| Mystic River State Reservation | |
|---|---|
 A view of the park and theMystic Valley Parkway inArlington | |
  Location in Massachusetts Show map of Massachusetts Mystic River Reservation (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Middlesex andSuffolk counties,Massachusetts, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°26′00″N71°08′58″W / 42.4334291°N 71.1494984°W /42.4334291; -71.1494984[1] |
| Area | 329 acres (133 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 7 ft (2.1 m)[1] |
| Established | 1893 |
| Administrator | Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation |
| Website | Official website |
Mystic River State Reservation is a publicly ownednature preserve with recreational features located along theMystic River in the towns ofWinchester,Arlington,Medford,Somerville,Everett, andChelsea in easternMassachusetts. The reserve is part of the nearly 76-square-mile (200 km2) Mystic Riverwatershed.[3] It is managed by theMassachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.[4]
The reservation was established in 1893 by the newly formed Metropolitan Parks Commission (later renamed the Metropolitan District Commission),[5] making it one of the first official nature preserves in Massachusetts, and one of five designed by the commission in that year.[6] Of these five, three were planned as woodland river reservations: the Mystic River Reservation,Charles River Reservation, andNeponset River Reservation.[5] The Mystic River Reservation originally comprised a little over 250 acres (100 ha) of land.[6] By the early 20th century, most of the land along the Mystic River in Medford, Arlington, and Somerville had become public (i.e. state-owned) land.[3][5]
In 2010, the DCR unveiled a plan for restoring and preserving the reservation, called the Mystic River Master Plan. Proposed projects included a partnership between the DCR and the City of Medford to restore the Condon Shell (an outdoor amphitheater located just outside Medford Square); restoration of theAmelia Earhart Dam basin parklands; and a $3.6 million federally funded link between the reservation, theMinuteman Bikeway, and theAlewife "T" Station.[3] The lower parkland is being redeveloped as part ofAssembly Square construction.
In 2019, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts funded a feasibility study for the Mystic to Charles Connector Path linking the southern end of the bicycle and pedestrian paths in the reservation (nearSullivan Square) to theSomerville Community Path, for connections to theCharles River Bicycle Path and downtown Boston.[7] Reconstruction of Draw Seven Park is expected to last from late summer 2024 to 2026.[8]
Facilities for field sports, picnicking, cycling, and sailing are found at four riverside parks: Draw Seven Park in Somerville, Torbert MacDonald Park in Medford, theMystic Lakes in Winchester, Arlington, and Medford, and Mary O'Malley Waterfront Park in Chelsea.[4]
