Kid-friendly hikes and nature walks around Boston
These hikes are measured in toddler steps: short loops, flat or gently graded, with something good to see (turtles, a waterfall, an old bridge, the skyline) before anyone needs to be carried. Each place says whether it's a stroller walk or a carrier hike.
For a first 'hike', the classics are the paved loops at Cold Spring Park in Newton, Fresh Pond and Jamaica Pond, or the wetland boardwalks at Broadmoor and Great Meadows for turtle-spotting. For a bit of history, the Battle Road at Minute Man National Historical Park is 5 miles of flat stone dust. Kids who can manage a mile or two will like the Walden Pond loop, the echo bridge at Hemlock Gorge and the stone tower atop the Blue Hills; at World's End and the Ward Reservation in Andover, the top of the hill gives you the Boston skyline.
- 17 places
- 14 free
- 13 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
17 places
Drive times from Newton
Cold Spring Park woodland trail
5.0Newton · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Beacon St entrance, busier during the summer Tuesday farmers market
Larz Anderson Park
5.0Brookline · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots inside the park (entrances on Newton St and Goddard Ave)
Fresh Pond Loop
5.0Cambridge · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots on Fresh Pond Pkwy and at Kingsley Park; easy on weekend mornings
Jamaica Pond Loop
5.0Boston · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free street parking along Perkins St and the Jamaicaway, fine on weekend mornings
Beaver Brook Reservation falls, duck pond and spray deck
5.0Belmont · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots at the Mill St and Trapelo Rd entrances
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary (Mass Audubon)
5.0Natick · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free sanctuary lot; admission about $8 adults, about $6 kids, free for Mass Audubon members
Horn Pond Loop
5.0Woburn · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots on Lake Ave and Arlington Rd
Boston Nature Center
5.0Boston · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Walk Hill St entrance
Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (Concord)
5.0Concord · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the end of Monsen Rd
Lake Waban Loop (Wellesley College)
4.0Wellesley · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Wellesley College visitor lots, free on weekends (check the college website); street parking in Wellesley Square also works
Mount Auburn Cemetery and Washington Tower
4.0Cambridge · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free beside the main gate on Mount Auburn St; you can also park along the roads inside
Minute Man National Historical Park: Battle Road Trail
4.0Lincoln · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Minute Man Visitor Center (Route 2A); Hartwell Tavern has a small lot too
Walden Pond
4.0Concord · 25 min drive
2.5 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: State park lot with a fee (about $8 for MA plates, more for out of state); often full and closed on summer weekends and may require advance reservation, check the DCR website
Middlesex Fells: Sheepfold meadow and Spot Pond
4.0Stoneham · 30 min drive
2 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free Sheepfold lot (by I-93 exit 33), easy on weekend mornings
World's End (Trustees)
4.0Hingham · 40 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Entrance lot, about $10 for non-member adults, kids free; often full on nice weekends, check the Trustees website for whether reservations are needed
Hemlock Gorge and Echo Bridge
3.0Newton · 10 min drive
1 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Small lot at the Ellis St end of the bridge (about 10 spaces); street parking on Chestnut St when full
Ward Reservation: Holt Hill and the bog boardwalk
3.0Andover · 40 min drive
2 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Prospect Rd entrance
💡 Good to know
- At Walden Pond arrive before 9am in summer; the gate closes when the lot is full. Trustees reservations charge nonmembers admission, and a membership pays for itself in a few visits.
- New England has ticks from May to September: long pants and a check at home. Dirt trails are muddy after rain, so keep rain boots and a change of clothes in the car year-round.