Massachusetts State Parks
Top Of A List Of "Things To Do In Massachusetts" Should Be To Visit Some Of The Wonderful Massachusetts State Parks
There are fifty two state parks in Massachusetts as well as more than ninety other public areas. These include state forests, trails and reservoirs all of which are managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. In total they control over 450,000 acres which is around ten per cent of the whole state.
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To see the list of Massachusetts State Parks Just Click Here |
Officially called "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts," the state is part of the New England region in the north eastern part of America. It ranks as the seventh smallest of the fifty states in size but it is the third most densely populated. Over two thirds of its 6.5 million population live in the Greater Boston Metropolitan Area. |
Sailboat Passing The Boston Skyline
The state has played a major role in the history of America. In 1620 the Pilgrim Fathers arrived from England and founded what is now the modern town of Plymouth.
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Pilgrim Memorial State Park, one of the Massachusetts State Parks, is a memorial to the brave men and women who risked everything to come and create a New World. Massachusetts capital city is Boston, also known as "The Cradle Of Liberty." It was here that the agitation began which led to the American Revolutionary War. The oldest university in America, Harvard, founded in 1636, is located in Massachusetts and the first college for women students was created in 1837 at Mount Holyoke in the town of South Hadley. Long before the Pilgrim Fathers arrived the area was inhabited by Native American tribes such as the Mohican, Massachusett, Naragansett, Nipmuc and others. |
 The Replica Of The Mayflower |
Unfortunately, when the first European settlers reached the New World they brought with them diseases to which the Indians had no natural defences. Influenza, measles and especially smallpox decimated the tribes.
One of the Massachusetts State Parks is sited on land that was once owned by an Indian chief, Josiah Wompatuck. He sold it to some settlers in 1655 and now Wompatuck State Park stands on the land they bought.
The geography of Massachusetts varies considerably. To the west are the mountains of the Appalachian Range while to the east lies the shores of the Atlantic Coast.
Beautiful Sunset Over Cape Cod
This shoreline is shaped by a number of large bays and the prominent feature of Cape Cod.
A number of the Massachusetts State Parks are to be found on this wonderful coast. They include Demarest Lloyd State Park, Ellisville Harbor State Park, Halibut Point State Park and South Cape Beach State Park.
Another coastal park is Boston Harbor Islands State Park which is actually part of a larger National Recreation Area and consists of thirteen small, attractive islands.
In an area which was among the first parts of America to be settled, there are naturally properties that date back a considerable number of years. The Massachusetts State Parks feature a number of such places.
The Summit House At J.A. Skinner State Park
Roxbury Heritage State Park boasts a wonderful colonial house that was built in 1750. The J.A. Skinner State Park is built around Summit House which is an old hotel first opened in 1851. Greycoat State Park is now on a famous old private estate created in 1890.
There are other Massachusetts State Parks which are unusual. Natural Bridge State Park has an arch bridge of natural white marble which was created by glacial action and is the only one of its kind in the whole country.
Here is a list of Massachusetts State Parks
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Here is a Massachusetts State Map
