Beaches · Martha's Vineyard
Every beach, by shore
Which side of the island the water is on decides the day you get, and who is allowed on the sand decides whether you get it at all.
The South Shore · open Atlantic
Three miles of Atlantic surf and dune, the island's main surf beach. Lifeguards in season; the undertow is real.
The over-sand barrier beach running east from South Beach toward Chappy. Walk in free; a Town of Edgartown permit to drive.
Atlantic surf on one side of the dune, the warm water of Long Cove Pond on the other. Reserve a summer slot; walk or bike in free.
Clay cliffs and a sea stack, west-facing light. Chilmark resident or renter permit in summer.
Stones underfoot and the island's most consistent surf break offshore. Chilmark permit June 15 to Labor Day; the town publishes no after-5 opening, so check the sign at the gate.
The Land Bank beach below the clay cliffs, which are Wampanoag land and off limits. The town lot is $35 a day; walk-ins free.
The North Shore and the Sound · calmer water
Calm Sound water beside a working harbor, and the island's best-known sunset.
A boardwalk through the woods to warm, almost surfless water. Opens to everyone after 5 PM.
Small and warm, where the pond meets the Sound; the boats launch at the Lake Street landing, not here. Stay out of the channel.
A calm harbor beach beside the bandstand and the town pier, two minutes from the ferry.
In-town swimming between two stone jetties, five minutes on foot from the Oak Bluffs ferry, and a century of history on the sand.
The two-mile family stretch between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, shallow and warm, the Jaws Bridge halfway along.
Edgartown Harbor and Chappaquiddick
The sand around Edgartown Harbor Light, a five-minute walk from Main Street; harbor water and a tidal current at the mouth.
Remote Trustees sand from Wasque Point to the Cape Poge light, reached by the On Time ferry. Walkers and cyclists come in free.
A 
B 
C A: South Beach at dusk, three miles of open Atlantic; the surf and the rip currents here are real. B: the clay bank and sea stack at Lucy Vincent. C: Sound-side water off Menemsha, flat enough to swim out into.
Know Before You Go
Which shore, and who is allowed in
South Beach, Lucy Vincent and Squibnocket take open Atlantic surf. Real waves, and real rip currents. This is not water to be casual about.
State Beach, the Inkwell and Lambert’s Cove stay calmer and warmer. This is where families end up, and where a toddler can stand.
Some of the best sand is resident-permit-only through the summer, so check before you drive up-island.
Lambert's Cove in West Tisbury opens to everyone after 5 PM. Chilmark's beaches publish no after-5 rule, so the posted sign at the gate is the one that counts.
The other half of the island’s answer: no surf, warm water, and a permit gate that lifts at five o’clock.
Questions
Beach questions, answered
Which beaches are free and open to everyone?
Most of them. South Beach, State Beach, the Inkwell, Owen Park, Menemsha, Lake Tashmoo and Lighthouse Beach have free public parking or none at all. Moshup Beach in Aquinnah is free to walk onto; the Land Bank lot charges $35 a day in season. Norton Point is free on foot and needs a Town of Edgartown permit to drive on. The Trustees beaches (Long Point, Wasque, Cape Poge) charge per car in season, $25 a day at Long Point and Wasque, and are free if you walk or bike in. Our beach parking and access guide has the full list.
Which beaches are residents-only in summer?
Lucy Vincent and Squibnocket in Chilmark and Lambert's Cove in West Tisbury need a town permit in the summer season. Lambert's Cove opens to everyone after 5 PM, which is also when the light is best. Chilmark publishes no after-5 rule for its beaches, so go by the sign at the gate. Outside the summer season all three are open.
Where is the calmest water for small children?
The north shore and the Sound side: State Beach, the Inkwell, Owen Park, Menemsha, Lake Tashmoo and Lambert's Cove. Waves are small and the water is warmer. The south shore (South Beach, Lucy Vincent, Squibnocket, Moshup) faces the open Atlantic, with surf and a real undertow.
Which beaches have lifeguards?
In season: South Beach, Menemsha, Bend-in-the-Road, Oak Bluffs Town Beach and Herring Creek at Lake Tashmoo. Most up-island and Trustees beaches do not, and the surf beaches are not for weak swimmers on a rough day.
Can I bring a dog?
In summer most town beaches ban dogs during the day. Fuller Street Beach in Edgartown allows leashed dogs year-round, Lobsterville in Aquinnah allows them on a leash, and most towns relax the rules after Labor Day. Check the sign at the entrance, as each town writes its own.
Is there a clothing-optional beach?
The far end of Moshup Beach, below the Aquinnah cliffs, has long been used that way, and part of Lucy Vincent (residents only in summer) as well. Neither is formally designated, so keep it to those stretches and away from families.
Keep Reading
More on the island beaches
Free download · 2026 edition
The Martha’s Vineyard Beach Guide
Every one of the island’s 20 beaches (parking, stickers, dog rules, lifeguards and safety) in a ten-page guide you can keep on your phone, with a printable cheat sheet and a phone field card inside. Checked for the 2026 season.
It lands in your inbox too, with one useful island letter now and then. Unsubscribe in one click.
What each beach actually looks like
Filmed on quiet mornings and busy afternoons, so you can judge the crowd for yourself.
-
West Tisbury Beach, Relaxing Ocean Waves -
Lake Tashmoo Town Beach, Martha's Vineyard -
Oak Bluffs Inkwell Beach Walking Tour -
Lucy Vincent Beach Walking Tour on Martha's Vineyard -
Lambert's Cove Beach West Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard -
Oak Bluffs Summer Day Sunset at Lobsterville Bar and Grille and A Car Ride To Vineyard Haven
