Welcome!
The Middlesex Fells Reservation is open from dawn to dusk. Some parking areas (Bear Hill, Bellevue Pond, Greenwood Park, Long Pond, Sheepfold Park) are gated and usually open at 9:00 AM, and are locked within a half-hour after sunset. There are also several small parking areas around the perimeter of the park.
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) oversees the Fells. DCR manages state parks and oversees more than 450,000 acres throughout Massachusetts. It protects, promotes, and enhances the state’s natural, cultural, and recreational resources. For more information, visit the DCR page.
The Botume House Visitor Center is located at 4 Woodland Road, Stoneham on the eastern shore of Spot Pond, one-half mile south of the Stone Zoo. Information about Friends of the Middlesex Fells and DCR activities, as well as the Middlesex Fells trail map, is available there. The free Spot Pond Brook Archaeological District self-guided tour pamphlet, which includes maps and photographs, is also available there. You can find out more about current DCR programs by calling (617) 626-1250.
How To Get Here
When parking outside parking lots, please be attentive to signage and respectful of our neighbors, and do not block gates. Observe parking restrictions.
The Fells is also accessible by public transportation. There are three bus routes that connect with the park, and the Oak Grove T stop on the Orange Line is a 15 minute walk from the Fells.
For the west side of the Fells: take the Orange Line to Wellington Station. Board MBTA Bus #100 to Roosevelt Circle Rotary. Walk south to the rotary, turn right on South Border Road, and the Bellevue Pond entrance to the Reservation is 0.2 of a mile up South Border Road on the right.
For the east side of the Fells, you have a few options:
- Take the Orange Line to Oak Grove Station, exit on the Washington Street side and head north on Washington Street (away from Boston). Washington Street bears left at intersection with Pleasant Street. Go one more block up Washington Street and turn left on Goodyear Avenue. Goodyear Avenue is one short, steep block long and ends at the Gate 58 entrance to the Reservation at the east end of the blue blazed Cross Fells Trail. The Reservation is a 10-15 minute walk from the Oak Grove Station.
- MBTA Bus #99 runs between Wellington Station, Malden Center, and Malden Medical ending at 3 Woodland Road, Stoneham. The trip from Malden Center on the Orange Line to 3 Woodland Road takes about 15 minutes. There are 42 roundtrips or 21 trips each way daily, between 6:25 am and 1:25 am. When at 3 Woodland Road, you can enter the Fells at
- MBTA Bus #132 runs between Malden Center and the Redstone Shopping Center in Stoneham via Wyoming / Pond Street, stopping at the Stone Zoo and Greenwood Park. The trip from Malden Center on the Orange Line to Stone Zoo takes 10 minutes. There are 46 roundtrips between 5:30 am and 11 pm. There are two entrances into the Fells from Greenwood Park on the Heart Health Trail. The first is at the back of the park behind the playground. The second is behind the large field to the right of the park.
Please note: Google Maps is not very accurate when it comes to trails. The Fells has many unofficial trails that are detrimental to its ecosystems and wildlife. Stay on the official trails and learn more at Get A Map.
Visitor Rules and Regulations
The Fells is well-loved and visited by thousands each year. To ensure visitors have a quality experience and the park is protected, the Department of Conservation and Recreation requires that its Rules and Regulations for the Fells be followed:
- Leave No Trace: Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints.
- No trespassing on Town of Winchester Water Supply Lands
- No fires
- No camping
- No grilling
- No swimming
- No motorized vehicles
- Avoid unpaved trails when wet
- Do not go off-trail
- Dogs must be on a leash (unless in designated off-leash area)
- Four dogs maximum per handler
- Mountain biking only allowed on designated trails
- No personal vessels allowed on the water
- BOAT RENTALS ONLY
Complaints, comments, and concerns
Give DCR staff a hand by quickly reporting emergency situations or activities that are bringing harm to the Fells or endangering Fells visitors, such as vandalism, ground fires, dumping trash, etc.
Report to one of the following numbers:
• State Police: 911
• State Police (Medford): 978-538-6161
• DCR Park Rangers (24 hours a day): 866-PK-Watch (866-759-2824)
You can also contact DCR Community Relations at (617) 626-4973 or mass.parks@mass.gov