About World's End
Rolling hills and rocky shorelines offer sweeping views of the Boston skyline, while tree-lined carriage paths designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted make delightful walking trails.
What makes World’s End a special place?
We think it’s the tree-lined carriage paths and sweeping views of the Boston skyline, only 15 miles away. The 251-acre coastscape includes rocky shores, broad hillsides, and open fields bracketed by pockets of woodlands. The property is ideal for walking, picnicking, jogging, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, or simply enjoying nature and the outdoors.
The retreating glacier helped create the geology of Boston Harbor, including the islands and the four spoon-shaped hills (called drumlins) that comprise World’s End. This landscape also features saltwater marshes, meadows, woodlands, and granite ledges covered with red cedars and blueberry thickets.
World’s End was once an island at high tide, but colonial farmers dammed the salt marsh to grow hay and cleared almost all the trees for cropland. In the 1880s, wealthy Boston businessman John Brewer built a farming estate. In 1890, he hired Frederick Law Olmsted to design a large subdivision. While the homes were never built, four miles of carriage roads remain.
Tides once again nourish former salt marsh through specially built culverts, which promote habitat health and diversity. Grasslands maintained by carefully timed mowing provide important habitat for the birds that depend on them, as well as native plant species. And Olmsted’s designed landscape is preserved through mowing, pruning, cutting, and planting.
World’s End was once one of Massachusetts’ most threatened coastal landscapes. In 1890, plans were drawn up for a 163-house residential subdivision. In 1945, the property was short-listed for the site of the United Nations headquarters, which ultimately found its home in New York City. Twenty years later, it was eyed as a possible site for a nuclear power plant. But in 1967, thanks to local commitment and tremendous fundraising efforts, dedicated residents from Hingham and surrounding communities, and The Trustees, were able to preserve this special place.
Did you know World's End is part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area? Learn more!
Trails
4.5 miles of carriage paths and footpaths. Moderate hiking.
Facilities
Public restrooms. Benches. Drinking water fountain.
When to Visit
Year-round, daily, 8 a.m. to sunset. Allow a minimum of 2 hours.
Regulations & Advisories
- Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times.
- Mountain biking permitted only on dirt roads.
- Unauthorized vehicles are not permitted on the reservation.
Directions
Martin’s Lane
Hingham, MA 02043
Telephone: 781.740.7233
Gatehouse: 781.740.6665
Email: greaterboston@ttor.org
Latitude: 42.2584
Longitude: -70.8734
Get directions on Google Maps.
From Rt. 3, take Exit 14, Rt. 228 North for 6.5 mi. Turn left onto Rt. 3A and follow for 0.7 mi. Turn right onto Summer St. and, at major intersection with Rockland St., continue straight across onto Martin’s Lane. Follow for 0.7 mi. to entrance and parking (70 cars) at end. Roadside parking is not permitted.
Admission
When to Visit
Year-round, daily, 8AM to sunset. Allow a minimum of 2 hours.
Admission Fees & Permits
Trustees members and children free. Nonmember adults: $6. Annual horseback riding permit required. Call for details.
Property History
John Brewer built a mansion along Martin's Lane in 1856 and, over the next thirty years, acquired most of the peninsula as well as Sarah and Langley Islands. His farming estate was vast and varied. He produced hay and crops and raised thoroughbred horses, Jersey cattle, pigs, chickens, and sheep. To support these operations, Brewer built a complex of farm buildings that included a blacksmith shop, greenhouses, a smokehouse, and homes for farmhands and their families.
In 1889, Brewer asked landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to design a residential subdivision for World’s End. His plan included 163 house plots connected by tree-lined roads. The cart paths were cut and the trees planted, but the development never occurred.
At the time of its acquisition by The Trustees in 1967, World’s End was one of the most threatened landscapes on Massachusetts’ entire coast. The peninsula had survived a 1945 proposal to construct a new United Nations Headquarters and a 1965 proposal to build a nuclear power plant.
Property Acquisition History
Purchased in 1967.
Programs
Summer Camp
Looking for summer camps for your kids? Look no further! We've got 2013 South Shore Summer Adventures at Weir River Farm and World's End planned for kids from four to 16. Get more info >>
Conservation and Stewardship
Management Planning for Our Properties
Since 1891, The Trustees of Reservations have worked to protect special places in Massachusetts and maintain them to the highest standards. To ensure these standards are met, a program of careful planning and sound management is essential. Comprehensive property management plans are created for each reservation and are completely updated approximately every ten years. We often work with volunteers, property users, and members of the community to carry out this planning, which typically involves several steps:
- Describing in detail the site’s natural, scenic, and historical resources; identifying management issues related to the protection of those resources.
- Describing how visitors use the property; outlining the opportunities that the property provides for people to become involved in the work of conservation and caring for their community.
- Developing a detailed list of management recommendations, a work plan, and a description of financial needs for implementing the actions.
- Developing a prescribed routine management program for the reservation that will guide staff work plans, volunteer involvement, and the allocation of human and financial resources.
View World's End management plan.
View our Damde Meadows salt marsh restoration guide. Created by volunteer, Veronica Palmero.
Maps and Resources
Printed trail maps are distributed free from the bulletin board in the parking area. Please understand that supplies periodically run out. We recommend that you download a trail map before you visit.
Planning Your Visit
Before You Go
We encourage you to visit as many Trustees properties as you can.
Wherever your travels take you, please observe all posted regulations, follow special instructions from property staff, and keep in mind the Stewardship Code:
- Protect wildlife and plants.
- Guard against all risk of fire.
- Help keep air and water clean.
- Carry out what you carry in.
- Use marked footpaths and bridle paths.
- Leave livestock, crops, and machinery alone.
- Respect the privacy of neighboring land.
- Enjoy and share the landscape with others.
Click on links below for further visitor information:
Before Setting Out
Tell Us What You Think
We’d love to hear about your visit! Here are three easy ways to let us know what you think:
-
Take our visitor survey. If you have a question for us, you can ask us in the survey and we’ll get back to you.
- Post a comment about your visit on our Facebook page.
- Share your experiences with other visitors on our website. Simply fill out the form below, and we’ll post your comment right here on this page.
Announcements & Alerts
Help us get 500 new members during our Membership Month! Join Today >>
Upcoming Things To Do
Other Trustees Properties You Might Like:
Whitney and Thayer Woods
Hingham & Cohasset, MA
Weir River Farm
Hingham, MA
Norris Reservation
Norwell, MA
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