The Friends of Lynn Woods is the fundamental community organization that helps the City in maintaining and improving Lynn Woods. Friends of Lynn Woods was incorporated in 1990 as a non-profit organization with an aim of ensuring Lynn Woods Reservation’s perpetual existence. The formation of Friends of Lynn Woods was inspired by the Indentured document of December 1881, which outlined a desire to have Lynn Woods Reservation continue to exist to perpetuity. The Friends of Lynn Woods’ objective is to safeguard the woods from exploitation and development and maintain the forest as an unspoiled and natural forest preserve. The community organization recruits volunteers and conducts projects geared towards enhancing but not altering the primeval and natural characteristics of the wood. One of the objectives of the Friends of Lynn Woods’ is making Lynn Woods become a major focal area of the City of Lynn. Towards this end, Friends of Lynn Woods educates children and adults of the historical and environmental significance of Lynn Woods. The community organization acts as a link between Lynn Woods and residents of the City by enabling the people to get reacquainted with Lynn Woods Reservation. In the last two decades, the Friends of Lynn Woods has been keen on ensuring that improvement projects outlined in the master plan of Lynn Woods Reservation are successfully completed.
Founded in 1881 with the help of the Department of Conservation and Recreation of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Lynn Woods Reservation is the 2nd biggest municipal park in America. The municipal park covers more than two thousand acres of land and is situated in Lynn Massachusetts. The forest features more than thirty miles of spectacular trails for nature walks, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, horseback riding, running, and hiking. The forest also features 3 active reservoirs that provide fresh water to the City of Lynn, as well as spectacular pond-like sites among natural woods. Dungeon Rock is a popular underground tunnel known for its rich history of treasure seekers and pirate lore. According to legends, there is buried treasure underneath Dungeon Rock from the early 1600s. A man called Hiram Marble was instructed by spirits to make his way to the cave and obtain the treasure, and Hiram Marble relocated his family to the region in the 1800s and started to dig for the treasure. Since then oddity seekers of New England have always been curious about the region. The Amphitheater area, Rose Garden, and Houghton Horticultural Garden offer more formal areas for exploration.
In some ways, Lynn Woods Reservation seems like an oxymoron; a forest at the center of a city? But alas, the area has long been a popular destination for mountain biking and trail walking offering an excellent opportunity to dive in and explore nature without driving far away from the beaten path. The Stone Tower at Burrill Hill is perhaps the most prominent architectural landmark in Lynn Woods. Standing at forty-eight feet, the Stone Tower is also Lyn Woods’ highest point and is usually accessible by appointment