The Friends of Myles Standish State Forest sponsor many events and activities in and around MSSF, the biggest park in Eastern Massachusetts. Thousands of visitors enjoy camping every summer at one of the forest's 400+ campsites. Many day use visitors enjoy swimming and picnicking at College Pond starting after Memorial Day. Many dozens of miles of hiking trails and bike trails are also available for all users. Park headquarters off Cranberry Road in Carver is a good place to find public restrooms and pick up a map of the forest.
The Friends activities include:
- First Day Hike (New Year's Day)
- Woodcock Walk (mid to late March)
- Park Serve Day (Earth Day) April 25th
- Plymouth Airport bird walk (May)
- Whip-poor-will Walk (June)
- Family Fishing Derby (at Fearing Pond usually last Saturday in September)
- Photo Contest (Open all year for photos taken in MSSF; entries end two weeks before Derby day)
- Weekly hikes most Thursdays and many Sundays
- Trail work days whenever possible but typically in June and November
Our monthly meetings take place the first Tuesday of every month. We meet in the "barn" conference center 100 yards up the Lower College Pond Road hill from the headquarters. Sign up on our Meetup site (www.meetup.com/friendsofmylesstandishstateforest)
Friends Annual Take Me Fishin' event comes up the last Saturday of September at Fearing Pond! This year it's September 26th.(2026) Mark the date!!
Friends Photo Contest
The Friends have been holding a photo contest for the last 12 years. All photos have to be taken in Myles Standish State Forest. We are looking for photos in many categories that show off the beauty of Myles Standish State Forest and the fun that people are having. The best photos are enlarged and are displayed at our annual Fishing Derby.
Last year's winners
. The awards for 2025 were announced at our 2026 Fishing Derby. 3 photos were chosen by the judges as "winners". The Friends thank everyone for their wonderful submissions and look forward to receiving your 2025 best photos from Myles Standish State Forest.
Lisa took this picture on our annual summer solstice walk. If you look closely you can see many firefly tracks!
Crystal shared this photo of kayaks on the beach at Curlew Pond. Curlew offers a large camping area and beautiful beach.
This young man caught a large trout at Fearing Pond. Fearing is stocked with trout twice a year by MassWildlife.
The Friends of Myles Standish State Forest Meetup.com listings are the best place to find up-to-date info on all our upcoming hikes, birding events and other activities in Myles Standish State Forest in Plymouth and Carver in Massachusetts.
What's going on in Myles Standish State Forest?
The forest is in mid-winter operation but the forest is teaming with visitors. The Friends just had our 13th annual First Day Hike. The campgrounds are closed and the day use areas at College and Fearing are closed too. The campgrounds usually open up early in May every year.
Jackie Sousa was promoted to supervisor of the Myles Standish Complex in 2024. The "Complex" controls MSSF as well as Kingston State Forest, Pilgrim Memorial State Park and several other area state DCR properties) and Steven Niemi was promoted to Supervisor of Myles Standish State Forest.
For 2026, camping will open on in early May. (It opened May 8th in 2025) Visit www.reserveamerica.com to get your reservations. 24 hour advance registrations are required. There are no walkups allowed!
Reserve your spots at Reserve America up to four months in advance of your camping dates.
The Friends welcomed DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo to our February 6th 2024 meeting.
We had a number of topics we discussed with him and others from the DCR leadership, including:
- DCR full-time year-round staffing reductions-- DCR had only one year round staff member at MSSF for most of 2023.
- State of the Cottage Program- 125 cottages remaining in the park. DCR announced termination plans in 2006.
- Infrastucture Maintenance-- Day use bathhouse at College, delapidated amphitheater, 50 year old bike trails
- 10 Pine Barrens Restoration Project- effect of new climate sensitive logging plan on 2000 acre plan
- Newly enforced parking restrictions on "parkland"
Long time Park Supervisor John Roberts retired as of the end of March 2023. He was the park supervisor since 2008 and will be missed.
There was distressing news in March 2023 that Fearing Pond was in a list of 14 ponds where PFAS chemicals had been detected. Department of Health Issues New Fish Consumption Advisories According to warnings posted at the pond, it is not safe to consume fish caught in the pond. However, swimming and recreational activities were reportedly still safe.
The Friends offer group hiking on Thursdays and on some weekend days. We also hold a bunch of birding walks and nature observation hike. We had a half dozen trail maintenance days in the forest last year. Two years ago, we reopened a trail near the corner of Upper College Pond Road and Halfway Pond Road. The trail was cleared using a rental dingo machine that speedily cleared growth from the trail. Volunteers worked with the DCR to complete the clearing.
