Hiking Trails

Walking on the beach at the base of the cliffs is allowed but climbing the cliffs or removing clay from the cliffs are strictly prohibited.  Owned and managed by the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

 

This public beach is only 420 feet long, the Town of Aquinnah allows access to its beach at the base of the cliffs to the west (BUT stay off the cliffs!).  Access to the beach is free, but there is a fee for parking in the nearby municipal parking lot ($15 per day in season).  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

Walking along the Menemsha Pond shoreline is allowed but entering the dunes there is strictly prohibited.  Access is via the parking lot at the end of Lobsterville Road and is restricted to residents of the Town of Aquinnah during the summer season.  Owned and managed by the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

 

These six acres of scrubby heathland offers sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean coastline and includes part of the foot trail connecting the municipal parking lot and Moshup Beach.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

---

This property fronts on Lower Chilmark Pond and contains views of that pond and the Atlantic Ocean.  Parking is limited and the foot trail goes to the pond.  A canoe drop allows access to the property’s small parcel of barrier beach separating Chilmark Pond and the Atlantic Ocean.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

Trails through the woods and meadows provide hiking opportunities on this almost 50 acre property.  There are bridges crossing the brook in two locations and the trail connecting the bridges on the western side of the brook has steep hillsides with a stairway at the southern end.  Otherwise the trails are fairly flat.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

A 28.5 acre property with hiking trails leading past a small fresh water pond to views of Vineyard Sound and a steep hillside trail down to the beach.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This 56 acre property helps to protect long sections of frontage on Meetinghouse Road, the Tiasquam River, and King's Highway. A public trail runs along the Tiasquam River and from Middle Road to King's Highway. This land is owned and managed by the homeowners association.

 

This 211 acre property has 3 miles of foot-trails through woodlands to Prospect Hill, one of the highest points on Martha's Vineyard, where there is a scenic overview of view of Menemsha, Aquinnah and the Elizabeth Islands.  It is a long hike over steep terrain down to the Vineyard Sound shoreline.  Owned and managed by The Trustees of Reservations.  

 

Former woods roads and footpaths pass through several distinct ecosystems that demonstrate the unusual topographic diversity of Menemsha Hills. The Harris Trail loops through perched wetlands that support red maples, cinquefoil, beech, and black cherry. Oaks and ground-hugging shrubs border the path to

 

This 47 acre property will soon be open to the public.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

The trail on this small 7 acre property leads up a hill to an expansive view of the Vineyard’s south shore and the Atlantic Ocean.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This property of more than 100 acres has foot trails over steep ridges that make hiking relatively strenuous. However, the long hike to the end of the yellow trail yields expansive views of Chilmark Great Pond, Black Point Pond, Tisbury Great Pond and the Atlantic Ocean.  Owned and managed by the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation.

 

This 27 acre property will be open to the public soon.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This 115 acre property contains two of the three highest points on the Island.  Peaked Hill (311 feet above sea level) and Radar Hill (308 feet above sea level).  These peaks provide scenic vistas of Chilmark’s south shore and most of western Chilmark and Aquinnah.  The extensive trail network includes both peaks as it winds its way up and down hills and through forest, meadow and greenbrier thickets.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

This 26 acre property has woodlands, a pond and the adjacent wetlands are visible from a driveway along the eastern boundary.  Park along North Road and walk along the driveway.  Owned and managed by the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation.

 

This 50 acre property will be open to the public soon.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This 185 acre property is the largest of the Land Bank’s properties and offers miles of hiking trails through woodlands and meadows.  A large glacial erratic boulder (Waskosim’s Rock) is on the property and there are extensive vistas of the Vineyard from nearby this boulder.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

This small beach is adjacent to Joseph Sylvia State Beach, so there is 2 miles of beach for hiking.

 

This 12 acre property will be open to the public soon.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This 63 acre property offers trails through fields and woodlands.  Trail easements on the north side of Chappaquiddick Road include vistas of Cape Poge Bay.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

The entire eastern and northern shores of Chappaquiddick are open to the public and accessed via Dike Bridge on Chappaquiddick.  Parking is free on the Dike Road side of Dike Bridge and a permit is required for four wheel drive vehicular access across Dike Bridge.  Entry fee of $3 per person is charged from May 30 to October 15 (Trustees of Reservations members free). Managed by The Trustees.

 

This 150 acre property consists of oak-pitch pine woods, wetlands, salt marsh and open fields adjacent to the southern end of Sengekontacket Pond.  There is a walking trail through a portion of the Preserve which is primarily oak-pitch pine woods with expansive views across Sengekontacket Pond.  Owned and managed by the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation.

