Stony Brook Reservation is a 475 acres (1.9 km²) woodland park in Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

 and Dedham

Dedham, Massachusetts

Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

, a unit of the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston

Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston

The Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston is a system of reservations, parks, parkways and roads under the control of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation in and around Boston that has been in existence for over a century...

, part of the state park

State park

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

 system of Massachusetts. Located in the southwest of Boston, it extends from the West Roxbury neighborhood into the Hyde Park neighborhood, and includes 14.2 acre (0.057465412 km²) in the town of Dedham. It was established in 1894 as one of the five original reservations created by the Metropolitan Park Commission. Elevations in the park range from Mother Brook

Mother Brook

Mother Brook is the modern name for a stream that flows from the Charles River in Dedham, Massachusetts, to the Neponset River in the Hyde Park section of Boston, Massachusetts. Mother Brook was also known variously as East Brook and Mill Brook in earlier times. The man-made portion of Mother...

 at 15 feet (4.6 m) to Bellevue Hill

Bellevue Hill, Boston

Bellevue Hill is the highest natural point in the city of Boston and Suffolk County. It rises to a height of 330 feet above sea level. Located in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, the closest major intersection is that of Washington Street and West Roxbury Parkway.On it lies the Bellevue...

, at 338 feet (103 m) the highest point in the city of Boston. Recreational facilities at the park include fishing at Turtle Pond, athletic fields, tennis court

Tennis court

A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...

s, an ice skating rink, and a swimming pool

Swimming pool

A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...

. The park is served by the Stony Brook Reservation Parkways

Stony Brook Reservation Parkways

The Stony Brook Reservation Parkways are a group of historic parkways in Boston and Dedham, Massachusetts. The roads consist of the Dedham, Enneking, and Turtle Pond Parkways and West Boundary Road. Two roads within the park, Smithfield Road and Reservation Road are listed as non-contributing...

, a road system that was entered into the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 2006, and features several hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

 and mountain biking

Mountain biking

Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...

 trails.

Stony Brook Reservation contains the headwaters of Stony Brook

Stony Brook (Boston)

Stony Brook was formerly a major watercourse in the city of Boston. It originates at Turtle Pond in the Stony Brook Reservation; it flows through Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, and Roxbury...

.

History

The use of parcels of undeveloped land around Boston for a system of interconnected parks were conceived by landscape architect Charles Eliot, who had apprenticed with Frederick Law Olmsted

Frederick Law Olmsted

Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...

 and later assumed leadership of Olmsted's design firm in 1893. Eliot was instrumental in the founding of The Trustees of Reservations

The Trustees of Reservations

The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest regional land trust in the world and has 100,000 dues-paying members...

 and the public Metropolitan Parks Commission in the 1890s and envisioned an expansion of the parks network to areas surrounding Boston. The first five areas acquired by the Metropolitan Park Commission for this system in 1893 were the Beaver Brook

Beaver Brook Reservation

Beaver Brook Reservation is a Massachusetts state park located in Belmont and Waltham. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. It was the first reservation established by the Metropolitan Park Commission in 1893.-Description:...

, Blue Hills

Blue Hills Reservation

Blue Hills Reservation is a state park in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. Managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, it extends into Milton, Quincy, Braintree, Canton, Randolph, and Dedham south of Boston.-Description:...

, Hemlock Gorge

Hemlock Gorge Reservation

Hemlock Gorge Reservation is a Massachusetts state park located in Newton and Needham. The park is managed by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation .-Description:...

, Middlesex Fells

Middlesex Fells Reservation

Middlesex Fells Reservation, often referred to simply as the Fells, is a Massachusetts state park located in Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, and Winchester...

and Stony Brook Reservations.