Dogs at Breakheart

Dogs are welcome at Breakheart Reservation. DCR lists the park as dog friendly, requires a leash no longer than 10 feet on the trails and paved loops, and gives dogs their own fenced off-leash area, the Barking Lot, just off the main paved loop. Parking is free at both entrances.

The Leash Rule

DCR's hiking guidance is short: always keep your dog leashed, 10-foot maximum, and always pick up after your dog and dispose of the waste properly. That applies on the blazed trails, the paved loops, the picnic areas and around the lakes. Retractable leashes that run out past 10 feet do not meet it. The paved Inner Loop is shared with runners, strollers and bikes, so keep your dog close on busy summer weekends.

The Barking Lot: Breakheart's Off-Leash Area

DCR's facility list for the reservation includes the "Barking Lot – fenced off leash dog area." On DCR's trail map the same area is labeled Bark Place Dog Park, near Pine Tops Road. It is the one place in the park where a dog can run off leash. Getting there is easy: DCR describes both the 2-mile Inner Loop (the Healthy Heart Trail on Pine Tops Road) and the 3-mile Outer Loop as passing the off-leash dog park. Start at the Saugus entrance by the visitor center and follow the paved path.

Where Dogs Can't Go

• Camp Nihan Education Center: DCR's restrictions say no pets.
• The swimming area at Pearce Lake: swimming is for the designated area only, and DCR does not list it as a dog area. See Pearce Lake.
• Nearby ocean beaches in summer: DCR bans dogs from Nahant Beach from April 1 to September 15 and from Revere Beach from April to mid-September. See Nahant Beach and Revere Beach.
• Some other state parks: DCR notes that dogs are not permitted in its Water Supply Protection areas, such as the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs, and in certain state parks. Check before you drive to a different park.

Good Walks with a Dog

• Inner Loop, 2 miles, easy: paved, shaded by white pines, past the Barking Lot. Start or end with off-leash time.
• Outer Loop, 3 miles, moderate: longer and hillier, also paved, also past the dog area, startable from either entrance.
• Silver Lake Trail, 1.6 miles, easy: a quieter blazed loop along the shore of the lake where nobody swims.
• Fox Run – Saugus River loop, 2 miles, moderate: rockier, along the river and wetland. Keep the leash short near the water.

Distances and directions for each are on the hiking page.

Ticks, Heat and Water

DCR warns that drinking water may not be available in the park, so carry enough for you and your dog. The reservation is forest and wetland along the Saugus River; check your dog for ticks after a walk, as you would anywhere in eastern Massachusetts woods. On hot days, walk early or late and give your dog breaks in the shade.

Dogs at Nearby Places

• Rumney Marsh Reservation (DCR, Saugus): pets on a leash or in a carrier.
• Saugus Iron Works (National Park Service): the NPS invites visitors to explore the site with their dog and become a "bark ranger."

See things to do in Saugus and Saugus Iron Works.

Before You Go

Read the full park rules, pick your entrance, and remember the park closes at sunset (hours).