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A boardwalk path down through the dune at sunset. At Lambert’s Cove, once the sticker hours are over, the beach is anyone’s.
Lambert's Cove Beach: Caribbean-white sand, calm water, residents-only in summer, free off-season. Access rules and parking tips.
Lambert's Cove Beach is a town-owned beach on the north shore in West Tisbury, and in summer its access is restricted. Many people rank it among the island's most beautiful beaches: fine white sand that gets compared to the Caribbean, calm Vineyard Sound water, and a west-facing cove that gets the whole sunset. The West Tisbury residents who use it are fiercely loyal to it, and they like it quiet. From June 15 to September 15 the beach is open 7 AM to 9 PM, and from 7 AM to 5 PM it is limited to West Tisbury residents and renters with a sticker. Summer evenings from 5 to 9 PM and the whole off-season (September 16 to June 14) are open to everyone.
Filmed July 2021The island moves on: shops, signs and prices may differ from what you see here. The text of this guide was checked October 2026.
If you are choosing a rental house partly for this beach, our vacation rental guide covers what a West Tisbury lease does and does not get you.
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From June 15 to September 15, only West Tisbury residents and renters may use the beach during sticker hours, which run from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM (extended from 10 AM in 2025, after the summer supervisor counted 60 cars in and around the lot by 7:15 AM). After 5:00 PM the beach is open without a sticker until it closes at 9 PM: a town bylaw keeps everyone off the beach, the lot and the path from 9 PM to 7 AM in this season (night anglers can apply for a free parking permit, below).
Prices went up in 2025 for the first time in more than 20 years and are the same in 2026: a car sticker is $75 (was $50), a walk-on pass $15 (was $10), a commercial inn pass $125, and a $125 resident pass for year-round residents on the voter list with both cars registered in town. Each property gets one car sticker. Renters buy in person with a lease showing the rental dates, the owner's and renter's names and the property address (on paper or on your phone) at the Parks and Recreation shed by the West Tisbury School tennis courts (401 Old County Road), open daily 9 AM to noon and Friday and Saturday 4 to 7 PM in season (2026 sales began June 13). No online sales and no day pass: passes are sold for the season, by the month or for the term of your lease.
Since the 2025 change, sticker hours run 7 AM–5 PM instead of starting at 10 AM. You need a valid sticker to park in the lot or along Lambert's Cove Road in those hours, the board at the entrance warns that cars with a tire on the pavement are ticketed and towed, and the dog rules posted at the trailhead carry fines from $50 up to $250. From 5 to 9 PM anyone may visit without a sticker.
A limited number of free night fishing parking permits allow parking in the beach lot from 9 PM to 7 AM; apply at the Parks and Recreation shed (9 AM to noon daily in season). West Tisbury Police: 508-693-0020.
From September 16 to June 14 the beach is open to everyone at no charge. And since 2024 there has been another way onto the same cove that doesn't depend on a West Tisbury sticker: the Land Bank's James Pond Preserve next door (more on it below).
The main lot holds roughly 30–35 vehicles and is full before 8 AM on peak summer weekends. From the lot to the sand is a 10–15 minute walk on a shaded trail through dense oak and beech forest, then over the dune on a boardwalk. People who write about the beach tend to mention the moment you come over the dune and see the water.
Next door, the Land Bank's James Pond Preserve (open since 2024), a 13.9-acre Land Bank property beside the town beach, has about 650 feet of white-sand beach on the cove and a twelve-space trailhead. From June 1 to September 15 it is open 10 AM to 6 PM and parking is by online reservation up to seven days ahead, one reservation per person per week; from September 16 to May 31 the trailhead is first come, first served. A universal-access trail of packed stone dust leads to a viewing platform over James Pond, and VTA Route 2 serves the preserve. Dogs are not allowed April through September and must be leashed the rest of the year.
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The beach curves around a crescent-shaped cove off Vineyard Sound, with dunes and thick greenery behind it. The sand is soft, fine and white; visitors call it "as fine as sugar," "flour-like" and "powdery." It's a very clean beach, too, with few rocks and little seaweed or shell.
Sand underfoot most of the way, a rope fence at the last bend, and the flip-flops people give up on before they get there.
The wooded path from the parking lot is about a quarter mile. Once you're on the sand you look across Vineyard Sound to the Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Cod visible to the northeast.
From September 16 to June 14 the beach is open to everyone, with no sticker, attendants or fees, and the town's 9 PM closing applies only in summer. The sand and water are still beautiful in May, September and October, and you may have the beach nearly to yourself. Dogs are welcome all day off-season (in summer, 7 to 10 AM only).
Lambert's Cove is much calmer than south-shore beaches like Lucy Vincent or South Beach; on the Vineyard Sound side the water mostly ripples. With the gradual sandy slope and no strong currents, it's one of the safest places to swim on the island and a very good beach for young children and families.
