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
Apr
7
Mon
2025
10:00 am
World Health Day Hike
@ Houghton's Pond
World Health Day Hike
@ Houghton's Pond
Apr 7 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Starting your week with a hike on World Health Day is a great way to set the tone for a healthy week ahead. It’s a simple way to jumpstart your Monday by boosting your physical[...]
Apr
12
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-
Apr 12 @ 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![...]
9:00 am
Green Up Milton Town-Wide Cleanup
@ Houghton's Pond parking area and Headquarters Path
Green Up Milton Town-Wide Cleanup
@ Houghton's Pond parking area and Headquarters Path
Apr 12 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am

Join Friends of the Blue Hills as part of Milton’s town-wide clean-up day on Saturday, April 12. The plan is go around the Houghton’s parking area and along Headquarters Path as far as the State[...]
Apr
14
Mon
2025
10:00 am
Ashes to New Beginnings Hike
@ Houghton's Pond Parking Lot
Ashes to New Beginnings Hike
@ Houghton's Pond Parking Lot
Apr 14 @ 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[...]
Apr
16
Wed
2025
9:00 am
Hike with Rosa
@ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
Hike with Rosa
@ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
Apr 16 @ 9:00 am

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY:Â MODERATE 4-mile hike with moderate hills, rocky terrain and some larger obstacles. This hike will be meeting in the Houghton’s Pond parking lot by the children’s playground. Join the Friends of the Blue[...]
Apr
17
Thu
2025
7:30 pm
iNaturalist Walk CNC Zoom Traini...
iNaturalist Walk CNC Zoom Traini...
Apr 17 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm

iNaturalist is an online citizen-science platform that helps identify the wildlife around you while generating data for science and conservation. iNaturalist’s Boston Area City Nature Challenge (CNC), is part of a worldwide collaborative bioblitz in cities[...]
Apr
19
Sat
2025
10:00 am
Beginners’ Hike with Bruce
@ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
Beginners’ Hike with Bruce
@ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
Apr 19 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Beginners’ Hike with Bruce Event Details: – When: Saturday, April 19th 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[...]
Apr
20
Sun
2025
12:00 pm
Widow Walkers Hikes-4/20/25 Eart...
@ Widowmaker Brewing
Widow Walkers Hikes-4/20/25 Eart...
@ Widowmaker Brewing
Apr 20 @ 12:00 pm

Join the Friends of the Blue Hills along with our partners Widowmaker Brewing and ARC’TERYX at the 2025 Widow Walkers Hike Series. All hikes will meet at Widowmaker Brewing, 200 Wood Road Braintree and the[...]
Apr
21
Mon
2025
9:30 am
Invasive Plant Removal CCC camp
Invasive Plant Removal CCC camp
Apr 21 @ 9:30 am – 12:00 pm

Volunteer Event: Invasive Species Removal at Friends of the Blue Hills We will meet of Ridgewood Road. Parking maybe limited. There are a few parking spots along route 28. Join us for a hands-on volunteer[...]
Apr
26
Sat
2025
9:00 am
Park Serve Day with The Friends ...
Park Serve Day with The Friends ...
Apr 26 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

The Friends of the Blue Hills are happy to partner with the Department of Conservation and Recreation to keep the park clean! Be sure to join us! Join us for a volunteer day dedicated to[...]
10:00 am
iNaturalist Walk City Nature Cha...
@ Houghton's Pond
iNaturalist Walk City Nature Cha...
@ Houghton's Pond
Apr 26 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Join us for a Boston Area City Nature Challenge at the Friends of the Blue Hills at Houghton’s Pond! iNaturalist is an online citizen-science platform that helps identify the wildlife around you while generating data[...]
Apr
27
Sun
2025
9:00 am
Blue Hills Season Opener–2025 Cy...
@ Houghton's Pond
Blue Hills Season Opener–2025 Cy...
@ Houghton's Pond
Apr 27 @ 9:00 am

Presented by Blue Hills Cycling Club, SE Mass chapter of NEMBA and Landry’s Bicycles Join Us for the 2025 Cycling Kickoff Event! Get ready to pedal into the new riding season with our exciting[...]
Apr
30
Wed
2025
6:30 pm
Severe Weather and Flooding: Imp...
@ Milton Library
Severe Weather and Flooding: Imp...
@ Milton Library
Apr 30 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Weather Wonders Series Hear from Blue Hill Observatory weather observer and graduate student in atmospheric science Amanda Joly about the unique characteristics of Severe Weather and Flooding, with a particular emphasis on their effects in[...]
May
1
Thu
2025
7:00 am
Your Morning 3-Miler
@ Houghton Pond
Your Morning 3-Miler
@ Houghton Pond
May 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? The Friends of the Blue Hills has a better idea… Why not start your day[...]
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!