Open year-round, 9:00 a.m. to dusk. Belle Isle Marsh Reservation preserves 152 acres of the 241-acre Belle Isle Marsh, Boston's last remaining salt marsh. A unique place to explore, the reservation exemplifies the type of wetlands that once lined the Massachusetts Bay shore. Centuries of flourishing plant life have made the marsh more fertile than the richest farm land. Its protected waters are nurseries to fish and shellfish and are critical habitat to many salt marsh plants and wildlife rare to the metropolitan area. In addition to the preservation of the natural areas of the marsh, the DCR manages 28 acres of landscaped park with pathways, benches and an observation tower.