This was my first visit to the observatory and it was well worth the hike. The oldest continuously operating weather observatory in America, it is on the National Register of Historic Places for good reason. The stone and mortar construction has the appearance of a castle turret, sitting majestically atop the Blue Hills. Small educational tours are being conducted once more, and reservations are required to assure availability. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and donations are greatly appreciated. The gift shop is also a good way to help support this non-profit organization. The hike up was great, the views spectacular.and the hike down a wonderful way to cap my visit.

Great trails...some are pretty steep and hard to climb but theyre all marked out well.

Excellent and fun educational experience. I highly recommend the low cost $4.00 tour. Great panoramic views top this visit off. Its a pretty decent workout walking up as well.

Great warm up trails, pretty good elevation to the Observatory, on the real first spring weekend.

After a long hike in the Blue hills a stop at the little gift shop was so appreciated! Theres a tour option I wish we had done but we passed as I thought it would be better to do in warm weather- I wish wed done it then and there though.

Great view looking North of the Boston Harbor and the metropolitan area from the highest point on Great Blue Hill. Gives you a sense of why this area which is divided into many different cities and old colonial towns with relatively small population numbers has been an economic and political powerhouse in American history.

I love this place. 1st time went hikinh with my best friend. It was a great walk. The view is amazing. Its a must.

Lost a phone there yesterday and they held it at the store here for me to come get it. Good guy working in that store.

Fun family hike / climb. Lots meteorological history!

Perfect place on a Perfect day

We always love a hike with family up this hill! So much fun. Small enough that it fits in even in a busy weekend!

Great hike to the top amazing views just disappointed that u used to be able to go inside observatory tower and go on top floor and have a perfect view still a good time

Nice place to visit, and on a beautiful fall day! I recommend taking the tour, which wraps up on the roof of the tower for beautiful photo/ selfie opportunities. Only a few bucks for the tour, and parking is free. They give you a guided walk through and discuss the history and present day use of the facility. Its scheduled to be renovated soon, which when done, will make it 5 stars. They have drinks in the gift shop, in case you need it - I did! Just be sure to wear your hiking shoes!

A must if visiting Boston. Many who are out walking, biking etc will hail you and encourage your trek but definitely not the majority. Its not possible to rate the difficulty of the various trails as every body is different but as a healthy, slim, thirty-odd yr old w a history of back and knee pain, its a workout without the strain.

Great hike nice views 🥰

Nice view can see the south Boston area. Attached is the view from Eliot tower.

3rd yr climbing red dot trail to top with great nephews. Picnic at the top. Great day

We loved the tour of the observatory and upper deck. It was so interesting to hear about all the scientific equipment and what it is used for. The view of Boston from up high is amazing as well. Definitely worth the short hike to come up here and look around.

Lovely! Just a perfect rocky trail, heaven for a hard stroll

Beautiful views when you get to the top where the weather station is.

Wonderful and beautiful place to visit

An excellent hike and a rewarding view at the top.

Beautiful place with 360 degrees view, very informative tour. Nice guide!

So close to Boston but you think youre in the the Deep Woods right in my back yard

Great place to go for outdoorsman and hikers of every age. If your not a hkier there is a newly paved road to walk up. Beautiful in the fall with all the trees changing color. A must see. If your not in shape I would caution you. There is a rest room at the top. Highly Recommend.

Nice hike that connects observatory to Eliot Tower

A cool spot with a great view and fascinating history. It is home to the oldest continuous meteorological records in the United States, and recorded the fastest wind gust in Massachusetts. Theres also a gift shop with cool weather-themed stuff. Some great Blue Hills hikes lead up here.

Did not know they offer tours and have a gift shop!

Ill just say this - this place will fascinate you.

Nice hike up the ski-slopes and ended up at the conservatory. We opted out of the tour, but went to the little snack shop and enjoyed the view from the view points.

Get view and the people who work and volunteer there are excellent. Just remember to bring $3 for the tour.