We also did a lot of work to restore the trail bed of the Pine Barrens Path and the Charge Pond Loop, which were severely disrupted by the Pine Barrens Restoration Project. Additional work was done to smooth out the trail bed for the trails running out of the Equestrian Parking Lot (near Barrett Pond.)
The Friends 18th Family Fishing Derby took place on Saturday September 27th, 2025 at Fearing Pond. We also announced our annual photo contest winners.
College Pond day use parking lot is closed for the year. A fee was not charged at College Pond parking for the last three years. However, the DCR has installed an automated ticketing machine to collect parking fees. They have been having trouble with getting wifi coverage at College Pond to make the automated machine work. This year they have been installing a wifi booster at both Fearing and College, so it seems likely that day use fees will again be collected. Fearing Pond has an automated ticketing machine which was in use (except for Fishing Derby day). The fee requires a credit or debit card and is $8 per car for Massachusetts vehicles.
College Pond swimming.
Fearing Pond was stocked for trout in March this year (2025). It is usually stocked in March and September.
A new Resource Management Plan for Myles Standish State Forest was adopted in 2022.
The Friends held muliple meetings to discuss the plan and to encourage public responses to the plan.The Friends Annual Meeting was held at our September 2025 board meeting. We welcomed some new board members- Corinne and Robert Frenier. The Frenier's are equestrians and have ridden and camped in MSSF for years..
We also reviewed our financial status (good) and had an election for directors. About half of our directors were up for reelection. (There is a two year term.)
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2018 Boardwalk Repairs sign
. Thank you for your support in getting the repairs done!
10 Year Pine Barrens Restoration Plan
Public Meeting on Pine Barrens Restoration plan was held in 2018.
DCR announced a 10 year plan to treat 1,109 acres of forest land in the southern part of Myles Standish in 2018. This will involve cutting down white pines, thinning pitch pine density (by cutting), burning, mechanical clearing, etc. in areas surrounding Charge Pond and Fearing Pond, the Camp Cachalot easement and MassWildlife areas outside the forest. The campgrounds will not be closed. Trails may be closed while work is going on.
A map of the proposed sections was published by the DCR. The area to be treated includes several MassWildlife areas outside the forest. The plan is to treat sections in the order shown on the map. Two areas had already been cut.(marked as year 0)
The full 10 year pine barrens restoration proposal is viewable on the DCR website.
In 2023, newly elected Gov. Healey imposed a 6 month moratorium on logging, effectively pausing the 10 Year Pine Barrens Project for that year, since logging has normally been done in the winter season. A scientific panel was appointed by the Governor to make climate sensitive proposals for managing state-sponsored logging going forward with an eye on the Governor's announced plans for reducing atmospheric carbon emissions and increasing carbon sequestration.
The Climate Forestry Committee's report came out in January 2024. One part recommended that the State reduce its plans for restoring lower successional habitat. That would seem to argue against what is being done in MSSF. Another part said that there would be criteria set up for deciding what to do going forward-- except for special areas like Myles Standish SF and Manuel Correllus SF (on the Vineyard), which were getting more active management.
A meeting with the DCR Commissioner in February 2024 indicated that there were would be public meetings on the resumption of the plan. It is assumed that the State will propose going forward with the plan for the previously announced reasons. However, others are unsettled or are outright irate at the idea of any continued logging. Opponents contend that they are variously: appalled by the loss of sequestered carbon, or distressed about creating a heat sink in the new clearings, as well as aesthetic and other concerns.
Boardwalk Repairs Complete!
The Friends are very proud to report that repairs on the two East Head boardwalks totaling more than a football field in length were completed in 2018 after a total of 9 working days led by Roger Janson, Thom Gifford and John Bescherer
We needed a lot of help to make this happen and want to thank everybody who came out and helped.<
Changes in dog leashing and waste collection for wildlife management areas
The proposed changes were the subject of a public meeting at Mass Wildlife headquarters on Tueday, February 6th, 2018. Since there are are two large wildlife management areas within Myles Standish SF (the Bentley Loop area and the Cutterfields Road area) and there are others bordering the state forest, the discussion was an important one. At its March 14th meeting, MassWildlife's board approved the new regulations with some major revisions reflecting the public comments it had received:
- Dogs must be physically leashed at all times unless they are actively used in hunting or hunting training
- All dog waste must be picked up within parking areas and within 100 feet of parking areas. Regulation applies to hunters and non-hunters.
A proposed prohibition of letting dogs interfere with other users' use or enjoyment of the WMA was scrapped as "too vague and hard to enforce."
The DCR does allow off-leash dog areas in many of its parks. The Friends will continue to advocate for the establishment of such areas within Myles Standish State Forest.
