Blue Hills Trailside Museum and Observatory in Milton MA 2023
Blue Hills Trailside Museum is located on route 138 in Milton. This natural history museum is run by both the Massachusetts Audubon Society and the Department of Conservation. It includes indoor and outdoor exhibits of non-releasable native wildlife that would not survive in the wild.
Wildlife Exhibits
Visit the indoor and outdoor wildlife exhibits to see a river otter, snowy owl, fox, snakes, turtles, and more.
Birds & Birding
Join us on an upcoming birding program or go birding on your own.
Take the family out for nice Hike at the Blue Hills in Milton.
The climb starts along marked trails of mild and medium difficulty. There are trails and paved walking/biking paths to the summit. Naturalists will love the wilderness. Geologists will salivate at the assortment of large rocks and stones. There’s enough trail sign for my cub scouts to spot. The climb itself isnt really long or difficult. It is very pretty though.
Along the unpaved walking trails, you’ll pass an old stone building (reminds me of an observation tower) with picnic tables around it. Awesome views of the Boston Skyline and a great place for taking a family photo, inside the tower. Kids and adults will love checking out the tower’s second floor.
After catching your breath and maybe lunch there, Stroll across the beautiful stone bridge and follow the trail. It leads to the observatory, with several more scenic views along the way.
The observatory staff is beyond helpful and welcoming. You can start off the tour with a brief video, to get you warmed up and explain the basics of what they do, how long they’ve been doing it and just how important they are to today’s understanding of weather behavior.
Following the video, you tour the actual functioning weather station. You’ll see the history made and recorded there. The guide will explain the complex technology of today and point out the solid class of functional antique instrumentation. The highlight for me was the Observatory Tower. I can’t describe the view, so I won’t even try.
When the tour is all over, Go fly a kite. Seriously, you’re on top of a mountain. Take advantage of it. The gift shop has simple, super strong weather kites for really short money. If you can get it flying five feet in the air, you can fly it 150 without breaking a sweat.
Walk along the universally accessible All Persons Trail at Blue Hills Trailside Museum and then explore 125 miles of trails via the state-owned Blue Hills Reservation.
Trailside Museum Trail
All Persons Trail
Mass Audubon created a self-guided, fully accessible trail that takes you by the outdoor animal enclosures and bird feeding station. There is a guide rope along our outdoor trail, occasionally replaced by tactile cues on the ground, for the entire length of the trail.
State-Owned Blue Hills Reservation Trails
Operated in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Blue Hills Trailside Museum is the interpretive center for the state-owned Blue Hills Reservation. All trails are managed by DCR. Below is a listing of trails found on the DCR website.
Great Blue Hill
Great Blue Hill may be the largest hill in the Blue Hills chain, but the 1-mile trail itself is just a moderate climb. Follow the red dot trail to head straight up from the South lot parking area or walk the paved access road from the North lot parking area.
Ponkapoag Pond
For a relaxed and more isolated hike, follow the 3.75-mile green dot trail around the largest and most remote body of water in Blue Hills Reservation.
Upcoming special events at Blue Hills
DCR Summer Nights at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum FREE
Thu, Aug 03, 2023 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Thu, Aug 10, 2023 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Thu, Aug 17 , 2023 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Mass Audubon will be opening our popular Trailside Museum located in DCR’s Blue Hills Reservation to the public for special “Night at the Museum” adventures. Hands-on nature and art-making activities will be open after-hours for families, with the special draw of nighttime encounters with Trailside’s captive wildlife such as fox, hawks, owls, deer, and the newly opened river otter exhibit.
2023 Blue Hills Museum Hours & Admission
Wednesday-Sunday
9:00 am-4:00 pm
Outdoor Exhibits
Daily
9:00 am-4:00 pm
Mass Audubon is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 04-2104702) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations to Mass Audubon are tax-deductible to the full extent provided by law.
