Hopkinton State Park

About this park

Hopkinton State Park spans more than 1,500 acres across the towns of Hopkinton and Ashland, centered on the Hopkinton Reservoir, which was removed from service as a Greater Boston water supply before being converted into recreational parkland. The park sits in the same town famous as the starting line of the Boston Marathon, giving it an unusual claim to fame for runners passing through the area each April. A dedicated swimming beach and bathing pond, physically separated from the main reservoir to protect water quality, give the park a genuine summer swimming destination, while the larger reservoir itself is reserved for non-motorized boating, letting canoeists and kayakers paddle without the wake and noise of powered craft. Picnic areas, restrooms, and fishing access round out the park's standard day-use amenities, and wooded trails circle portions of the reservoir shoreline for hikers. Located roughly 26 miles west of Boston, Hopkinton State Park draws steady weekend traffic from the western suburbs, offering a straightforward, family-friendly lake-recreation experience without the longer drive required to reach western Massachusetts' more mountainous parks. Its dual water bodies, a protected swimming pond alongside a larger paddling reservoir, give it more variety than many of the region's single-pond suburban parks.