Hiking trail on Thompson Island, part of Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area

Thompson Island is home to the Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center and is only open to the public on weekends from mid-June through Labor Day. An Outward Bound boat carries students, parents, and weekend visitors to the island, departing from the EDIC Pier in South Boston. At the time of this writing, there is one boat each day that departs at 9 AM and returns to Boston at 12 PM. The trip takes 25 minutes. For the latest schedule and to make a reservation, see Outward Bound’s Visit Thompson Island web page. No walk-ups are allowed.

Plan to be at the boat dock about fifteen minutes before departure. When I visited on a Sunday in early August, I took the 8 AM ferry to Thompson Island and there were only a handful of passengers. However, when I went to catch the 11:30 AM boat back to Boston, the dock was packed. All of these people must have been holed up in the campus buildings, because I didn’t see a soul once I got on the trails. I wasn’t sure if Outward Bound customers would get first dibs on the seats, so I got on the boat immediately. Everyone else stood on the dock talking until the last minute. While packed, everyone was able to make the trip back.

Outward Bound boat at the EDIC Pier in South Boston

The EDIC Pier is located in a commercial district, and while it is easy to find if you could drive right up to it, you must park in a public garage at 12 Drydock Avenue. It’s trying to find the dock from the garage that gets confusing because you have no idea where you are once you get outside. I’m not sure how many exits to the street there are from the garage, but look for the massive Boston Design Center building and head in that direction. The building is located one street over from the water, and your goal is to get to the water and take a right, heading away from the front entrance of the Design Center. There are a few private parking lots in the way, and you may not be able to get to the water immediately, but just keep walking. I ended up on Black Falcon Avenue and walked until a saw a police station. The dock is just around the corner.

EDIC Pier

Boston Design Center near the EDIC Pier in Boston Harbor

There’s not much to do on Thompson Island other than hike, and since there are plenty of places to hike in Boston without the hassle and fees of taking a ferry, in reality, anyone visiting is just doing so out of curiosity. When I visited in early August, I was the only non-Outward Bound passenger on the boat to the island and on the return trip to Boston. If there is one thing I can say about my visit, it’s that I always felt like I didn’t belong. Everyone on the boat knew each other, and there is no Visitor Center where you can get information and talk to somebody. It was like being invited to a party with a bunch of people you don’t know. Furthermore, there are no concessions on the island, so be sure to bring food, water, and anything else that you might need.

There are a little over four miles worth of trails that run through interesting and diverse terrain. Other than an old cemetery, there are no historic sites of interest. I was able to hike all the trails by the time the boat departed back to Boston at 12 PM.  See the Thompson Island Hiking Trails web page for detailed information on the two possible hikes on the island.

Thompson Island has rental facilities for conferences and events such as weddings, and in truth, nearly all non-Outward Bound visitors are there for an event, not to go hiking. See the Thompson Island Outward Bound Events web page for more information on renting the facilities.

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