Hours & Fees

Breakheart Reservation is open from sunrise to sunset every day, all year, and it costs nothing to get in or to park. DCR does not charge a parking fee at either the Saugus or the Wakefield entrance. The schedules that change through the year are the visitor center, the supervised swimming beach at Pearce Lake, and Camp Nihan.

Park Hours

DCR's page for the reservation gives its hours as sunrise to sunset. The trail-use guidelines printed on DCR's trail map say the same thing in different words: the reservation is open from dawn to dusk. Plan to be back at your car by sunset, especially in November and December, when the light goes early and the paved loops under the white pines get dark first. DCR's hiking notes put the average pace at about 1.5 miles an hour on trails. A 3-mile Outer Loop is a comfortable two hours; the 3.4-mile Stories in Stone walk takes about three, by DCR's own estimate. Start with time to spare.

Fees

• Entrance: free.
• Parking: free at 177 Forest St., Saugus and 100 Hemlock Road, Wakefield. See parking.
• Swimming: no separate charge is listed by DCR for the Pearce Lake beach.
• Programs: DCR's fall 2026 program sheet says all programs are free and open to the public.
• Group camping at Camp Nihan: booked through DCR's reservation system or a special use permit; see Camp Nihan.

DCR lists no swim fee here. By comparison, DCR charges $10 a day for Massachusetts plates at Nahant Beach in season.

Visitor Center Hours

The Christopher P. Dunne Visitor Center stands by the Saugus lot at 177 Forest Street. DCR's fall 2026 program sheet lists it as open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and "open rain or shine." Inside are historic photos, artifacts and animals, a Kids Corner with scavenger hunts and coloring sheets, and the First People, First Stewards Children's Library. The building is modeled after a hunting lodge that once stood inside the park; the history page explains whose. Visitor center days can change by season. Call the park at (781) 233-0834 before a midweek trip.

Pearce Lake Swim Season (2026)

DCR publishes a season table for every beach it guards. For John A. Pearce Lake at Breakheart, the 2026 schedule was:

• Designated swimming area opened May 23, 2026.
• Early-season lifeguards on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, May 23 to June 12.
• Full lifeguard coverage seven days a week, 10:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., from June 13.
• Lifeguard coverage ended and the swimming area closed September 7, 2026.

DCR notes that opening dates and lifeguard schedules can change with staffing. The 2027 dates will appear on the same DCR table in spring. Everything else about the beach, from where to park to what to bring, is on the Pearce Lake page.

Camp Nihan Open Days

Camp Nihan Education Center, DCR's group camping area on Walnut Street in Saugus, keeps its own days. DCR lists it as open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from September through June, and Friday and Saturday in July and August. It is for reserved groups, not drop-in visits.

Programs Schedule

DCR runs free guided programs that meet at the visitor center unless noted. The fall 2026 sheet included a weekly Sunday-morning guided hike of 2 to 3 miles, a Stories in Stone history hike of about 2.5 miles, a weekly nature craft session for ages 2 to 5, and birding at Camp Nihan. Inclement weather cancels programs. See plan your visit for more.

Before You Go

Check the rules (propane grills only, swim only in the designated area) and the trail map before you set out.