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Nahant's East Point

Lodge Park in Nahant with your dog: East Point on a leash

Henry Cabot Lodge Park is the town park at East Point, at the far end of Nahant, on land the Army took over from the Lodge family in 1917 for coastal defenses. It is a short, leashed, open-air walk with plenty of history and almost no parking. This page covers the rule, the access problem and the wildlife that shares the point.

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A hiker with a backpack and two dogs stands on a grassy overlook facing forested mountains.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · by the Dogtown team · rules checked for fall 2026

The rule

Leashed, dawn to dusk, under the town's 24-hour leash law

The Recreation Committee's parks page gives the dog rule in one line: dogs are permitted within the park on a leash. The same entry sets the hours at dawn to dusk. Nahant's Animal Control page explains that the leash is not optional anywhere else in town either, because Nahant has a 24-hour leash law: every dog must be on a leash secured by its walker whenever it leaves its owner's property.

Section 13 of the police bylaws is the text behind that summary, asking for a dog held firmly on a leash off its owner's property. Fines within any 12-month period run $25, $50, $75 and then $100, and owners must carry bags and dispose of waste in a trash container, never a storm drain. If you cross town to reach the park, note that the Johnson School grounds and Greenlawn Cemetery are closed to dogs altogether.

  • Dogs: on a leash for the whole visit
  • Hours: dawn to dusk
  • Bags in your pocket; waste in a bin, never a drain
  • Fines: $25, $50, $75, then $100 within a year

The walk

Ocean trails, Boston skyline views and boards on East Point's past

The town describes the park as having many trails that look out over the ocean and offer glimpses of the Boston skyline, with informational boards about the area's history placed around it. Nahant does not publish trail names or distances for the park, so we will not invent any. Expect a stroll of short paths and lookouts rather than a long hike, and keep the leash short at the lookouts, where other visitors stop to take in the view.

The history on those boards is military. According to Wikipedia, the Army acquired East Point from the Lodge family in 1917, the site carried coastal artillery in World War II and was a Nike missile site from 1955 to 1962, and East Point is now a town park and the home of Northeastern University's Marine Science Center. Canoe Beach, a rocky cove popular with divers, sits between 40 Steps Beach and that center.

Parking

No public parking: town residents use the Canoe Beach lot

Parking is the hard part. The parks page says parking is available at the Canoe Beach lot for town residents and that there is no public parking, and the town's beach page describes that lot as small and for sticker holders only. For a visitor from Lynn, Swampscott or Cape Ann, the only public lot the town names is at Nahant Beach, the state reservation along the causeway, listed at $10, so work out the rest of the route before you load the dog.

The beaches below the park are no fallback for a dog in summer. Canoe Beach, next to the Marine Science Center, and 40 Steps Beach beside it are closed to dogs from May 1 to September 30 and take them only on a leash from October 1 to April 30, and the town does no water testing at Canoe Beach. The one Nahant beach where a dog may run free, in any month, is Doggie Beach on Castle Road, which has its own page here.

  • Canoe Beach lot: town residents with a sticker only
  • No public parking at the park
  • Canoe Beach and 40 Steps: no dogs May 1 to September 30
  • Off-leash sand in Nahant: Doggie Beach only

Wildlife

Coyotes on the point: what the town asks of dog walkers

Nahant has resident coyotes, and the town's coyote page is direct about dogs. It says coyotes are most aggressive toward dogs during mating season, from late January to early March, and while pups are in the den in April and May, and that likely den sites are the larger blocks of natural and semi-natural habitat in town. Once a den has been found, the town asks residents to keep dogs away from that area through denning season.

The town's advice for walkers comes down to the leash and your presence. Dogs off leash or alone are far more likely to be attacked, the page says, and it is the person on the other end of the leash who prevents an attack. It suggests a walking stick or a citronella spray, hazing an approaching coyote by yelling and waving your arms, and calling the Nahant Police at 781-581-1212 if you or your pet are in immediate danger.

One worry you can leave at home is hunting. The same page explains that state law bars hunting within 500 feet of an occupied dwelling or 150 feet of a paved road, which it says essentially means there is no hunting in Nahant, and the town also has a no-discharge bylaw. So, unlike a wildlife management area in the fall, Lodge Park asks for no blaze orange on you or the dog.

  1. 01

    Check the time: the park is open from dawn to dusk

  2. 02

    Sort out parking first, since the park has none for visitors

  3. 03

    Leash on from the car, and keep it short at the lookouts

  4. 04

    Read the history boards while your dog sniffs the grass

  5. 05

    If a coyote approaches, stand tall, shout and wave, with the dog at your side

  6. 06

    Bag the waste and carry it to a bin

After the walk

Sea wind and salt spray, then a bath in Gloucester

An exposed point in the off-season means wind, salt spray and, on the beaches below, wet sand. Our bath and brush at 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester is a warm bath, blow-dry and brush-out priced by size from $55 to $95, with Shed Release at $10 for a heavy spring coat and nail clipping at $16. Grooming is booked without an evaluation, and booking the next one at pick-up saves $5.

Nahant is not one of the Pup Van towns, so ask us about pick-up before you plan around it. For another leashed coastal walk on Cape Ann, Halibut Point State Park in Rockport requires leashes and has its own page, and Gloucester's beaches open to dogs on their own alternating-day schedule from October 1, a few minutes from our door on Eastern Ave.

At Dogtown

After the point

A bath and brush by size for salt spray and sand, and daycare playgroups for dogs that need a run the park cannot give.

Groomer blow-drying a red goldendoodle in front of the Dogtown Grooming sign Dog GroomingFrom $55 · Explore Husky standing on the turf play yard at Dogtown, looking at the camera Dog DaycareFrom $33 · Explore

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Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

Are dogs allowed at Lodge Park in Nahant?
Yes, on a leash. The town's parks page says dogs are permitted within Henry Cabot Lodge Park on a leash, and the park is open from dawn to dusk. Nahant's 24-hour leash law covers the streets around it, with fines of $25 to $100 within a 12-month period.
Can I park at Lodge Park if I do not live in Nahant?
Not at the park. The town lists parking for residents at the Canoe Beach lot, which needs a resident sticker, and says there is no public parking. The only public lot the town names is at Nahant Beach, the DCR reservation on the causeway, which it lists at $10.
What are the hours at Lodge Park?
The town lists Henry Cabot Lodge Park as open from dawn to dusk and gives no separate seasonal hours. Plan to be off the trails by dusk with your dog still leashed, which also follows the town's coyote advice to keep dogs leashed and directly supervised at all times.
Can my dog go on Canoe Beach or 40 Steps Beach near Lodge Park?
Not from May 1 to September 30, when Nahant bars dogs from every town beach except Doggie Beach on Castle Road. From October 1 to April 30 dogs may be on those beaches on a leash. The town also notes that it does no water quality testing at Canoe Beach.
Is there hunting near Lodge Park?
The town's coyote page explains that state law bars hunting within 500 feet of an occupied dwelling or 150 feet of a paved road, which it says essentially means there is no hunting in Nahant, and the town also has a no-discharge bylaw. Blaze orange is not the concern here that it is on a wildlife management area.

More questions? Read the full FAQ

Sources

Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.

Keep reading

Bath and brush for dogsNahant Doggie Beach and town beach rulesCoyotes on Cape Ann: what dog owners should knowHalibut Point State Park with your dog Cape Ann dogs All guides

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