Hopkinton State Park is a
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
located in the
towns
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
of
Hopkinton and
Ashland and managed by the
Department of Conservation and Recreation
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission is ...
.
[ The park was created after the Hopkinton Reservoir was removed from service as a water source for the ]Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston (the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England) and its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern ar ...
area. In 2010, it was named as one of the 1,000 places to visit by the Great Places in Massachusetts Commission.1,000 places to visit in Massachusetts
/ref>
Activities and amenities
The park features beaches and a bathing pond for swimming that is physically separated from Hopkinton Reservoir, where nonmotorized boating is permitted. There are seasonal facilities for kayak and canoe rental.
Park trails may be used for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.
There is also a camp for children and teenagers that teaches sailing, kayaking, canoeing, stand up paddle boarding and windsurfing.
Picnicking, restrooms, and fishing are also features of the park.
Gallery
File:Hopkinton Dam and Spillway, Ashland MA.jpg, Reservoir and Dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...
in winter
File:Hopkinton State Park boating class P1090899.jpg, Boating class at summer camp
File:Hopkinton State Park beach P1090907.jpg, Swimming beach in bathing pond below dam
File:Hopkinton State Park beach P1090915.jpg, Bathing pond
References
External links
Hopkinton State Park
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Trail Map
Department of Conservation and Recreation
{{authority control
State parks of Massachusetts
Parks in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
1947 establishments in Massachusetts
Protected areas established in 1947