This urban sanctuary, located on the grounds of the former Boston State Hospital, offers public programs year-round. Through its Boston Schools Initiative, the Boston Nature Center provides environmental education programs to Boston elementary schools weekly. Two miles of wheelchair accessible trails and boardwalks traverse meadows and wetlands where wildlife abounds, including coyotes, pheasants, and many species of migratory birds. The sanctuary’s George Robert White Environmental Conservation Center is one of the “greenest” buildings in Boston, teaching environmentally sustainable design by example. The site also includes the Clark-Cooper Community Gardens, Boston’s oldest and largest, providing food and a green oasis for 260 local families. On site, the Clark-Cooper Community Gardens, Boston's largest community gardens, provide food and a green oasis for hundreds of Boston residents. The Boston Nature Center offers programs for adults, youth, and families throughout the year to foster an appreciation for the urban environment and to support life-long learning. Check the calendar for upcoming programs. Space is limited, so pre-registration and pre-payment for all programs is encouraged. Be sure to dress appropriately for the weather. Tip: It's easier for everyone if infants brought to family programs come in backpacks rather than strollers.

This beautiful natural area hosts twining ridges of oaks that encircle a densely vegetated swamp. As one of the largest, undeveloped areas in Mattapan, Gladeside Urban Wild is a significant assest to the local community. One trail currently stretches from Lorna Road to Gladeside Avenue, while a second trail is being constructed along the West Selden Street border. Both the upland and lowland portions of this site are ecologically rich. The upland ridges host a variety of oaks, birch, hickory, and pine, while the lowland area bursts with sweet pepperbush, alder, and bayberry. Invasives such as Japanese knotweed and barberry have significantly intruded in areas; however, they have not yet compromised the wild's ecological integrity.

The Mattahunt area has excellent access to Almont playground, a 17.81-acre park on Almont Street near the intersection with Blue Hill Avenue. Almont includes a tot-lot, two basketball courts, four tennis courts, and a wooded, rocky, moderately sloping wilder area that provides lovely views of the surrounding area. Buildings within the playground are in poor condition and boarded up. The stone wall around the edge of the playground is in excellent condition.

Ryan Park is a fenced-in Department of Conservation and Recreation park with a tot lot, spray pool, river access. and ball fields. On-site parking is available.

Bordered on the northwest by Woodhaven Street and on the southeast by a steep drop to the MBTA commuter line right-of-way, Woodhaven urban wild is a geologically-rich pocket of land topped by a fairly healthy oak-hickory forest. This small natural area boasts at least five types of rock: Mattapan volcanic rock, Roxbury puddingstone, argyllite or mudstone, breccia, and basalt. Invasives, such as green-brier and European buckthorn, have begun to encroach on the northern section of the urban wild and in the southeastern section bordering the commuter rail right-of-way; however, the majority of the site is covered with white and red oaks. Ecologically, this urban wild is very valuable in that it not only provides a biologically and geologically diverse ecosystem, but also serves as a stepping stone between larger natural areas nearby. Gladeside Urban Wild and Almont Park, which contains a large wooded outcrop, are both in close proximity. There are no established pathways through the site and the northeastern and southwestern sides are snuggly bordered by single family houses.