Even though I am older and a little heavier, I actually spent a lot of time in these woods as a kid and went back recently. In scouts we did a lot of hikes to Dungeon Rock, Balancing Boulder, Wolf Pits, Steel Tower, Rock Tower, and all the other attractions in these woods. There's no camping and no fires. This is essentially a municipal park, second only to Central Park in NYC. What is intriguing is the history the woods have. The legend of the pirate Thomas Veal trapped with his treasure at Dungeon Rock spurred the imagination of people like Hiram Marble to use mediums for guidance digging into the rock for Veal's treasure, to no avail. This is the most stirring to the imagination as people visit the woods. Dungeon Rock and Rock tower are not always open (unfortunately). The internet is not a great help, I would recommend contacting the Friends of Lynn Woods to find out when. One must go into the manmade cave cleared by the Marble family who for years used dynamite, hammer, chisel, and baskets to clear out the cave. read more

This is one of my hubby's favorite places to walk in the woods. I've come with him a couple of times and I enjoy it too. There are various trails and offshoots to explore on. There is a body of drinking water that the town uses for its water but the trails are not super close to it. For a bit of one, you can walk near it and the views are pretty. We saw a cool bird near the water - but couldn't tell what it was. It seems like there are some swampy areas so be prepared for the bugs and don't forget to always check for ticks. They're really bad this year! read more

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best place to walk as a couple or mountain ride on your bike. There are a lot of dog walkers here so be careful. Make sure you take some water with you. You'll be amazed of all the different sites that are in there. You'll be in there for hours. read more

Amazing bike paths, very clean, lynn res to chill and watch the water. The wall full of graffiti, art central. Dizmo is a legend. Stone tower, the pirate cove or cave, lots of historical little segments and just very peaceful. read more

The BEST place to go if you visit Boston. It's about 20 min from the airport; we didn't discover it until we were heading back to the airport so I wish we had more time. There's a nice lake and beautiful fall colors. The walk is easy on a cement trail but there are paths that go off to the sides so that you feel more remote. read more

Lynn Woods Reservation - Amazing walk - Parks Near Me - Lynn, Massachusetts

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I love hiking here. I have the good fortune of knowing someone who lives near an entrance, so parking is never an issue. I've never found it to be crowded. There is a beautiful body of water on one side. I'm sure I haven't seen the whole area yet. It's so quiet, one would never know what a busy city is around it. Terrain is good; some flat, some hills. Highly recommend. read more

Went on a hike twice here. Lovely trails which you can hike for hours. When I went the day before Christmas there were a lot of families with dogs out on hikes, which was sweet. It's nice to be able to reach some water on the hike too. read more

We visited here because we heard it is nice and also close to Cambridge where we live. In March still 90% of trails are covered with snow, but wide trails are already broken and easy to walk. Smaller trails are less broken and a bit harder, but no problem without microspikes. Nice view from Steeltower: you can see Boston in the distance. Other parts are nice forest. Seems very popular to walk with dogs. It is nice for a short walk (we did 5 miles and that is the biggest loop). read more

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Want feel like your in new Hampshire or Maine than take a nice long walk in Lynn woods and enjoy what is right outside the city.

Anyone who claims Lynn is trashy or a complete dump has clearly never been to Lynn Woods. Beautiful place for a walk, run or bike ride. Trails are clean, plenty of wild birds and other small animals to spot, & most of the fellow trail-goers will exchange a friendly "hi" while passing by. Stone Tower is awesome, if it is open and you can climb the spiral staircase to the top it offers an amazing view. Great natural beauty hidden inside the well known "sin city", haha. I recommend anyone who enjoys hiking/walking/biking or anyone who wants some fresh air to check out Lynn woods. It's free, close & beautiful, what more could you ask for really? read more

