40 lakes with water-quality readings within 4 hr of downtown
Driving from Boston to a lake worth swimming in
South Reservoir is the closest lake with water-quality readings to Boston, 14 min away. That is unusual: the closest lake is also the one with the most favourable readings within reach, so there is no tradeoff to make here.
Every lake below is ranked by how long the drive is, and each links to its own water-quality readings. Closest is not the same as cleanest, and this page will not pretend otherwise.
Closer, or cleaner — the whole ladder
40 lakes, sorted by drive time from downtown Boston. 9 of them have clear, low-nutrient readings. Some of the best water is over a state line — this list crosses into New Hampshire. The furthest entry is Lovewell Pond at 59 min.
| Drive | Lake | Road miles | County | Size | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 min | South Reservoir | 8.1 | Middlesex County, MA | 80 ac | Not recorded |
| 17 min | Wedge Pond | 9.6 | Middlesex County, MA | 21 ac | Not recorded |
| 19 min | Horn Pond | 10.8 | Middlesex County, MA | 103 ac | ✓ Public |
| 20 min | Walden Pond | 12.3 | Essex County, MA | 243 ac | Not recorded |
| 29 min | Cambridge Reservoir | 14.4 | Middlesex County, MA | 546 ac | Not recorded |
| 31 min | Field Pond | 21.2 | Essex County, MA | 57 ac | Not recorded |
| 33 min | Gleasons Pond | 21 | Middlesex County, MA | Not recorded | ✓ Public |
| 34 min | Ponkapoag Pond | 17.1 | Norfolk County, MA | 285 ac | Not recorded |
| 37 min | Cleveland Pond | 21.2 | Plymouth County, MA | 300 ac | Not recorded |
| 39 min | Sudbury Reservoir | 27 | Worcester County, MA | 1,300 ac | ✓ Public |
| 41 min | Ames Long Pond | 26.1 | Bristol County, MA | 95 ac | Not recorded |
| 43 min | Barkers Pond | 23.7 | Middlesex County, MA | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| 45 min | Boons Pond | 26 | Middlesex County, MA | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| 45 min | Chebacco Lake | 27.7 | Essex County, MA | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| 47 min | Furnace Pond | 30.2 | Plymouth County, MA | Not recorded | ✓ Public |
| 47 min | Millville Lake-Chucks Cove | 34.1 | Rockingham County, NH | 54 ac | Not recorded |
| 48 min | Robbins Pond | 28.8 | Plymouth County, MA | 85 ac | Not recorded |
| 48 min | Heart Pond | 29.8 | Middlesex County, MA | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| 48 min | Millville Lake-Car-Mar Cove | 35 | Rockingham County, NH | 54 ac | Not recorded |
| 48 min | Millville Lake-Right of Way | 35 | Rockingham County, NH | 54 ac | Not recorded |
| 48 min | Millville Lake | 35.1 | Rockingham County, NH | 54 ac | Not recorded |
| 48 min | Cobbetts Pond-Armstrong | 36.7 | Rockingham County, NH | Not recorded | ✓ Public |
| 50 min | Nabnasset Pond | 32.8 | Middlesex County, MA | 146 ac | ✓ Public |
| 50 min | Crystal Lake | 35.9 | Essex County, MA | 170 ac | Not recorded |
| 50 min | Cobbetts Pond-Town Beach | 38.1 | Rockingham County, NH | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| 51 min | Lake Pearl | 33.8 | Norfolk County, MA | 288 ac | Not recorded |
| 51 min | Little Chauncy Pond | 34.2 | Worcester County, MA | Not recorded | ✓ Public |
| 51 min | Watson Pond | 37.2 | Bristol County, MA | 65 ac | ✓ Public |
| 52 min | Bartlett Pond | 35.5 | Worcester County, MA | 44 ac | ✓ Public |
| 52 min | Captains Pond-Camp Y Wood | 35.8 | Rockingham County, NH | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| 52 min | Captains Pond-Buzzell Cove | 35.8 | Rockingham County, NH | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| 53 min | Monponsett Pond | 31.5 | Plymouth County, MA | Not recorded | ✓ Public |
| 53 min | Captains Pond | 36.1 | Rockingham County, NH | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| 53 min | Captains Pond-Boat Launch | 36.1 | Rockingham County, NH | 3 ac | Not recorded |
| 54 min | Upper Artichoke Reservoir | 37.5 | Essex County, MA | 131 ac | ✓ Public |
| 55 min | Long Pond-Nh | 32.9 | Hillsborough County, NH | Not recorded | ✓ Public |
| 57 min | Ten Mile River Lake | 38.8 | Bristol County, MA | 111 ac | ✓ Public |
| 57 min | Rock Pond | 39.9 | Rockingham County, NH | 40 ac | Not recorded |
| 59 min | Bare Hill Pond | 33.7 | Worcester County, MA | 324 ac | Not recorded |
| 59 min | Lovewell Pond | 39.8 | Hillsborough County, NH | Not recorded | ✓ Public |
What the numbers are, and are not
Drive times and road miles are one-way road routing from downtown Boston to the nearest public road at each lake, over the OpenStreetMap network via OSRM (router.project-osrm.org) over OpenStreetMap, driving profile, free-flow. Free-flow means no traffic model and no time of day, so a weekend morning will beat these numbers and a Friday afternoon will not.
Each lake’s water-quality readings, phosphorus, nitrogen, chlorophyll-a and turbidity measured over years by state and federal agencies, are on its own page. They describe the lake’s record; they do not clear the water for a particular afternoon, and they say nothing about the beach, the boat ramp or the view. Lakes with no nutrient or algae reading on record are not listed here, because the water is the only axis this page ranks on.
Size and access come from the lake record where the agency published them. “Not recorded” means nobody documented it — it is a gap in the paperwork, not a statement about the lake.
More lakes near Boston
Nearby cities
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
South Reservoir in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Its nutrient and algae readings are among the most favourable within reach, and the drive is 14 min, or 8.1 road miles. It is also the closest lake of any kind with readings on record.
Not longer at all. The closest lake to Boston is also the closest one with clear, low-nutrient water, so the cleaner water costs no extra driving.
14 of the 40 lakes here have a public access point on the record, and the closest is Horn Pond, 19 min away. The rest of the table shows "Not recorded" where no access point was documented, which is not the same as no access — check with the managing agency before you trailer a boat.
By road, from downtown Boston to the nearest public road at each lake, over the OpenStreetMap road network. They are free-flow times: no traffic, no time of day, no stops. Treat them as the floor, and add for rush hour and for the last stretch to the water.
No. The readings summarise years of phosphorus, nitrogen, algae and turbidity measurements; they describe the lake, not this afternoon. A beach closure, a bloom, or a heavy rain can change conditions overnight. Whether a lake is safe to swim in is a call for the state water agency and the county health department: check the lake's own page for its measurement record, and check the managing agency for current advisories before you get in.
Stay by the water, not by the highway
Cabins, hotels and rentals around South Reservoir in Middlesex County, the closest lake to Boston with the most favourable readings in range. 14 min from downtown.
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