip right in Boston's backyard. Activities by a number of non-profit and public agencies present ideal ways to examine local history, scientific research, archaeology and architecture.

Public Access to the Islands: 

Water ferry service is available for the following islands from Boston, Hingham and Hull: Click on an island name to find more information about each area of the Boston Harbor Islands national park area. Although sections of the park are opened for a longer season, most activities and facilities are open from June through Labor Day.

• Great Brewster Island (Via Georges Island)
• Little Brewster Island (Through tours only by reservation. Call 617-223-8666)
• Bumpkin Island (Via Georges Island) 
• Deer Island (by car through Winthrop; also accessible by MBTA Blue Line) 
• Georges Island 
• Grape Island (Via Georges Island) 
• Lovells Island (Via Georges Island) 
• Peddocks Island (Via Georges Island) 
• Thompson Island (Public access on Saturday only from Fan Pier) 
• World's End in Hingham (peninsula accessible by car)

Points of Departure and Ferry Details:

• Boston Harbor Cruises provides daily service from Long Wharf in Boston to Georges Island*. Rowes Wharf is easily accessible from the Red Line at South Station or the Blue Line at Aquarium. 
• Hingham to Georges Island* ferry service departs daily from the Hingham Ship Yard off Route 3A in Hingham. 
• Hull to Georges Island* ferry service departs daily from Pemberton Pier in Hull.
• *Once on Georges Island, water shuttles provide inter-island service to Great Brewster, Bumpkin, Grape, Lovells, and Peddocks Islands.

Ferry rates (Round trip to Georges Island): 

Ferry Rates (Round trip to Georges Island):
Adults $14.00
Seniors (65+): $10.00
Children (3-11): $8.00
Children under 3: FREE
Family 4-Pack: $39.00
(Valid for a family of 2 adults and 2 children 3-11, or two adults, one child 3-11 and one senior 65+. Any additional family members must pay full fare.)
Inter-Island: $3.00

For the 2009 ferry schedule to Georges Island and further information, contact Harbor Islands Express at (617) 222-6999 or visit www.harborexpress.com/harborislands.

Special Boston Harbor Cruises coupons can also be found at www.bostonharborcruises.com/contactus/coupons.htm. Water taxi service between islands is free of charge. For more information contact: Boston Harbor Cruises at (617) 227-4321 or www.bostonharborcruises.com. The Boston Harbor Island information line at (617) 223-8666

Groups larger than twenty-five should contact: The Department of Conservation and Recreation at (617) 727-7676 or The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management at (781) 740-1605.

On the Islands:

Great Brewster is the largest island in Boston's outer harbor and offers spectacular views from a network of walking trails. Great Brewster is named for Elder William Brewster, a preacher and teacher for the Plymouth Colony. Before English settlement, Native Americans had long used the island as a summer residence. More recently, it was used as a military outpost. Owned by the Department of Environmental Management, access is provided by a limited water shuttle schedule via Georges Island from Boston, Hingham, and Hull.

Little Brewster Island is probably best known for Boston Light, the nation's oldest, continually staffed lighthouse. Access is only available by tours on Thursdays through Sundays until October and allow visitors to climb to the top of the lighthouse for panoramic views of the Harbor. Boats depart from the JFK Library and Museum at Columbia Point in Dorchester on Thursdays and Fridays and the Moakley Courthouse on the South Boston waterfront on Saturdays and Sundays. The three and a half hour tours leave at 10 am and 2 pm and are by reservation only.

Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors/students, $17 for children 6-12, and children 5 and under are free. Group rates are available. Call (617) 223-8666 for availability. Little Brewster is managed by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The 35-acre Bumpkin Island has a rich history of farming and fishing. Currently, there are opportunities for picnicking, camping, and hiking. Campers require a permit ($5 for Massachusetts residents, $6 for others). For reservations, please call 1-877-422-6762 or go to www.reserveamerica.com. Bumpkin Island is operated by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management (DEM). Water transportation is available via Georges Island from Boston, Hingham, and Hull.

Thirty-five minutes from Boston, the Deer Island Treatment Plant and its prominent egg-shaped digestors are the reason for improved water quality in Boston Harbor. The MWRA provides tours of the facility by arrangement while public access on 60 acres outside the plant is open from sunrise to sunset daily. 

For more information on tours or the new public access areas, check out our Best of Boston Harbor page, or call the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority at (617) 539-4248. The island is accessible by car from Winthrop as well as public transportation via the Blue Line's Orient Heights stop followed by Paul Revere bus service to Deer Island.

