Wompatuck State Park

---

title: "Wompatuck State Park" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["state-parks-of-massachusetts", "iucn-category-v", "hingham,-massachusetts", "cohasset,-massachusetts", "norwell,-massachusetts", "scituate,-massachusetts", "parks-in-plymouth-county,-massachusetts", "campgrounds-in-massachusetts", "protected-areas-established-in-1969", "1969-establishments-in-massachusetts"] description: "State park in Massachusetts, United States" topic_path: "general/state-parks-of-massachusetts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wompatuck_State_Park" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary State park in Massachusetts, United States ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox park"]

Field	Value
name	Wompatuck State Park
photo	Black-and-white Warbler (7235499038).jpg
photo_caption	Black-and-white warbler in Wompatuck State Park
photo_alt	Warbler
photo_width	280
map	USA Massachusetts#USA
map_caption	Location in Massachusetts
map_width	280
relief	1
label	Wompatuck State Park
location	Hingham, Cohasset, Norwell, and Scituate, Massachusetts, United States
coordinates
coords_ref
area	3579 acre
elevation	62 ft
established	1969
free_label	Named for
free_data	Indian Chief Josiah Wompatuck
administrator	Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
website
::

| name = Wompatuck State Park | photo = Black-and-white Warbler (7235499038).jpg | photo_caption = Black-and-white warbler in Wompatuck State Park | photo_alt = Warbler | photo_width = 280 | map = USA Massachusetts#USA | map_caption = Location in Massachusetts | map_width = 280 | relief = 1 | label = Wompatuck State Park | location = Hingham, Cohasset, Norwell, and Scituate, Massachusetts, United States | coordinates = | coords_ref = | area = 3579 acre | elevation = 62 ft | established = 1969 | free_label = Named for | free_data = Indian Chief Josiah Wompatuck | administrator = Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation | visitation_num = | visitation_year = | visitation_ref = | website = | embedded = Wompatuck State Park is a public recreation area of about 3500 acre in size. It is located primarily in the town of Hingham, with portions in the neighboring towns of Cohasset, Norwell, and Scituate, Massachusetts, in the United States. In addition to a large campground and an extensive trail system, the park is noted for the free spring water that can be obtained at Mt. Blue Spring, which has been in operation since the mid-19th century. The park is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation which protects forests of the northeastern coastal forests ecoregion.

History

The land was originally the property of Native American chief Josiah Wompatuck, who deeded the land to English settlers in 1655. The park is built on the former Hingham Naval Ammunition Depot Annex (known by natives as the "Cohasset Annex"), which was in use from 1941 until 1965. It contains over 100 decommissioned military bunkers, many of which have been backfilled, but some of which remain exposed, including one which housed parts of the Navy's first nuclear depth charge in the 1950s. Several old military buildings can be found on park property as well as an extensive network of abandoned railroad. Most buildings have had their roofs and windows removed and are open to the elements.

;Whitney Spur A rail spur known as the Whitney Spur formerly connected the Ammunition Depot to the Old Colony Railroad's Greenbush Line. In 2003, the DCR sold the land for the Cohasset commuter rail station and parking lot to the MBTA in exchange for the construction of a rail trail on the former rail spur. The station opened with the rest of the Greenbush Line on October 31, 2007. The 1.5 mile Whitney Spur Rail Trail opened from the station to the park around the same time. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Whitney_Spur_Rail_Trail,_March_2014.JPG" caption="Whitney Spur Rail Trail in March 2014"] ::

However, a gate blocked access from the trail to the northwest section of the park, which still had several dangerous abandoned buildings. After years of requests, demolition of the buildings began in April 2014. The northwest section opened in November 2014 and the gate was removed. With the trail now serving as usable access to the park, 20 spaces in the station lot were dedicated for park users.

Activities and amenities

The park's campground offers 262 campsites, 140 of which have electrical service. Camping is open from mid-April until mid-October. A boat ramp allows access to Aaron River Reservoir for non-motorized boating. Park trails include 12 miles of paved bicycle routes as well as trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing. Upland game bird hunting is allowed in season in the South Field area.

References

References

1. {{cite gnis. 2829732. Aaron River Reservoir
2. Thompson, Amanda C.. (December 28, 2015). "THE LIST: What to know about Wompatuck State Park".
3. McIntyre, Eileen. (October 10, 2016). "Walk in newest section of Wompatuck". Wicked Local Norwell.
4. Belcher, Jonathan. (December 30, 2016). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA District 1964-2016". NETransit.
5. Trufant, Jessica. (April 26, 2014). "Demolition work will open up trails at Wompatuck State Park". Wicked Local Hingham.
6. (November 24, 2014). "Bike trail to come to Wompatuck State Park". Patriot Ledger.
7. Holt, William. (November 9, 2014). "Openings and closings south of Boston". Boston Globe.
8. Bradley, Garrett. (October 29, 2014). "Rep. Bradley secures free parking for Cohasset trail". Hingham Patch.
9. (April 2012). "2012 Acreage Listing". Department of Conservation and Recreation.
10. (2017-06-21). "Wompatuck State Park". Department of Conservation and Recreation.
11. (Winter 2007). "Wompatuck News". Friends of Wompatuck State Park.
12. "History of Wompatuck". Friends of Wompatuck State Park.
13. Olson, D.M., Dinerstein, E.. (2001). "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth". [[BioScience]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::