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
Jul
6
Sun
2025
9:00 am
Hike with Kay!
@ Shea Rink
Hike with Kay!
@ Shea Rink
Jul 6 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am

This hike will be meeting at Shea Rink, 651 Willard St, Quincy, MA 02169 at 9:00am Sharp On this hike you will pass through the old St Moritz Winter Carnival. Kay will have some insight on[...]
Jul
7
Mon
2025
5:00 pm
Be Kind! Trash Pick up with Mary
@ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
Be Kind! Trash Pick up with Mary
@ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
Jul 7 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 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
10
Thu
2025
7:00 pm
Evening Hike With Thomas
@ Route 28
Evening Hike With Thomas
@ Route 28
Jul 10 @ 7:00 pm – 8:45 pm

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY:Â MODERATE Please Arrive Early as Parking may be limited! Thomas will wait for all hikers to arrive! 4-mile hike with moderate hills, rocky terrain and some larger obstacles. Join the Friends of the[...]
Jul
12
Sat
2025
9:00 am
Trail Maintenance at the Friends...
Trail Maintenance at the Friends...
Jul 12 @ 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[...]
Jul
13
Sun
2025
7:00 am
Hike with Evangeline
@ Houghton's Pond
Hike with Evangeline
@ Houghton's Pond
Jul 13 @ 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[...]
Jul
20
Sun
2025
10:00 am
Beginners’ Hike with Bruce
@ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
Beginners’ Hike with Bruce
@ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
Jul 20 @ 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[...]
10:00 am
Widow Walkers Hikes-7/20/25 Sign...
@ Widowmaker Brewing
Widow Walkers Hikes-7/20/25 Sign...
@ Widowmaker Brewing
Jul 20 @ 10:00 am

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[...]
Jul
21
Mon
2025
10:00 am
Invasive Plant Removal
@ To be determined
Invasive Plant Removal
@ To be determined
Jul 21 @ 10:00 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[...]
Jul
24
Thu
2025
10:00 am
Be Kind! Bug Hunt
@ Houghton's Pond
Be Kind! Bug Hunt
@ Houghton's Pond
Jul 24 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Get ready to go on a bug hunt, where we will become bug detectives searching for tiny creatures hiding in the grass, under rocks, and in trees. We’ll provide everything you need, so all you[...]
Jul
28
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
Jul 28 @ 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[...]
Jul
29
Tue
2025
6:00 pm
Book Club with the Friends of th...
@ Houghton's Pond
Book Club with the Friends of th...
@ Houghton's Pond
Jul 29 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Registration opens July 1st HERE. Looking for a new way to enjoy the outdoors and connect with fellow readers? This summer, we’re bringing stories to life on the trails with the Book Club with the[...]
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!