Georges Island, the site of Fort Warren built in the 1840s, currently serves as the hub for activities on the Islands. Seven miles from downtown Boston, Georges Island serves as the transportation hub for the Harbor Islands. Picnic areas, a visitor's center, and a snack bar make up some of the amenities that are available to the public. Visitors can enjoy spectacular views of the Boston skyline from the Fort and learn from guided tours by DCR rangers. Ferries now leave hourly from Boston to Georges Island. Free water taxis then provide service to other destinations such as Bumpkin, Great Brewster, Grape and Peddocks Islands. Ferry service is also available from Hingham and Hull. Georges Island is operated by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

Grape Island is an excellent destination for hiking, camping and guided tours. Join Department of Environmental Management rangers for special events such as the "Wild Edible" tour. Once used for agriculture, the island now boasts almost 50 acres of mixed forest landscape. Campers require a permit ($5 for Massachusetts residents, $6 for others). For reservations, please call 1-877-422-6762 or go to www.reserveamerica.com. Water transportation is available via Georges Island from Boston, Hingham, and Hull. Grape Island is operated by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management.

Lovells Island is home to Fort Standish, which dates back to the Spanish-American War. The site is also well known for its shipwrecks, including a large French warship from 1782. Camping, picnicking, hiking and swimming at the only DCR staffed beach in the Harbor Islands are popular activities here. Permitted camping on Lovells Island is free of charge as provided by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. For reservations and availability, please call (617) 727-7676. Water transportation is available via Georges Island from Boston, Hingham, and Hull.

Peddocks Island Peddocks Island is one of the largest, most ecologically diverse, and historically intriguing islands in the Park. It features a new pier and is home to hiking trails that allow visitors to view forests, fields and marshes. Permitted camping on Peddocks Island is provided free of charge by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Please call (617) 727-7676 for reservations. Water transportation is available via Georges Island from Boston, Hingham, and Hull.

Thompson Island Thompson Island, once a Native American trading post, is now the home of the Willauer School and the site of an Outward Bound program that provides an outdoor classroom for people of all ages. Activities include guided tours, hiking and picnicking. Public access on Thompson Island is available Saturdays only. The boat departs the Fan Pier at 11:30 am and returns at 6 pm. Tours are available on most Saturdays and are provided free of charge by the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands. Please call (617) 328-3900x918 or e-mail info@thompsonisland.org for more information. For tour information contact Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands at (781) 740-4290.

Worlds End is one of two peninsulas included in the national park area. This 244-acre getaway is located in Hingham. Once used as private farmland in the 1800s and landscaped by Frederick Law Olmstead (landscape architect who designed New York's Central Park and Boston's Emerald Necklace), visitors can now enjoy scenic, wooded hikes with ocean views. Parking is available. Admission is $5. This area is owned and managed by Trustees of Reservations. More information is available at www.thetrustees.org.

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Another way to visit the Harbor and the Islands 

Boston Harbor Islands Discovery Cruises
Boston Harbor Islands Discovery Cruises operate from June through September and offer "an easy escape from the city." Conducted in conjunction with the Museum of Science, National Park Service rangers offer information and insight along the way. Tours depart from Long Wharf on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at noon and last for two hours. To purchase tickets call (617) 227-4321, (617) 223-8666, or drop by the Boston Harbor Cruises Ticket Office at Long Wharf. Tickets are $17 for adults, $14 for students and seniors and $12 for children.

The tours have a different theme for each day: 

• Wednesday trips focus on the three lighthouses, 10 forts and some of the natural wonders of the Islands. 
• Thursday trips describe the defense system in Boston Harbor including gun batteries, missile silos, and fortifications. 
• Friday trips are narrated by scientists from the Museum of Science working with the National Park Service, who discuss Harbor wildlife, plants, and geology.

Additional Information: 

More information on the Boston Harbor Islands national park area is available by calling the National Park Service and the Boston Harbor Islands Information Line at (617) 223-8666, the Department of Conservation and Recreation at (617) 727-5290, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management at (781) 740-1605, the Island Alliance at (617) 223-8686, or Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands at (781) 740-4290. Additional information can be located on the Internet at www.nps.gov/boha, www.bostonislands.com or www.fbhi.org

The Boston Harbor Association   -   374 Congress Street, Suite 307   -   Boston, MA 02210   -   617-482-1722 (P)   -   617-482-9750 (F)   -   mail@tbha.org