Quabbin Park

Quabbin Park is the public part of the Quabbin Reservoir: a 3,200-acre peninsula at the south end of the reservoir with three entrances on Route 9 between Belchertown and Ware. It holds Winsor Dam, Goodnough Dike, Enfield Lookout, the Quabbin Tower, Hanks Meadow and the visitor center, linked by 12 miles of park road. Entry and parking are free.

It sits at the bottom of the 81,000-acre Quabbin Reservation, the land DCR manages around the water. Everywhere else, you walk in through numbered gates; Quabbin Park is the one place you can drive around, stop at viewpoints and have a picnic.

The Three Entrances

• West (main) entrance, gate 1 on DCR's map, at 100 Winsor Dam Road, Belchertown. It leads to the Administration Building, the visitor center and the west end of Winsor Dam. Parking here is limited.
• Middle entrance, gate 54, about two miles east on Route 9, marked by a green "Quabbin Reservoir/Winsor Dam" sign. It is the way to the Spillway and Tower trailheads, the rotary near Quabbin Hill, Quabbin Tower, Enfield Lookout and Hanks Meadow.
• East entrance, gate 51. It has the East Gate Trail parking area by Peppers Mill Pond, and the paved park road from it climbs to Goodnough Dike.

Cars cannot cross Winsor Dam or Goodnough Dike. So the West entrance and the visitor center are a separate drive from everything else: to go from the visitor center to Enfield Lookout, you go back out to Route 9 and in at the Middle entrance. DCR suggests using the Middle or East entrances on busy days and parking at Goodnough Dike, Hanks Meadow or the tower.

What's Inside Quabbin Park

• Winsor Dam: the main dam, with the visitor center at its west end. Walk or bike across it; no cars.
• Enfield Lookout: DCR's pick for the best view of the reservoir in the park, over the site of Enfield.
• Quabbin Tower: the observation tower on Quabbin Hill, closed inside since 2020; the hilltop is open.
• Hanks Meadow: a picnic area and parking lot about three-quarters of a mile past Enfield Lookout, across from the Webster Road trailhead. DCR's shoreline hike goes from here down to the water.
• Goodnough Dike: the second earthen dam, at the east end, with a parking area and a short vista trail.
• Eight blazed trails and 14 miles of paths, from a half-mile loop to the climb up Quabbin Hill.

Quabbin Park Cemetery, where the graves from the valley towns were moved, is just outside the park on the south side of Route 9 in Ware, about two and a half miles east of the main entrance.

Hours and Gate Closing

Walkers may be on DCR watershed land from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset, but cars follow a separate, posted schedule. As of October 18, 2026, vehicles could be in the park from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm. The exit time is posted at the Middle and East entrances, the tower, Enfield Lookout, Hanks Meadow and Goodnough Dike, and it changes through the year. Rangers sweep the park for cars before locking up. About 15 minutes before locking, the right half of each gate is shut so cars can leave but not enter; if you see that, don't drive in. Quabbin Park and the visitor center close on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. More on hours.

What You Can Do Here (and What You Can't)

• Yes: sightseeing by car on the park roads, walking, picnicking, snowshoeing in winter, and birding.
• Bikes: on designated park roads only, not trails. DCR's own winter guide suggests biking across Winsor Dam on a mild day.
• Fishing: not in Quabbin Park, except catch-and-release fly fishing in the Swift River below Winsor Dam, open all year. For the reservoir itself, see the fishing guide.
• No: dogs, swimming, grills, stoves, fires, alcohol, camping, drones or horses.

Restrooms and Picnics

DCR lists picnic areas and restrooms among Quabbin Park's facilities. DCR's own guides call Hanks Meadow the Hanks Picnic Area. Bring food that needs no cooking: grills, camp stoves and fires of any kind are banned. Carry out all trash. Questions: (413) 323-7221.