Unless someone told you, you would never know that you were within the Boston city limits. (Well, unless you saw the city skyline in the distance.) Belle Isle Marsh Reservation is GORGEOUS and just steps away from the Suffolk Downs T-stop. If you can’t leave the car behind, there is a lovely little parking lot. You can bring your dog too!

Open year-round, 9:00 a.m. to dusk. Belle Isle Marsh Reservation preserves 152 acres of the 241-acre Belle Isle Marsh, Boston’s last remaining salt marsh. A unique place to explore, the reservation exemplifies the type of wetlands that once lined the Massachusetts Bay shore. Centuries of flourishing plant life have made the marsh more fertile than the richest farm land. Its protected waters are nurseries to fish and shellfish and are critical habitat to many saltmarsh plants and wildlife rare to the metropolitan area. In addition to the preservation of the natural areas of the marsh, the DCR manages 28 acres of landscaped park with pathways, benches and an observation tower. (Belle Isle Marsh Reservation)

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