Although not known for "peaks", the Boston area is home to many public lands with extensive trail networks all within 10 miles of downtown Boston. The "Boston 5" is designed as a sampler of the nearest public lands surrounding the city, a first challenge for you to tackle in the Boston area. Includes 5 lower "peaks" all inside the I-95 ring. Features the scenic lookout tower above the impressive grounds of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge and the highest hills in several public lands: the Blue Hills to the south and the Middlesex Fells, Breakheart Reservation, and Lynn Woods Reservation to the north.
Highest peak
Great Blue Hill
634 ft / 193 m
Most prominent peak
Great Blue Hill
483 ft / 147 m prom
Most summited peak
Great Blue Hill
109 summits
Most difficult peak
no info yet
Difficulty breakdown
no info yet
Highlights
Latest summits
"Rain the day before and freezing temperatures overnight, so there were some patches of ice but nothing dangerous. Had to double-back over Winthrop Hill to retrieve a lost hat. We saw an abundance of birds along the trail, particularly around the North Reservoir, and even spotted a heron in Long Pond. Cold started to set in as the sun went down, but we finished the loop soon after." — JCalautti • Mar 24, 2024
"Traversed the Blue Hills on the Skyline trail. warm day for (almost) winter, low 30's. Light rain for the first half of the hike, but cleared up by the end of it. Wet trail on and off, but most of the ascents ere rocky. No ice, but slippery from the rain at times. A lot of up and down, but worth it to knock out 12 summits. 6.9 miles in 3.5 hours, 2325 ft elevation gain." — gregoryskiba • Dec 17, 2022
"Molly and I explored something different today. My first outing to the Blue Hills. We took the Skyline Tr North up Hancock Hill and over to Great Blue Hill. We took Skyline Tr South over Houghton Hill back to the parking lot. I accidently missed a peak between Hancock Hill and Wolcott Hill, but I made an effort to touch the high points on all of the hills and had to briefly bushwack to reach most of them. It was really cool seeing the Boston skyline from Great Blue Hill. " — newenglandwarrior • Mar 27, 2022
"A walk with Molly in Lynn Woods. A neat couple of hills. Views on both of them. Gilead has a fire tower remain. We could see the Boston skyline from there. Burrill Hill had a beautiful stone tower on it. Sadly, it was closed to the public because of Covid. It was nice just to walk in nature. " — newenglandwarrior • Mar 28, 2020
"Summited during a 9 mile “hill bagging” day along the entirety of the Skyline Trail in Blue Hills Reservation. Used this as a prep hike for an upcoming trip and made the bad decision to carry full weight backpacks. I did not realize how technical this trail was, especially on a rainy day with so many steep and slippery sections. Totally underestimated these hills!" — SteveG • Apr 28, 2019