Lynn Woods Reservation - Stone Tower - Parks Near Me - Lynn, Massachusetts

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Lynn Woods is a really great area for an easy walk through the woods with varied terrains and some really nice views. So here's why it doesn't get 5 stars... I've been trying to get into Dungeon Rock for the past 2 years. Every time I go it's inexplicably closed. There are hours posted on the "Friends of Lynn Woods" website but they don't actually say when the season starts or ends, and they clearly aren't 100% accurate as evidenced by the fact that it's randomly closed every time I'm there. The one correspondence I did have with the park staff was the ranger telling me the rock was closed while they were on vacation. I'm supposed to know this how? This ain't some remote outpost in the Appalachian mountains. Il not asking you to smoke signal it in. It's Lynn. There's 3G inside the park. We have the internet now. Let people know the park's main attraction is closed like a considerable professional human being. read more

Love taking my dogs up to Lynn Woods. I forget I live in the big bad city when I'm hiking through the woods here. So peaceful and beautiful. Wish people would pick their dogs poop up more often though. In the woods is one thing but when it's right on the trail it's too much. I think if they put a few trash cans through the woods that would help with the poop problem. Other than that it's a great place to enjoy nature! read more

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My favorite place in the city of Lynn is Stone Tower in Lynn Woods. It is a short hike and is a straight shot if you enter the woods from the entrance by the Wyoma softball field on Great Woods Road off of Lynnfield Street. If you plan to visit, make sure you go when the tower is open (Tuesday-Saturday 8:30am-2:30pm, weather permitting). You will be able to climb up the twisty spiral staircase of the tower to get a bird's eye view of the woods and Boston in the distance! The trails in the woods are pretty fun also. I love walking around Walden Pond in all seasons. A few things that I wish was better is that I wish the trails were marked better or that there was a map at the entrances to the woods. It is very easy to get lost in here. Also, if you take your dog in there, be weary that most of the people who bring their dogs in there leave them off leash. For this reason I can't bring my dog even though I know he would enjoy it :( read more

Lynn Woods Reservation - A picture of Stone Tower in Lynn Woods - Parks Near Me - Lynn, Massachusetts

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Great hiking location for all people. Enjoyed some slight inclines, flat, and bendy trails. Great land marks to visit making the hike much more enjoyable as well. read more

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The Lynn Woods Reservation offers great nature walks relatively close to Boston. Its very convenient by car, up Rte 1 North and turn off on Walnut St. From downtown Boston it should take you no more than 15 minutes (not counting traffic). I'm not sure how to get here by public transport though. My guess is its not that easy. However, if you do get here, you'll find its surprisingly nice. The place itself its quite big, with sufficient trails to keep you interested for many visits. You can walk here for a few hours easily. The topography is slightly hilly, and you'll find water, trees, and boulders all around so you really have the feeling of being outside of the city. We even wandered off the trails a few times and got into some semi-serious rock climbing (not a rock-climbing expert, some of you might laugh at this). By chance we mostly went here during winter times, so I have fond memories of snow-covered grounds and chilly winds in my face, ice on the water, etc. There isn't much around here otherwise, except for all the stuff on Route 1 (none of which seems particularly attractive). But I'd say its worth a trip by itself for sure, or if you're planning or need to go to Square One Mall in Saugus for some reason, the Lynn Woods are close enough. read more

Think Lynn has nothing to offer? Wrong. These woods are in my top 5 favorite places in the Boston area. Dungeon rock... awesome and spooky. Bring a head lamp or a flashlight or something because it is pretty impossible to explore it without artificial light. I have walked around corners to find myself face to face with deer, skunks, and lots of other wildlife. One time we came around the bend and about 20 deer took off running in the opposite direction. Try to get a map at the park gate because there are numerous paths, and if you have no sense of direction like me, you may get lost. Totally worth the trip! I promise. read more

