Boston Harbor Islands

Why go

Most visitors see Boston Harbor from a wharf. The islands let you look back at it. The ferry ride alone gives you a view of the skyline you can’t get from land, and once you land, the city feels much farther away than it is. Georges Island has a granite fort to explore; Spectacle has trails, a beach and a hilltop view; Peddocks has woods, an old Army post and campsites. For more planning detail, see the Boston 20 entry on exploring the Boston Harbor Islands.

Who might not love it: the season is short, the ferry schedule shapes your day, and there’s little shade on Spectacle. Food service on the islands is limited, pets aren’t allowed on the ferry-served islands, and alcohol is prohibited in the park. Plan on at least four hours.

Getting around

• Ferries from Boston: Boston Harbor City Cruises runs the park ferries from Long Wharf North, at 66 Long Wharf next to Christopher Columbus Park. The ride is about 30 minutes to Spectacle and about 45 minutes to Georges. The nearest T stop is Aquarium on the Blue Line.
• Ferries from Hingham: boats leave Hingham Shipyard for Georges (about 30 minutes) and Peddocks. Peddocks has no direct service from Boston. You can reach Hingham by the MBTA ferry from Boston or by the 220 bus from Quincy Center on the Red Line.
• Tickets: tickets aren’t timed, and you can take any ferry back. Arrive at Long Wharf North at least 20 minutes before departure.
• On the islands: you walk. Bikes aren’t allowed on the islands, only at the mainland parks.
• Accessibility: most islands don’t yet meet ADA standards, though the piers and gangways do (the gangways can be steep at low tide). Spectacle has the accessible perimeter trail, plus a beach mat and beach wheelchair on request. On Georges, paved paths circle the fort, but inside are narrow passages and steep stone stairs.

When to go

Public ferries run from mid-May to mid-October. In summer, boats to Georges and Spectacle run seven days a week; in spring (mid-May to mid-June) Georges runs Thursday to Sunday, and after Labor Day only Spectacle keeps a fall schedule, Thursday to Sunday into mid-October. The ferries run rain or shine but can be canceled for rough seas. Camping on Peddocks runs from mid-June to mid-October, on set nights of the week.

Weekday trips in June and September tend to be quieter than peak summer weekends. Most islands are open dawn to dusk year-round, but outside the ferry season you need your own boat, and there are no visitor services.

A short history

For thousands of years, the islands served as ceremonial sites and seasonal homes for Indigenous communities. European settlers turned them into farms, lighthouse stations, quarantine stations, forts, prisons and internment camps. Boston Light was first lit in 1716; British troops blew it up in 1776, and the tower that stands today went up in 1783. It has been automated since 1998, the last lighthouse in the country to be; its last keeper, Sally Snowman, retired at the end of 2023.

Fort Warren was built between 1833 and 1861 to protect Boston, served through World War II and was decommissioned after the war. Spectacle Island went from farms and resort hotels to the city dump before the Big Dig gave it a second life. Congress established the park in 1996 as a partnership park, run jointly by the National Park Service, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and other public and nonprofit partners.

Local tips

• Pick one island per trip. The Boston boats go to Georges and to Spectacle separately, and you’ll want the time on land.
• Dress in layers. The harbor is almost always cooler than downtown, even in July.
• Do tick checks after hiking on Peddocks or in tall grass anywhere in the park, and bring bug spray.
• Know when the last boat leaves your island before you set off on a trail.