Callahan State Park
Framingham's Callahan State Park is a public recreation area covering 958 acres. People use the park for hiking, Mountain Biking, Fishing, horseback riding and walking. There is a pond where dogs can play in a beach like area.
The park has many trials with various main entrances:
- North Entrance - Good place to start on the Hiking trails. Lots of available parking.
- Edman's Road Entrance - Nice lot
- South Entrance - Primary Dog entrance. Enjoy the pond and meet other dog owners. Watch out for Golfers across the street when parking!
This is a nice park where there is a combination of open fields and woods. There's all sorts of fun trails to explore.
Not only is this a fun place to go for a walk, but its a fun place to bring your camera and take pictures - especially in early October.
You don't need a dog to visit the park - as there are lots of trails to explore. During a recent visit we encountered several families out for a nice Labor Day walk.
Ten things I Learned About Callahan State Park
- Officially Became a State Park in 1970
- Named after Raymond J, Callahan, an editor of the Framingham News. The park was named after him shortly after he died in 1969.
- Was a farm land since 1699 and 425-arces was turned over to the state as park land in 1969. The state paid $322,500 for the land. The state was buying lots of open space and some people didn't think it was a good use of the state's money.
- The park now encompasses 958-arces. (I wasn't able to find out specifically when the park expanded in size.)
- When the park first opened, there were personal aircraft shows near the Millwood entrance. Over a 1,000 people showed up. (Where did they park?)
- Dog owners should be careful about having their dogs swim or drink at the pond off Millwood Street. There are bacteria in the water since it is still water. Probably not a good idea to have puppies play in the water.
- One of the few places in the MetroWest where you can take dogs off the leach. Make sure to read the park signs, this is not a 100% leach free area and park rangers have been known to enforce the rules. Make sure you are in control of your dog at all times.
- Learn about the trails before you go. There are trail maps available if you need it.
- There is only 30 parking spaces on the Millwood Ave parking lot. This tends to fill up quickly on Weekends because its very close to the leach free area and pond. Cars will line the streets near the parking lot entrance.
- If you plan to visit the park with your dog frequently, consider joining the Callahan Dog Owners Group. It's a group that is working to make Callahan State Park the best multi-use park in Massachusetts.
Official Street Address
The park offical street address is 1048 Edmands Rd, Framingham, MA 01701. If you are bringing a dog visit the Millwood entrance as you'll see other dogs enjoying the open field.