In person. Free.
Join us outside!
The Emerging Professionals invite you to a fall hike in Charles Eliot's "wilderness reserve"
RSVP here
Our 2026 series continues in Milton, Massachusetts... a fall hike in the Blue Hills!
This hike will focus on the botany and plants of this landscape today, informed by the history of this special place.
This tour will be led by
Yasser Aponte, Friends of the Blue Hills
Organized the BSLA Emerging Professionals and Friends of the Blue Hills, all are welcome!
ABOUT THE BLUE HILLS RESERVATION
From the Massachusetts Department of Recreation & Conservation:
Located only minutes from the bustle of downtown Boston, the DCR Blue Hills Reservation stretches over 7,000 acres from Quincy to Dedham, Milton to Randolph, providing a green oasis in an urban environment. Rising above the horizon, Great Blue Hill reaches a height of 635 feet, the highest of the 22 hills in the Blue Hills chain. From the rocky summit visitors can see over the entire metropolitan area. With its scenic views, varied terrain and 125 miles of trails, the Blue Hills Reservation offers year-round enjoyment for the outdoor enthusiast.
From Digital Commonwealth:
Charles Eliot was instrumental in the acquisition of the Blue Hills Reservation by the Metropolitan Park Commission in 1893. He believed that the reservation’s “wildness” offered a counterpoint to Boston’s intentionally manicured urban parks, such as the Public Garden.
When the fledgling Metropolitan Park Commission acquired the Blue Hills and three other reservations, Park Commissioner Herbert S. Carruth declared, “There will be no attempt made to beautify them. We shall not even own a lawn mower.”
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This tour will meet at Houghton's Pond. Visitor parking is free at the Houghton's Pond parking lot. MBTA bus 716 stops at Houghton's Pond.
All are welcome.
Members and non-members, coworkers + students, friends + families + kids.
To those of you in the early years of your career -- this is especially for you!
Tickets are FREE, tour size limited, registration appreciated. Please come dressed for the weather, prepared to walk outside on uneven terrain.
We aim to go in most weather. We will email all ticket holders and post any changes here.
We look forward to exploring with you!
Learn more and RSVP here.
IMAGES
At top, from The Cultural Landscape Foundation, courtesy Friends of the Blue Hills, 2016
Above, black and white photo from the National Park Service, Olmsted Archives
Color photos by Harvard GSD Professor Anita Berrizbeitia, FASLA.
Below map from Digital Commonwealth:
This map, created by the Park Commission in 1905, uses hachures to show the “bold” elevation changes that Eliot celebrated for their panoramic views.