The Friends (normally) host a lot of hikes, bird walks, stargazing nights and other activities in the forest. The Friends of Myles Standish State Forest Meetup.com listings are the best place to find up-to-date info on all our upcoming volunteer-led hikes, birding events and other activities in Myles Standish State Forest.
Do you know someone who regularly camps, bicycles, rides horses, skis or snowshoes or kayaks in Myles Standish State Forest? Our group needs more input from all legitimate forest users. Currently, we have hikers, wildlife observers, hunters/fishers and cottage owners. We would love to have active campers, bicyclists and cross country skiers join us. You are welcome to attend our next Board meeting.(More info.)
Last Update 1/6/2026
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Myles Standish State Forest map available at headquarters.
A beautiful map of the forest was published in 2016 and is available for free at headquarters. Here is a scan of the map.
Download a printable PDF copy of the Myles Standish map.
Check out some of our favorite trails!
Membership
Please consider becoming a member of the Friends. Your contribution helps the Friends pay for our free family fishing derby, trail maintenance, running this website and our Meetup activity scheduling site and the many other programs we run for the benefit of the Forest and its users.
More details about membership are available on our Membership page You can mail your contribution or use the PayPal Donate button below to join online.
The Friends of Myles Standish State Forest Meetup.com listings are the best place to find up-to-date info on all our upcoming hikes, birding events and other activities in Myles Standish State Forest.Exploring Frost Pockets in Myles Standish SF
Check out some of our favorite trails!
Friends Hats
The Friends are selling caps with the Friends logo. You can purchase one of these hats at many Friends events. These hats are now also available for order online 
(Note: Blaze orange hats are now back in stock.).
No hunting is allowed on Sundays.
According to this 2014 article from the Star Tribune (Minnesota) , "Massachusetts has nation's toughest ATV law." In a recent presentation to the DCR Stewardship Council by an Environmental Police Officer, Plymouth and Carver were shown to be the leading sources (#1 and #2) of calls to the Massachusetts Environmental Police with complaints about illegal riding. Your calls have been noticed and the many visits of EPO's to MSSF over the fall were credited to the calls. (Numbers for reporting OHV's in the park)
It's tick season! (It's always tick season.) Find out more about ticks and what you can do to protect yourself and your pets at the University of Rhode Island's Tick Encounter Center You can:
- Learn how to make your clothes tick repellent.
- How to remove ticks.
- How to treat your yard for ticks.
- Get your ticks tested. A $50 mail-in test performed by UMass Amherst will quickly tell you if the ticks you find are infected.
- Identify ticks.
The bluebird boxes will go up again in April. The birds have enjoyed them for many years.
A new map mural was put on display next to the Park's Interpretive Center.
The map was commissioned by the Friends and the DCR from local artist Laura Anzalone.
New Treatment Facility for Addicts opened at site of former MCI Plymouth in May 2017
In early May 2017, patients were transferred in to a new treatment facility for substance abusers and alcoholics at the site of the former MCI Plymouth, which is located within the state forest off Circuit Drive.
It is called MASAC (Massachusetts Alcoholic and Substance Abuse Center) at Plymouth. Some of them (17 at last count) had been leaving the facility without permission and have had to be returned by law enforcement. The patients have been committed by the Courts to the facility under Section 35, which explains that those committed to the facility are judged by a Court to have a subtance abuse problem which is causing them to pose a danger to themselves or others. MCI Plymouth existed for about 75 years in the forest using the same facilities and had no escape problems that we were ever aware of. Friends President Bill Vickstrom spoke to the media about the Friends' concerns.We hosted the Deputy Commissioner from the Corrections Department at both our June and July meetings. In June, he apologized for the problem and explained how "elopements" from other substance abuse facilities are handled around the state. He told the assembled group about the State's reaction to the "elopements" and how an 8 foot fence topped with barbed wire will be in place around the residential area by the end of June with additional fencing in place by the end of August around the recreational areas. He said that a tactical team is now available for rapid recapture. Many attendees demanded that the State provide better notification of escapes through the use of the reverse 911 systems available in Carver and Plymouth and asked that the State provide better cell coverage in the forest so that users of the forest would be aware when a problem occurs. They also asked that if these are "patients" and not convicted criminals, the response be moderated and stated that the state's SWAT team response with assault rifles drawn and dogs and helicopters had made park users feel threatened.
As of June 30th, 2017, the new fencing was visible, as was the enhanced security around the site. The Deputy Commissioner provided an update at our July 2017 meeting. Fencing was then complete around two of the residential buildings. Guards continued to be stationed around the perimeter. There were no additional "elopements" in June. We reiterated our requests for an improved notification system, suggesting that temporary cell tower might provide the ability to notify park users who are currently off the grid while in the forest.
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