A Great Value at Hopkinton State Park, Hopkinton, Mass.

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Hopkinton State Park Beach, Hopkinton, Mass. — The reservoir beach at Hopkinton State Park, Hopinton, Mass.

You know you’ve hit upon a terrific summer bargain when the price of beach admission costs less than a bottle of sunscreen.

At $5.00 per car, the 1,450-acre Hopkinton State Park in Hopkinton, Mass., offers a tremendous value with two well-developed “lifeguarded” beach areas (both with lots of sand), and hiking trails, fishing, non-motorized boating and canoeing. The beach is the biggest draw: on a recent visit, the main beach area was closed because of full capacity, while the second location ( a large reservoir) wasn’t that much less crowded. It turned out, however, that the reservoir area was just as nice as the first beach, if not, better with its scenic, large body of water and still plenty of room to be comfortable despite the high turnout.

After swimming, we hiked around some clearly defined trails overlooking the reservoir. The entire Hopkinton State Park trail system is extensive and one can get a great workout (and a scenic one at that), if desired. I’d imagine the cross country skiing must be fantastic in the winter.

What a great deal to be at Hopkinton State Park on a hot summer day — almost six dollars less than the sunscreen we just bought minutes before arriving at this classic, timeless state park about 26 miles west of Boston!