Blue Hills Reservation, the sprawling nature preserve south of Boston, can now be reached by bus on weekends all summer.
“We are just about four miles outside of the city of Boston — and until last year, if you didn’t have a car, you could not get to the heart of this park,” said Jen Klein, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of the Blue Hills. “And we believe strongly that everybody ... deserves access to high-quality open space — whether you have a car or you don’t.”
Service on bus 716 to Houghton’s Pond, a large Blue Hills pond and recreation area, resumed over Memorial Day weekend. The MBTA added service to Blue Hills’ Houghton’s Pond on Saturdays last year. Now, an MBTA spokesperson said the pilot’s returning, and expanding, after Saturday ridership shot up over the previous year by 45% — and Houghton’s Pond was one of the most popular stops on the route.
“Access to nature and outdoor recreation should be available to everyone,” Nicole LaChapelle, the commissioner of the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation, said in a statement. “Expanding seasonal MBTA service to Houghton’s Pond will make it easier for more children and families — especially those who may not otherwise have easy access to outdoor swimming and green space — to reach the beach, cool off during the summer, and experience the Blue Hills.”
Blue Hills is a 7,000-acre state-run park that Klein calls “Boston’s big backyard” by Milton, Canton and Quincy. For physical health — to hike, swim or even just cool down in the hot summer months — and mental health, nature advocates are excited there’s another way to escape the chaos of city life.
“You need to be aware of the cars coming and the pedestrians around you,” said Erin Kelly, the sanctuary director of Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center. “And when you have that chance to be in a green space, you have that chance to relax and really just put down some of the load that we carry every day.”
Klein says that last year, her organization spoke with new visitors from Somerville and the South End who were traveling to Blue Hills for the first time.
“Even though the bus leaves from Mattapan, we encountered visitors from all over Greater Boston — which was great,” she said. “We were surprised at how many people had never, never been here before.”
Friends of the Blue Hills is co-hosting a kickoff event this Saturday, May 30, to celebrate the bus service’s return with guided hikes, free bike rentals and lawn games.
The weekend service will run through the second weekend of October.
“If you haven’t been before, you don’t know what you’re missing,” Klein added.