The dog hours are posted where you park, not at the sand: June 15 to September 15, 7 to 10 AM, leashed until the dog flag. Fines start at $50.
Facilities are kept minimal on purpose. Lifeguards are on duty 10 AM to 5 PM daily from late June through Labor Day (June 27 in 2026); outside those hours you swim at your own risk. There are no permanent restrooms and no concessions, trash is strictly carry-in, carry-out, and glass containers aren't allowed.
From June 15 to September 15, dogs are allowed from 7 to 10 AM only, leashed until the dog flag (and since a sticker is needed from 7 AM, that window is for sticker holders). Off-season, dogs are welcome anytime. Waste bags are provided at the trailhead.
From Vineyard Haven ferry terminal: about 4.5 miles, 10–15 minutes. Head out of town on State Road for about 1.5 miles, turn right onto Lambert's Cove Road, and follow it about 2.8 miles to the beach lot on your right at 281 Lamberts Cove Road.
VTA bus: Route 2 runs from West Tisbury Town Hall to Vineyard Haven via Lambert's Cove Road, with a stop near the beach entrance. If you are renting in West Tisbury, the $15 walk-on pass (bought with your lease at the Parks and Rec Shed) covers you when you arrive by bus. Everyone else can come from 5 to 9 PM from June 15 to September 15, and any time from mid-September to mid-June. The VTA is fare-free through June 30, 2027.
Fall and winter times (October 4, 2026 to April 15, 2027, from the VTA's Route 2 timetable): buses leave the Vineyard Haven ferry terminal at 8:07 and 10:07 AM, then 12:07, 2:07, 4:07 and 6:07 PM, and reach the Lambert’s Cove Beach stop 14 minutes later. Heading back toward Vineyard Haven, the bus passes the stop across from the beach at 7:36, 9:36 and 11:36 AM, then 1:36, 3:36 and 5:36 PM, and reaches the terminal 14 minutes later. With a bus only every two hours, it helps to note the time before you settle on the sand; the last one back is 5:36 PM. Through October 3 the summer timetable ran every 90 minutes, with the last bus back at 6:34 PM; the spring timetable posts at vineyardtransit.com.
The signboard at the entrance covers the rest: park with a tire on the pavement and West Tisbury Parks and Recreation will ticket and tow you; the beach is staffed and its water tested only within the posted season (late June to early September in 2026); the trash policy is carry-on, carry-off with no bins; and the dunes are not for walking. The Route 2 timetable is pinned beside it, with a Lambert's Cove Beach stop in both directions.
Everything the town wants you to know, on one wall: the towing warning, the Route 2 bus times, the dune notice, carry-on carry-off, and the dates the water gets tested.
By bike: about 4.5 miles from the Vineyard Haven ferry on narrow roads with no bike path, manageable for experienced cyclists; there is bicycle parking at the beach, and our bike guide covers rentals and road safety.
There's no food at the beach. Restaurant Foster at Lambert's Cove Inn is about a mile away (farm-to-table dinners from chef and owner Galen Sampson; the inn's Mermaid Bar serves the same menu a la carte with pub specials and plans to stay open through the fall and winter). Cronig's Up-Island (469 State Road, about 2 miles) has a deli and is open year-round, closed only on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Alley's General Store (about 4.5 miles, since 1858) is the classic pre-beach stop. 7a Foods next to Alley's serves excellent farm-to-table breakfast and lunch. The West Tisbury Farmers' Market at the Ag Hall on Panhandle Road (Saturdays 9 AM to noon, last market of 2026 on October 31; the Wednesday market ended August 26) is about 4 miles away.
Sunset over a calm cove. The north shore gets the show without the Menemsha crowd.
The cove faces west, so the sun goes down over Vineyard Sound and the Elizabeth Islands with nothing in the way. Several guides put the sunsets here on a par with Menemsha Beach, and there are far fewer people, especially after 5 PM when sticker enforcement ends. Our sunset guide compares the island's west-facing spots.
The shore curls away to a low bluff, with a single boulder offshore, and even under a gray sky the waves break small.
Late August through mid-September brings warm water (67–70°F) and smaller crowds, though sticker hours (7 AM to 5 PM) still apply until mid-September. If you don't have a sticker, mid-September through early October is the best time, when the beach is open to everyone.
vs South Beach: The opposite in almost every way. South Beach has big Atlantic surf, free access and crowds; Lambert's Cove is calm, restricted and small.
vs State Beach: Both have calm water, but State Beach is free and has a bike path. Lambert's Cove is prettier and quieter.
vs Lucy Vincent Beach: Both are restricted. Lucy Vincent has dramatic cliffs and Atlantic surf, while Lambert's Cove is the better pick for families and calm water.
vs Long Point: The best alternative for visitors without a West Tisbury sticker. It's open to all for a Trustees admission fee and has both ocean surf and calm pond swimming.