Decent acreage offering peaceful serenity, a little elevation and waterfront photo opps for anyone who can walk. The main arteries for the reservation are unpaved roads, so don't be surprised if a utility truck whizzes by as your contemplating the mating call of a North African warbler. These "paths" are wide enough for three lanes of trailblazers each way, which unfortunately translates to an uneventful and somewhat boring walk. Fear not - runners and bikers (during season) will have plenty of space to kick up the pace a bit. Not to say the sizable oasis doesn't have rougher, proper-footwear-worthy trails like the rocky, root-laden D5-4 or the F5-1 - offshoots from the sporadically marked big boys that are useless to navigate with out a site map (absent from all boxes, year round) or a smartphone, which you probably ran to the woods of Lynn to escape in the first place. To make up for the haphazard signage, there are a few sites of interest you should swing by in your leisurely survey: namely the creatively coined Stone Tower (it's a tower of stone) and Dungeon Rock (it's a rocky dungeon rumored to hold treasure. YOU HEAR THAT? TREASURE!). Both were closed as of this weekend, but timed tours and hours of avail are on the Friends of Lynn Woods website. Of this and its neighbor Breakheart, I prefer the latter - mostly for the rustic, vibrant feel to the footpaths and more clearly marked trails. Not to say Lynn Woods doesn't offer a compelling monument or three, assuming their open, of course. read more

This is a hidden treasure smack dab in the middle of Lynn. And you may find gold in Dungeon Rock if the legend holds true. This is one of the best places to go hiking and nature seeking in the area. On a nice day you can walk from one side of Lynn to the other then back and come upon a variety of terrain and views. The Woods' trails are used year round for events such as high school cross country, mountain biking and nature walks. The entire area is very well kept, there's an entrance on either end---West or East Lynn. And the parking at both places is easy and also well managed. I recommend this place for anyone who wants to get away from the big city and enjoy a quiet hike without having to go to the Blue Hills or NH. read more

This is a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon. I found it from a NE hiking link and wanted to check out the Pirate Trail (see this website: http://sne.tripod.com/pirate.htm). Sadly I had bad directions and entered the park from the north entrance off Great Woods Rd. I think if you enter from the south you can pick up the two pirates trails directly. As it was, I only hiked part of the pirate trail, but I saw a nifty tower, a dungeon rock, and a beautiful lake. The only people I ran into were other dog walkers, none of us actually following the rules and keeping our mutts leashed. I'm looking forward to going back, possibly near Halloween to scare myself with some pirate lore. read more

This place is awesome and as Fab W. stated.. it is "one of Lynn's best kept secrets". This place is great for pet owners and recreational joggers who love nature. Lynn Woods and Breakheart are awesome places to enjoy both scenic trails and friendly people. If you decide to go off the beaten path, you'll discover a lot of beautiful scenery and just be in awe at the beauty of nature (especially if you live in dumps like Revere, Lynn or Chelsea). There is one drawback about this place that I have to speak about and that is the Coyote situation. There have been "reports" that people who have small pets off leash have their pets attacked by packs of Coyotes. If you play it safe, I'm sure you'll be fine. read more

This is a great place to go hiking and pretend you aren't really in the city but about fifty miles north up in New Hampshire somewhere. The trails are well maintained from what exploring I've done and it's easy to find maps online though if you stick to the main "roads" you'll do just fine. My first time in I hiked up to Dungeon Rock, which has a few nice steep hills to get your heart moving. Next time I need to bring a flashlight so I can head down inside and explore a bit. I still haven't made it all the way out to the Wolf Pits yet and based on how waterlogged that trail can be it might have to wait for spring. Also props to the lady who ignored the "pick up your waste" sign and let two of her nine unleashed dogs shit right near the head of one of the trails. You're lucky you weren't in the parking lot when I got there because you would have received an earful for that AND for having an unmanageable pack of dogs on the loose in a public park. read more

I had a blast hiking around Lynn Woods. They have both 'unpaved roads' for the mild hikers, and 'paths' for the more adventurous. My friends and I hiked for three hours (mainly on paths) and barely ran into anyone, even though the parking lot was full. It was nice to escape the city, and it's only about a 25 minute drive away. We also only explored about 1/3 of the paths that we wanted too, so there's tons of stuff left for future visits. read more

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You would never think of this place actually being in Lynn unless someone told you. The natural beauty up here is unmatched in the North Shore. I went up this past monday and it was clean and the trails were well-kept. I wish I still had a mountain bike because this place is better than I remembered it as a kid. Take a few hours out of your day on a saturday or sunday and go for a nice walk. Visit Stone Tower (locked), Dungeon Rock (locked) or Steel Tower (inaccessable but you can see all of the sky-line of Boston). For info: http://www.flw.org/ http://www.dieselbikes.com/trails/lyw/lyw_maps.htm http://www.flw.org/dungeonrockhistory.htm read more