 

This 45 acre wooded preserve offers hiking trails around a small shrub swamp and some wild remnants of old farm fields.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

This 350 acre sanctuary has two miles of hiking trails which provide spectacular views of woodlands, meadows, ponds, salt marshes, and Joseph Sylvia State Beach.  Admissions fees charged (Massachusetts Audubon Society members free).  Owned and managed by the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

 

This small beach is fairly close to downtown Edgartown and fronts on Nantucket Sound.  You can walk on the beach to the Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse.  There is very limited car parking at the end of Fuller Street.  Managed by the Town of Edgartown.

 

This two mile long barrier beach separates Sengekontacket Pond from Nantucket Sound.  Hiking is allowed on both the pond and sound beaches.  Owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and managed by County of Dukes County.

 

This 200 acre farm is an historic dairy farm that has dirt roads open to the public.  Owned by the Town of Edgartown Conservation Commission and leased to an agricultural business.

 

This 2.1 acre preserve offers a short hiking trail with views across Katama Bay to downtown Edgartown, Chappaquiddick and Norton Point Beach.  Parking is at the Town landing 750 feet to the west.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

This beach is only a short walk from downtown Edgartown and is on Edgartown harbor adjacent to the Lighthouse.  You can walk on the beach to the Fuller Street Beach.  Managed by the Town of Edgartown.

 

This State Forest occupies over 5,100 acres in the center of Martha's Vineyard containing extensive grasslands, heathlands, barrens, and woodlands. It has approximately 15 miles of bike paths for hiking and bicycling. Owned and managed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

 

This property is a small Japanese-style garden set within an open~pine forest.  Stroll through the garden then take a quarter-mile nature trail through pitch pine forest and along the salt marshes of Poucha Pond.  Owned and managed by The Trustees of Reservations.  

 

The trail loop on this 4.6 acre property provides views of Cape Poge, Nantucket Sound and Cape Poge Bay.  Stairways down the coastal bank provide easier access to the swift currents of Cape Poge Gut. Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

This 2.5 mile long barrier beach separates Katama Bay from the Atlantic Ocean.  Access is from either Katama Road or Wasque Road (on Chappaquiddick).  Hiking on both the ocean and bay sides is allowed and there are several trails through the   dunes connecting the bay-side and ocean-side beaches.  Managed by the Town of Edgartown.

 

This 119 acre property has a small trailhead on South 18^th Street in Ocean Heights, with access to several of Edgartown’s ancient ways.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This 149 acre property has trails that traverse through deciduous and evergreen forests, meadows and salt marshes with views of Pocha Pond, East Beach and Nantucket Sound.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This 20 acre property near downtown Edgartown has a walking trail around the old Ice Pond that offers scenic views and a sense of wildness generally associated with much more remote areas.  Owned and managed by the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation.

 

This 1.25 mile long beach fronts on the Atlantic Ocean, so one can walk between Katama Road (the eastern access) and Herring Creek Road (the western access).  Owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and managed by the Town of Edgartown.

 

This 11 acre property includes a short trail with views of fresh water Sweetened Water Pond and its associated wetlands.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This property offers access to two of the northern coves of Edgartown Great Pond.  Owned and managed by the Town of Edgartown.

 

The southern portion of Chappaquiddick has upland hiking trails offering views of Pocha Pond and the Atlantic Ocean.  This property is also in the middle of the longest stretch of public beach on the island, ranging from Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge to the north and Norton Point and South Beach State Park to the west.  From May 30 to October 15 there are admission fees of $3 per car plus $3 per adult, with children (15 & under) free. Managed by The Trustees.

This 27 acre parcel is in two sections.  One is accessed from Beach Road on the east side of Farm Pond and offers extensive view of this pond.  The second access is off South Circuit Avenue; this foot trail passes through wetlands, a meadow with a small fresh water pond, and forest as it wanders past the Oak Bluffs Elementary School and on to Trade Wind Fields Preserve.  A parking lot is at Trade Wind Fields Preserve, with only limited parking along the road elsewhere.  Owned by the Town of Oak Bluffs and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

The trailhead of this 18 acre property connects to various hiking trails in the Southern Woodlands and down to the Oak Bluffs Water Department lands at the Head of the Lagoon.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This two mile long barrier beach separates Sengekontacket Pond from Nantucket Sound.  Hiking is allowed on both the pond and sound beaches.  Owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and managed by County of Dukes County.

 

This 4 acre property will soon be open to the public.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This 17 acre preserve offers trails through an open meadow that leads to Major’s cove shoreline on Sengekontacket Pond, with views of the pond, Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, Joseph Sylvia State Beach and Nantucket Sound.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

This small 0.6 acre property is owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This park contains 15 mostly wooded acres with hiking trails overlooking Lagoon Pond and the outer Vineyard Haven harbor. The park is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to sunset.  Owned and managed by the Town of Oak Bluffs Conservation Commission.