Beautiful place for walks

Beautiful Scenery. You can see the whole city of Boston up there. Great hiking area if you are new to hiking or climbing up mountains.

Wonderful tour and explanation for our Scout troop.

What history and what a view from the top. Doing a great job with educational programs for young people.

Snow making here is great. Might not have snow at our house but here the trails are good. Worth a try (our for us a season pass)

Take the tour. This place is amazing.

Nice hike, great views! Well maintained and marked trails.

We visited the observatory this morning with our grandson. Rusty was our guide and gave us a tour, explaining the history and operations of the observatory science center. It was very interesting getting an in depth explanation about the old instruments and how some of them are still used today. Rusty was very patient answering all the questions our grandson had about everything! We would like to extend our gratitude to Rusty and the Blue Hills Observatory Science center for an informative visit!

Fun stop with the kids to eat a snack. If you like flying kites at the beach, they have some really cool designs .

It was under construction when I visited.

Great views. Picnic benches to relax at after walking up the trail, and or to each lunch on. Great for the family. You can see South, West and East but not North from the Science Center. Their is a observation 3 mins walk away that you can climb and see the North side that shows a nice view of Boston skyline.

Great views, its moderate hike, we did it with our toddlers took around 1.5 hrs to reach the top. Plenty of places to rest in between. Wonderfull place to enjoy nature.

Simply beautiful!

The views and the staff here are awesome. They love to educate the public and they provide valuable weather data to NOAA and other forecasting services.

We stumbled on the observatory during a hike in the Blue Hills Reservation. We went looking for the highest point around, and found the observatory there. It was pretty impressive! The structure is over 100 years old. The ranger on duty was incredibly kind and very informative about the history of the observatory. She also provided a quick lesson on the atmospheric and weather observations still going on there, as well as providing a review of ways to access the information via computer. Theres also a road that leads from the parking lot to the observatory, which worked out well for us, as we were done in by the long-way-around hike we took to get there. Definitely worth a visit. Be sure to bring a few bucks for a donation to help keep the observatory open for future visitors!

A gem in our state

Very clear area with clear skies as well, can get crowded at busy hours

We did a guided tour. It was 4 each and was awesome.

Always a great place to visit. The views are amazing from up there.

Blue Hills is a beautiful 7000 Acres State Park that offers easy trails and some more difficult. If youre looking for the intensity of a Trill youd find at the White Mountains, youre in the wrong spot, but if you want Skyline leaves of Boston and wondrous landscapes youre in the right place. Its the perfect place to take your kids or your dog or just to go for a leisurely hike in the fall.

I grew up here and loved being able to go there, and have taken my kids (now living in RI), often there to eat blueberries as they love the book Blueberries in Mainr abdthen go to castle and observatory.

On top of blue hill mountain so visited as part of our hike on the blue trail. Nice gift shop and well maintained restroom. There was a free tour of the history room and the rooftop when we went. There was also a stall outside to explain the science behind it using actual equipment. Overall was a great addition to the hike

What more can you ask for? You hike a mile up an easy path for breathtaking views of the Boston skyline and surrounding towns of the blue hills. Pack a picnic for a top of summit reward. Take your dog. Take your kids. Take a lover. Wonderful slice of nature so close to the city.

Historically significant, beautiful location, great view, fun hike. Gratifying experience. By the way, wgbh transmits from the top of the Great Blue Hill.

Jesus is Lord.This is a nice place and the view of Boston and surrounding areas is spectacular.Lots of weather history.L

If you walk to the top of the Blue Hill on the weekend, you can take a brief tour of the observatory. It was worth the $3.00 to get to the top, at least on clear days. They also offer more extensive tours, but we didn’t do that.

Rocky climb. Great workout. Fun to climb up. Great view. Coming down was challanging but also very fun. Slippery rocks make you look for the best rocks to step on. Never boring. Blue trail was 7km, 2 hour trail when walking fast paced.

Had a wonderful walk with family and friends.

Big fan of this place a little less in the winter when people are skiing. The trails are easy on the knees and not difficult. Try walking up the access road for the best work out

The oldest functioning weather observatory in North America I think? Very cool for Scouts to see this historic landmark and tour the facilities. Nice to grab some refreshments at the top.

Another local treasure. Really good possibilities for pleasant nature walks/hikes. Parking lot, very handy. From the observatory, the Boston skyline is tiny. Please take all trash back out with you

Fantastic tour guides, affordable snacks, and a sparkling clean bathroom!

Worth a special trip

Beautiful weather and views of Boston and as far south to Buzzards Bay

Would be 5 stars if they had let me climb the radio tower

Nice for a short outing with kids. It has a gift shop with drinks and candy. Kids can find what the weather was the day they were born. Nice view. Also check out the other tower for views and the Trailside museum has some animals!

Great hike to the top with spectacular views for miles. The history behind the observatory is interesting and has been in operation for over 130 years. Certainly worth a stop and a great get away from the surrounding city.

Always find something unique and fun in the shop. Its a perfect place to rest and enjoy the rewards of the hike up. Pack a picnic!

Cool little place. A great hike

The people who worked there were very nice. The tour was great. I definitely recommend it.

A hidden gem of the Northeast. Interesting and educational. The rooftop view is the best in the area. If you are at Blue Hill Observatory dont miss the rooftop view, its worth the time and money!!!

Definitely a workout I went up to ski slope down Eliot Tower made a loop around got on the Red Trail check the rail trail to the Trailside Museum probably did close to me for my awesome however the gravel is quite loose

This is no easy wahardlk up a hill! This is a climb! Several way to the top,Range in difficulty fromit fairly hard, to very hard. However if I can do it, so can you. GREAT VIEW!

The view 😍

I havent got to this place but it has a beautiful view and awesome collection of anemometers

Easy hike and see some animals too ❤🐈🐥

The Milton Fire Tower on the Great Blue Hill Reservation south of Boston is certainly one of a kind. Built in 1885 as a weather observatory, it was the fourth fire lookout operated by the state and was active from 1911-1915.

Awesome hike to the top! We were offered a tour, but didnt have time to go. The staff helped explain history. Views from the top were excellent!

They looked to be open again.

Great place to go hiking

I love climbing up the rocks

Come up here and buy a kite or something. Its a great spot. And the hike up is very pretty. Also, make sure to hit the museum at the bottom.

Astronomical, Boston panoramic view of the city, as well as Manshan autumn leaves is refreshing. The whole family spent a pleasant weekend here.

Great place for kids and adults to deepen knowledge on weather and experience first hand

Great view...excellent trails.

Beautiful hike in the woods and great views at the top.

You get nice views of Boston and a quick history lesson if you are willing to pay for it. Its a cool place for a quick visit but nothing spectacular.

Really cool tour and historical building; plenty of easy hikes around it to take advantage of during nice weather.

Always a great time!

What a summer winter adventure place I hiked there twice a week and never get bore love it

Even though my kids hated climbing up the hill it was definitely worth it once we made it to the top

Its kind of just a gift shop at the top of a small mountain. I was in it for the hike. The observatory is what it is.

Had a good hike on April 12, 2019. It was one of the attractions where we stopped along the hiking route.

Staff was great. Peter provided a wonderful tour and lots of information about both the current and historic state of the site.

First time here to hike. And it was great n beautiful place.

I stop here whenever I hike up Blue Hill. Always friendly staff, and the bathroom is handy.

Fun place to hike to and take the kids for a lovely afternoon.

Great views; kind and welcoming staff; glad that friends led us here, cool little destination hike

Rude employees at the Gift Shop . Cashier was rude & some guy was harassing my group. He said we have attitude but he attitude himself. He said oh I work here likes thats so amazing. They were also being rude to the group after. I would say what they did to a kid but a lot of people would think I would be lying. Anyways they disrespect preteens & teens.