Friends of the Blue Hills volunteers lead regular hikes, including Beginner hikes and Boots n’ Brews, mindfulness, and nature hikes. If you’d like to learn when hikes are scheduled, sign up below to receive emails for upcoming hikes, as well as news about the Blue Hills!
Upcoming Events
Jun
7
Sat
2025
9:00 am
National Trails Day at the Frien...
National Trails Day at the Frien...
Jun 7 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Join us for a volunteer day dedicated to maintaining and improving the trails at The Friends of the Blue Hills. We’ll focus on essential tasks like brushing back overgrowth, clearing debris, raking paths, picking up[...]
12:00 pm
REGISTRATION CLOSED-Widow Walker...
@ Widowmaker Brewing
REGISTRATION CLOSED-Widow Walker...
@ Widowmaker Brewing
Jun 7 @ 12:00 pm

REGISTRATION FOR THE JUNE 7TH HIKE IS NOW CLOSED Join the Friends of the Blue Hills along with our partners Widowmaker Brewing and ARC’TERYX at the 2025 Widow Walkers Hike Series. The registration cost is[...]
Jun
8
Sun
2025
10:00 am
Beginners’ Hike with Bruce
@ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
Beginners’ Hike with Bruce
@ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
Jun 8 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Beginners’ Hike with Bruce Event Details: – When: Sunday, June 8th 10:00 am-12:00 pm – Meeting Point: Playground at Houghton’s Pond – Leaders: Bruce Dezube – Sign-Up: Guests must sign up in advance Hike Description: Join Bruce for[...]
Jun
10
Tue
2025
10:00 am
Ashes to New Beginnings Hike
@ Houghton's Pond Parking Lot
Ashes to New Beginnings Hike
@ Houghton's Pond Parking Lot
Jun 10 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: MODERATE This hike will be approximately 3 miles, with some elevated difficult terrain and rocky obstacles. Wear sturdy footwear. This hike will begin at 840 Hillside St, Houghton’s Pond, by the playground. Hikes[...]
Jun
14
Sat
2025
8:30 am
Walk with a Doc
@ Houghton's Pond Parking Lot A-
Walk with a Doc
@ Houghton's Pond Parking Lot A-
Jun 14 @ 8:30 am

This walking program is a fun and safe place to take a walk (at your pace), learn health tips from local healthcare professionals, and meet new people. The event is FREE and all are welcome![...]
10:00 am
Loretta Fillios Memorial Hike
@ Houghton's Pond
Loretta Fillios Memorial Hike
@ Houghton's Pond
Jun 14 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Please join Friends of the Blue Hills on Saturday, June 14 to celebrate the life of Loretta Fillios with a hike in her memory. Loretta Fillios loved hiking in the Blue Hills and other reservations[...]
Jun
16
Mon
2025
9:30 am
Invasive Plant Removal
@ To be determined
Invasive Plant Removal
@ To be determined
Jun 16 @ 9:30 am – 12:00 pm

Volunteer Event: Invasive Species Removal at Friends of the Blue Hills Join us for a hands-on volunteer event aimed at removing harmful invasive species, Garlic Mustard, from our beautiful local park. These plants disrupt native[...]
Jun
20
Fri
2025
4:30 am
Summer Solstice Hikes
Summer Solstice Hikes
Jun 20 @ 4:30 am – 9:00 pm

Whether you choose one or both hikes, it’s the perfect way to connect with nature and experience the magic of the solstice from dawn to dusk. But we Challenge you to do both! Celebrate the[...]
Jun
21
Sat
2025
7:00 am
Hike with Evangeline
@ Houghton's Pond
Hike with Evangeline
@ Houghton's Pond
Jun 21 @ 7:00 am – 9:00 am

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: MODERATE Evangeline is a Reiki Practitioner, yoga instructor, and community builder. She guides monthly hikes in the Blue Hills, offers Reiki healing sessions, and hosts workshops and retreats. Evangeline’s hikes will be offered once[...]
8:00 am
Join David at Ponkapoag Pond for...
@ Ponkapoag Pond
Join David at Ponkapoag Pond for...
@ Ponkapoag Pond
Jun 21 @ 8:00 am

