Parking & Directions

Parking at Hopkinton State Park costs $8 a day for cars with Massachusetts plates and $30 for all other plates, charged Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day Monday. You pay at the meter in whichever lot you park in, by card, because DCR accepts no cash here, or with the YODEL app. The main entrance is at 164 Cedar Street (Route 85) in Hopkinton. On busy summer days the park closes to new arrivals once every space is taken, so the real parking question in July is not the price but how early you get there.

Parking Fees and Who Pays

DCR sets the daily fee by the car's license plate, not by where the driver lives. A Massachusetts plate pays $8; any other plate pays $30. The fee season runs Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day Monday. Once you pay, the pass goes on your dashboard where staff can see it.

• Pay at the meter: there is a meter in each parking lot, and no cash is accepted.
• Pay by phone: DCR accepts mobile payments through the YODEL app (DCR's YODEL FAQ).
• Annual pass: $60 DCR annual parking pass for Massachusetts residents with a Massachusetts-registered vehicle. It must be displayed and can't be moved between cars.
• Seniors: Massachusetts residents 62 and older can buy a lifetime DCR senior pass for $10. It is not sold at the park.
• No fee: cars displaying a handicapped plate or placard, a Purple Heart plate or a Disabled Veteran plate.
• Library passes: DCR points to ParksPasses you can borrow from a library.

When the Park Is Full

This is what catches people out. DCR says it is common for thousands of visitors to come each day on summer weekends. When parking reaches capacity, the park temporarily closes and reopens once enough spaces free up. DCR's reservation site adds that during a capacity closure no vehicles or people on foot are let in until the gates reopen, and that even a pavilion booking does not guarantee entry.

• Arrive early on a hot weekend or holiday.
• Check DCR Park Alerts before you leave home; DCR posts capacity closures there.
• Have a backup: Ashland State Park (which also fills up in summer) and Whitehall State Park (free parking, no swimming) are nearby DCR parks.

Directions to the Main Entrance

DCR's directions: from I-495 north or south, take exit 21A to Main Street in Hopkinton. Follow Main Street to the third traffic light, in the center of downtown Hopkinton, and turn left onto Route 85 north. The park entrance is about 2 miles along, on the right. From Boston, take the Mass Pike (I-90) west to I-495 south and follow the same route.

For GPS, use 164 Cedar Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748, the address on DCR's park page. DCR's trail map shows the main entrance off Route 85 near Cordaville Road, with a contact station just inside the gate. Older DCR documents and the park's mailing address use 71 Cedar Street; the 164 Cedar Street address is the one DCR gives for directions.

Which Lot to Use

Inside the main entrance, park roads loop through the main recreation area, with lots spread among the picnic areas. DCR's reservation site labels some of them by letter: Lot L is at Main Beach (also called Lower Beach) by the Beach Pavilion, and Lots M, N and O are on Split Rock road by the Split Rock Pavilion. DCR's trail map also shows parking and a car-top boat launch on Cedar Street on the east side of the reservoir, outside the main area.

Park only in a marked space. DCR's reservation rules say no vehicle may park outside a marked space or drive off the pavement onto fields or roadsides.

Closing Time

DCR lists the park as open sunrise to sunset. Its reservation site says the gates close at 8:00 pm from May through early September and earlier in September and October as sunset moves up, and that cars left inside after closing are locked in and the authorities notified. Leave yourself time to walk back to the car. Hours.

Accessible Parking and Groups

DCR lists the park as wheelchair accessible, with an accessible beach and beach wheelchairs. Cars with a handicapped plate or placard park free. Call the park office at (508) 435-4303 to ask which lot is closest to what you plan to do. Groups bigger than 25 without a pavilion booking need a State Parks Special Use Permit, and DCR's Youth Group Bus Pass program asks groups to contact the park before applying.