Hours & Fees

Borderland State Park is open every day of the year. DCR lists its hours as 8 am to 6 pm, Sunday through Saturday, and posts shorter winter hours of 8 am to 4 pm. The parking lots are locked overnight, so be back at your car before closing. There is no entry fee beyond the daily parking charge of $5 for Massachusetts plates and $20 for others, which DCR collects all year.

Hours Through the Year

DCR's park page gives one schedule, 8 am to 6 pm daily. DCR's winter Trip-Tip for Borderland lists winter hours of 8 am to 4 pm, and DCR's 2017 management plan explains why: the lots open during daylight and the hours of operation change with the length of the day. In practice, expect the earlier closing in the short days of late fall and winter, and check DCR's Borderland page before an evening visit in spring or fall.

What Has Its Own Schedule

• Ames Mansion: open only on guided tours. DCR's free first-floor tours run at set times you book online; the Friends of Borderland's three-floor tours run on set Sundays from noon. See mansion tours.
• Visitor center: the restrooms, exhibits and park office are in the visitor center. Call (508) 238-6566 ahead if you need the office.
• DCR programs: listed by date and time on each month's program sheet. Rain cancels most of them. See events.
• Evening events: the Friends' ticketed events, such as the October haunted hayride (6 to 10 pm), run after normal closing under their own arrangements.

Is Borderland Open on Holidays?

DCR's park page lists the same hours Sunday through Saturday and names no holiday closures. Weekends from spring through fall are the busiest, so arrive early. If the park reaches capacity, DCR temporarily closes it to new cars until parking opens up.

Fees

The only charge is parking: $5 a day for Massachusetts plates and $20 for others, every day of the year. A Massachusetts resident's $60 DCR annual pass covers it. Trails, the disc golf course, DCR programs and DCR's mansion tours are free. How to pay and where to park are on the parking page.

Planning Around Closing Time

• DCR's hiking guide estimates about 1.5 miles an hour. The Pond Walk (about 3 miles) needs at least 90 minutes by DCR's own count.
• The Long Hike to Dead Swamp Pond and back is about 5 miles, a half-day at that pace.
• For a round of disc golf, start well before closing; the course spreads from the visitor center fields to Leach Pond.
• In winter, with a 4 pm close, be on your way back by mid-afternoon.

Weather and Closures

DCR posts closures and alerts for state parks on its Park Alerts page and its X account, @MassDCR. For programs in doubtful weather, DCR's tour and program sheets suggest calling the park at (508) 238-6566.