The cove is named for Jonathan Lambert (born 1657, Barnstable), who arrived around 1692 with his wife Elizabeth Eddy. Jonathan Lambert is the first deaf islander on record, and hereditary deafness ran in the family for generations. It is one root of the island's famous deaf community, where hearing and deaf neighbors alike spoke Martha's Vineyard Sign Language, as told in Nora Ellen Groce's Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language (1985).
James Taylor references the beach in his song "Terra Nova": "Out to the west of Lambert's Cove, there is a sail out in the sun." The family of Katharine Graham, the Washington Post publisher, summered beside the cove at an estate called Mohu; its 186-acre core sold in 2019 for $32.5 million, at the time a record single sale on the island.
Nearby Ice House Pond, known to the Wampanoag as Manaquayak ("safe or secure place"), was the site of commercial ice harvesting from 1908 to 1953. The Lambert's Cove Inn, a farmstead dating to about 1790 that the naturalist Francis Foster owned from 1916 to 1966 (its restaurant is named for him), now operates as a 15-room inn.
On October 2, 1942, thousands of WWII troops staged a mock amphibious invasion of Martha's Vineyard, storming Lambert's Cove before daybreak, practice for the real assaults that would follow in North Africa and Normandy.
A 
B 
C A: the boardwalk over the dune down to the water; B: boulders in the shallows on a calm day; C: the sun dropping into Vineyard Sound, one boat still out.
Step 1 · WhenMonth PickerTwelve months compared on NOAA numbers, crowds, prices and what is open. 
Step 2 · DaysDay-by-Day Trip PlannerMorning, afternoon and evening sketched for every day, events dropped in, emailed to you. 
Step 3 · CostTrip Cost CalculatorFerry, beds with the rooms tax, meals, getting around and activities in one price range. Our own footage: the drive from Vineyard Haven, beach days and a sunset over the Sound.
Only from 5 to 9 PM. From June 15 to September 15 the beach is open 7 AM to 9 PM, a sticker is required from 7 AM to 5 PM, and there is no day pass. From September 16 to June 14 the beach is open to everyone at no charge. Our beach access guide lists what visitors can use.
Bring your lease, showing the rental dates, the owner's and renter's names and the property address (a copy on your phone works), to the Parks and Recreation shed by the West Tisbury School tennis courts, 401 Old County Road. A car sticker is $75 (one per property) and a walk-on pass is $15 (up to five people, no parking). There are no online sales, and homeowners cannot buy a sticker for their renters.
About a quarter mile, 10 to 15 minutes through shaded oak and beech woods and then over the dune on a boardwalk. The lot holds only 30 to 35 cars and is full before 8 AM on summer weekends.
Yes. VTA Route 2 runs year-round and is free through June 30, 2027. From October 4 to April 15 it leaves the Vineyard Haven ferry terminal every two hours from 8:07 AM to 6:07 PM and reaches the Lambert's Cove Beach stop 14 minutes later; the last bus back toward Vineyard Haven passes the beach at 5:36 PM, after sunset from November into February. From June 15 to September 15, daytime access (7 AM to 5 PM) is for West Tisbury residents and renters, and renters can buy a $15 walk-on pass with their lease; everyone else can come from 5 to 9 PM, and the beach is open to all from mid-September to mid-June. See getting around without a car.
From June 15 to September 15 dogs are allowed only from 7 to 10 AM, and since a sticker is required from 7 AM that window is for sticker holders. Off-season they are welcome all day, and waste bags are provided at the trailhead. Our dog guide covers the rest of the island.
It is one of the calmest swimming spots on the island: gentle Vineyard Sound ripples, a gradual sandy slope and no strong currents. Lifeguards are on duty 10 AM to 5 PM from late June through Labor Day. There are no restrooms or food, so carry everything in and out. More in our family guide.
Open to everyone and free, with no sticker, attendants or lifeguards. Dogs are welcome all day. VTA Route 2 stops by the entrance about every two hours, sunset comes as early as about 4:15 PM in December, and there are no restrooms or trash bins, so carry everything out. Our off-season guide covers the rest of the island in those months.
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Flying to Martha's Vineyard in 2026: which airlines serve MVY and from where (Cape Air year-round; JetBlue, Delta and American in season; Tradewind from private terminals), what parking costs, and how to get from the terminal to any town by free bus, taxi or rental car.
Which Martha's Vineyard beaches are open to visitors, which need stickers or permits, and what everything costs in 2026: town by town, gate by gate.
Complete guide to all 20 Martha's Vineyard beaches: parking costs, lifeguard schedules, dog rules, swimming safety, sticker requirements, and ADA access.
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