The finest urban park in America. No joke. I've been coming here for 15 years and I still love it. It's always quiet (people are afraid to come here because it's in "Lynn") and the 30 miles of trails and roads are kept in great shape. I probably shouldn't have written this review because this place is definitely a locals-secret type of place. Don't miss the cave or the rock tower. Both usually only open On Saturdays in summer. read more

2nd largest city park in the Boston area with 2200 acres of trails and history, and Lynn Woods totally rocks. Easy to find, even for the directionally inept like me, with a big sign pointing out the Great Woods entrance off the main drag in this coastal city. Yeah, it could be funded better, with maps and trail blazes, but the map is downloadable on line and the hikes and the views kick ass. Have been here several times and still haven't seen all the trails. This place gets plenty of traffic all year round. Bring your friendly beasts, cuz there are lots and lots of dogs here, but please pick up after them ok? Anything else would just be rude. read more

This place is a lot of fun to hike! It's filled with spooky history and is really fun to explore. There is a large number of picnic tables near the pond area - definitely future picnic area. It can be rocky and hilly, so choose your path carefully. Not every parking area has a map though, so bringing one along (or downloading on phone) has saved us. read more

The place has easy parking, the trails are wide and clear. You can bike there in the summer but not during the off season. There are trails for all different experience levels but most of them are easy to moderate. The hike to Dungeon Rock is nice and it's really peaceful to sit there and just breathe in the air. read more

A decent sized forest in the middle of Lynn, which is cool. It's pretty, hilly, and quite rocky. They have a number of paths throughout, most seemed poorly marked, short and didn't really go anywhere - more like shortcuts from one road to another. They weren't well cleared, full of rocks, and tricky for anything that isn't hiking (we were trail running - which we won't do there again). Also, couldn't find good maps, have no idea how long any of the named paths were and were confused overall. Lake and pond were pretty. read more

It's a bit of a hidden treasure. Despite Lynn being a large city, Lynn Woods itself is surprisingly light with visitors. It's a large natural area, and it's free and convenient. It's a great place for a nature walk, trail running, and mountain biking which I've done here extensively. With miles of trails you could spend the whole day here. There's a great view of Boston from Steel Tower and Dungeon Rock is a great place to explore (bring a flashlight). The woods is great all times of the year. Be wary in springtime as the trails may be covered with dog poo, revealed with the receding snow. Seriously folks, pick up after your dogs. I'm a frequent visitor of the White Mountains so it's nice to have something close to home when I don't want to make the 2.5 hour drive. read more

Entering from the main parking lot at Pennybrook is fantastic. Lots of picnic tables, an old basketball court, and a grassy swath, make a great place to eat lunch if you want to plan for it. With a dog, baby and a kiddo and hiking folk of multiple backgrounds an abilities... the trails from here are highly accessible, wide, compact gravel. Follow signs to the dungeon trail for a gentle climb to the top of a large granite boulder where you might discover the dungeon door! Pretty cool. And the views over the pond aren't bad either. Love. read more

A beautiful and under-appreciated natural resource in the city. If you like hiking, walking, and/or nature then definitely head down. Take a walk to dungeon rock or stone tower for some great views and cool spots read more

We visited here on a cold sunny March day. It seems like a good place for a short hike when one doesn't have time to drive very far from Boston. Not sure how crowded it gets in the summer. read more

Lynn Woods used to be 5 stars, without a doubt. Endless trails, water views, cool downloadable map to explore this 2200 acre park. http://www.cityoflynnoecd.net/documents/resource/maps/Lynn_Woods_2009-01-20.pdf My husband and I used to love to take our dogs here, good workout for all 4 of us. However, while I love my dogs and dogs in general, I have a big sore spot for stupid dog owners and Lynn Woods is full of them. Take today for instance. A woman was running with three large labs, all 80lbs and over with all three of them off-leash. And no, she wasn't running with them, they were about 100 yards behind her, wrestling in the middle of the path. Her dogs then accosted us and our two dogs who were both leashed, cornering my one dog into the forest. Seriously lady, you are running with a pack of dogs and you don't think to leash them? Can anyone else relate to walking along, enjoying your morning walk and then suddenly three unleashed dogs are in front of you with no owner in site? Imagine for a moment how that might make someone feel? The next stupid dog owner we encountered was a young woman with a small infant strapped to her chest, walking with one dog while her other dog runs about 50 yards in front of her. Of course, her dog sees our dogs and darts over to investigate. Most dogs that are leashed don't really appreciate another dog coming at them at full speed, especially when they can't chase after them. As we got closer, she called out, "oh, he's friendly". Really? What if my dogs aren't? What if our dogs don't really like each other? Are you going to pull your dog off of ours with an infant strapped to your chest? Another stupid dog owner. And then, my most favorite dog owner is the one who lets their dog run through the forest with the leash still on them. So, now it looks like a dog that should be leashed is now running wild. Thank you for that scare as I enjoyed the landscape. Lastly, all of these dogs running unattended through Lynn Woods come with something else you might get the pleasure of stepping in...yep, dog crap. My husband got a shoe full this morning. However, my favorite people are the ones who bag their dog crap and then leave the crap and the bag sitting on the side of the trail. So, now you are not picking up the poop and you are littering as well. Freaking brilliant. Heres a hint. Poop is biodegradable. Just cover it with dirt and leaves and pine cones so we don't have to see it or step in it. BTW, all of this happened this morning in one 1.5 hour hike. Please pass this on-maybe it will make one person take the time to think about their actions. read more

It is a great park. Nice trails and fire roads to take hikes on. The problem is dog owners. There is a constant presence of dog poop at the entrance. There is also so many dogs off leash. So if you have your dog on a leash (like a responsible owner) you get constantly harassed by the dogs that are not under control of their owners. It would be nice if the laws were enforced. read more

Truly a hidden gem of the North Shore. You would never expect such a beautiful trail in Lynn, but the Lynn Woods proves all doubters wrong! A great place to walk, relax, or take a pup for a walk, the trails can go as long as you want them to go. read more

Just finished up a trail ride here. This place is amazingly beautiful and has a good variety of trails to choose from. Who knew this place would be in Lynn? read more

Great place to go for a hike and take the kids and/or your dog. There are many easy trails and a few that require a bit of direction sense if you don't have a map. Good hills for getting your heart rate up if you're trying to get into shape. Word of warning: There is dog crap all over the ground at the entrance. Watch where you step! These trails are used by a local stable, so horses will be seen on them. The problem I have is that people let their dogs run free. If your dog likes to chase other animals, you're going to have a problem. A kick from a horse can kill your dog, so use some common sense and keep it on a leash. Also, people with kids, don't let them run around or go behind the horses!!! read more

Lynn Woods is the second largest municipal state park in the country. It is a beautiful area, and it smells great! My dogs love it, and the trails are well kept. Look out for poison ivy, and some times hooligans like to smash glass bottles by the shore. read more

Lynn Woods was a very unexpected discovery! I would never have expected such a beautiful area right off of Route 1. Plenty of parking. No fee to park which is always nice. The trails are gorgeous. Clean, great for walking. As you go along the main loop, you can see the lake and you can get off the main path and walk around the lake. My friend and I (and our dog) took an hour's hike and it was great. Not too crowded although we did see a fair number of bicyclists. The ground was pretty good, some rocks but nothing too hard. Hills and downhills. It's not a straight path. Better yet, it doesn't seem to be a big tick area as our dog stuck her head everywhere and didn't emerge with a single tick. Phew! I think this will become our new go to hiking spot and I recommend it! read more

One of Lynn's best "kept secrets"! The Lynn Woods have an abundance in activities, trails - on and off the beaten path, sights and sounds, and a great enclosed doggie park, all easily accessible within a 10 min walk from the parking lot. Make a day of it with the family or a group of friends, you'll be pleasantly surprised by yet another Lynn special! Suck it, Salem!!! Mwahahahaha :D read more