Join David Saturday, June 21st for a Hike followed by a yoga session in the park! We will meet David at Fisherman’s Beach at 8:00 am! Starting your day with a hike in nature allows[...]
Jun
27
Fri
2025
5:00 pm
2025 Summer Celebration
@ Trillium Brewing - Canton
2025 Summer Celebration
@ Trillium Brewing - Canton
Jun 27 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Summer is the perfect time to celebrate all of our Friends! Thank you for dedicating your time, talents, and charitable donations to help us take care of our beloved Blue Hills. Join your fellow Friends[...]
Jun
29
Sun
2025
10:00 am
Be Kind! Trash Pick up with Mary
@ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
Be Kind! Trash Pick up with Mary
@ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
Jun 29 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Join our Membership Coordinator, Mary Timilty to clean the park! Get some fresh air and exercise… and give back to an amazing park that serves tens of thousands of visitors each year. You will be[...]
Jul
1
Tue
2025
7:00 am
Your Morning 3-Miler
@ TBD
Your Morning 3-Miler
@ TBD
Jul 1 @ 7:00 am – 8:30 am

How do you start your mornings before work? Brew a cup of coffee, read the news, or watch some TV? Friends of the Blue Hills has a better idea… Why not start your day with[...]
Great!
Glad to hear that you will be sponsoring guided hiking tours again. I’m not comfortable hiking alone & am really looking forward to hiking together again
Glad you’d like to join us!
I am very interested in hiking but need more information about the milage. How many miles for the advance hikers ? And what we should wear any special cloth? And why to bring with us? Looking forward to hike with you . Thank you
Misha,
We organize different hikes throughout the year. When you sign up, you’ll get invitations to the different hikes, and we’ll let you know about the mileage, whether it’s for beginners or advanced hikers, and specify the clothing and equipment that you’ll need.
I’m so glad you’re interested in hiking with us!
Judy
Thanks for this!
I’m interested in easier (slower-paced) hikes. Will there be any of these scheduled?
Our Beginner Hikes are often slower paced. You might enjoy those.
Hiked the trails at Blue hills when I was much younger. It’s such a beautiful area, I’m looking forward to starting again.
We’d love to see you!
I can’t believe I’ve never done this before. I’m a bit afraid to go it alone in the large park. Maybe because I’m also wondering what wildlife to expect?
Melissa, A guided hike might be just the thing for you! Hopefully, we’ll see you on a hike. (And if you’d like some suggestions for where you can go by yourself, just email us at: info@friendsofthebluehills.org.
Interested in beginner,shorter hikes to start me off.
We’ll send an invite next week, but you can sign up for a 4-mile beginner’s hike here: https://friendsofthebluehills.org/event/hike-march/
Hi Melissa, you seldom see much, if any wildlife. In 4 years, I have only seen 2 very small garter snakes in early spring. They were so small they probably were only a day or so old and if I wasn’t watching or caught the leaf move, I would have missed them entirely. I have seen one owl early one morning and a few deer.
Seldom see any deer or anything else, because, I assume the animals have great sensory perception of people approaching.
Ellen, Thanks for answering that part of her question. We missed that!
I am a mom of two young children and looking for mom friends, who love to get outside!
Awesome! We hope to organize some family hikes once the weather gets a little better.
Would you consider doing hikes that are inclusive of young adults with Autism or Intellectual Disabilities?
I have a great walking companion who enjoys 3-4 miles of brisk hiking, and we would like to join with typical or special needs people.
Thanks so much for asking! We will definitely consider it!
Hi, I’m Jane, 68 years old and from Dorchester. I’ve walked in the Blue Hills solo in recent years, but could use help motivating myself to get out there more often. I look forward to learning more about these groups.
Jane, So glad you’d like to hike with us!
I would be interested in beginner hikes to start, to get used to the trails.
Great! So glad you’d like to hike with us.
Thank you for thinking of me!