 

This 72 acre property has trails circling a grass-strip airfield that is occasionally used by private airplanes (with advance permission of the Land Bank).  The trails also go through pine and oak woodlands.  Hiking trails connect this property to the Farm Pond Preserve.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This wooded 50 acre property is accessed by foot only from the Sailor’s Burying Ground Road, which crosses this property.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This 42 acre property will soon be open to the public.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

This 3.5 acre property consists of a trail beginning at the Edgartown Road that crosses a meadow and leads to a small primarily wooded lot.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This 8.8-acre sanctuary is adjacent to the Ramble trail Preserve and town land on the west side of Lagoon Pond in Tisbury.  A 0.9 mile hiking trail loops around a shrub swamp.  Owned and managed by the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation.

 

This 23 acre property preserves a cranberry bog that is in the process of being restored and includes three other ponds.  There is a public walking trail around the large pond.  Owned and managed by the Vineyard Open Land Foundation.

 

A 2 acre property includes a short hiking trail through pines to a sandy spit jutting into Lake Tashmoo.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

This 4 acre property will soon be open to the public.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

The trails on this 7.3 acre property combine with Town land and Brightwood Park to provide a 0.9 mile hiking trail around a shrub swamp and access to a small stretch of Lagoon Pond shoreline.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

Trails on this 56 acre property are mostly through a rolling woodland of pines and oaks.  There are some hills but none are particularly steep.  Hiking trails also connect to Tisbury Meadow and Wompesket Preserves.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

This scenic overlook includes a hiking trail that goes down to the southern end of Lake Tashmoo.

Owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Town of Tisbury.

 

This 83 acre property has extensive hiking trails through the woods and around the meadow along the road.  Hiking trails also connect this property to several other public properties, including Ripley’s Field Preserve and Wompesket Preserve.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

This nearly 90 acre property has one and one half miles of marked walking trails through pitch pine woods.  Limited parking off Franklin Street.  Owned and managed by the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation.

This 77 acre property will soon be open to the public.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

A quiet resting spot in the town center.  Owned and managed by the Town of West Tisbury

 

This 312 acre property has a large network of trails past tumbling streams and freshwater ponds to sandy beaches (no swimming allowed) and cliffs with views of the Vineyard Sound shoreline and the Elizabeth Islands.  Some trails are quite lengthy, going up and down slopes that can make hiking somewhat strenuous.  Owned and managed by the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation.

 

An historical chapel historically used by members of the Wampanoag Tribe.  Owned and managed by the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

 

This 8.6 acre property adjacent to the Christiantown chapel offers a short hiking trail through the woodlands.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

This 20 acre property includes most of a small fresh water pond  and some adjoining uplands.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

This beach fronts on the Atlantic Ocean and a freshwater pond (Long Cove).  From June 15 to September 15 admission fees for nonmembers are $10 per car plus $3 per adult, pedestrian/bicyclist $3, children 18 and under free. Trustees Members free.

 

This 365 acre parcel is accessible via fire lanes and bike paths off Barnes Road through the State Forest.  Owned and managed by the Town of West Tisbury.

 

This State Forest occupies over 5,100 acres in the center of Martha's Vineyard containing extensive grasslands, heathlands, barrens, and woodlands. It has approximately 15 miles of bike paths for hiking and bicycling. Owned and managed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

 

This 56-acre property includes a hiking trail around a large meadow and through oak woods.  Owned and managed by the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation.

 

This 2.5 acre triangular meadow across from the West Tisbury School includes a parking lot and trailhead for the firelanes and bike paths within the State Forest.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

An easy walk through the 20 acres of The Polly Hill Arboretum will bring you to a wide variety of cultivated plants.  The organization is devoted to the cultivation and study of plants that can be successfully cultivated on Martha’s Vineyard.

This 3 acre property has a short foot trail that goes to the dam that creates Priester’s Pond.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This 164 acre property has an extensive trail network that provides access to Tisbury Great Pond and two of its coves (Tiah’s Cove and Tississa Cove).  The trails meander through woodlands, shrublands and restored grasslands.  There are three different parking lots with the southernmost lot at the end of the road, containing a short trail to the swimming beach.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This 6 acre property will be open to the public soon.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.

 

This 185 acre property is the largest of the Land Bank’s properties and offers miles of hiking trails through woodlands and meadows.  A large glacial erratic boulder (Waskosim’s Rock) is on the property and there are extensive vistas of the Vineyard from nearby this boulder.  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission

 

This remote 18.1 acre property offers trails through hilly woodlands to a flat wet-meadow.  All access is via hiking trails from either Tisbury Meadow or Ripley’s Field Preserves (both are in Vineyard Haven).  Owned and managed by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission