Every hiking trail on Martha's Vineyard: 220+ miles across 114 properties. Menemsha Hills, Cedar Tree Neck, Felix Neck, Aquinnah, and tick safety tips.
Martha's Vineyard has 220+ miles of trails across 114 properties managed by five conservation organizations. Roughly 40% of the island is permanently protected. No mountains, but plenty of variety: coastal bluffs, salt marshes, pitch pine forests, freshwater ponds, and glacial meadows packed into 87 square miles. No trail here is beyond a family or a beginner.
Two hundred and twenty miles of trail across 114 properties, and most days you will have this one to yourself.
Filmed April 2024The island moves on: shops, signs and prices may differ from what you see here. The text of this guide was checked September 2026.
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September and October are the hiking window: mild days, thin crowds, and the ticks finally stand down.
September–October is ideal: pleasant temps (65–74°F), fewer crowds, lower tick activity, fall color. Ticks are the #1 safety concern: alpha-gal positive tests at the island hospital (from Lone Star tick bites) surged from 2 in 2020 to 523 in 2024. Every time: permethrin-treated clothing, DEET repellent, full-body tick checks after every hike, dryer on high 20 min. Download the free TrailsMV app. Works offline (critical for up-island where cell coverage fails).
AllTrails 4.8/5 (349 reviews). 211 acres, about three miles of trails. Prospect Hill (308 ft): views over Menemsha Harbor, the Elizabeth Islands and Gay Head Lighthouse. Harris Trail to the summit, continuing down to the rocky beach past 19th-century ruins with 45-ft brick chimney. 383 ft elevation gain. Most strenuous hike on MV. ~20 car parking off North Rd. Free. Dogs on leash. Allow 90+ min.
Down from Prospect Hill to the boulder beach, past the 19th-century brickworks chimney.
400 acres. White Trail (1.7 mi) through oak/beech/cedar forest to coastal bluffs with Cape Cod views. Waterfall, cranberry bogs, stone walls. ~2.5 mi total network. Free, 8:30 AM–5:30 PM, year-round. Dogs on leash. No swimming at beach.
194 acres, 4 mi of trails along Sengekontacket Pond. 100+ bird species, active osprey nests. $4 adults, $3 kids. Old Farm Road is stroller-friendly. No dogs.
Full guide: Felix Neck trails, ospreys and kayak tours.
632 acres. 2-mile trail to Atlantic beach + freshwater Long Cove Pond. Advance reservation required mid-June–Sep. Parking $25 non-members. Walk/bike free. Free library passes available. No dogs ever.
Island's highest point: 311 feet. 1.7-mile loop with views down the south shore to the Atlantic. WWII Army Signal Corps remnants at summit; the Radar Hill site later served as a radar station from 1952 to 1959. Off Tabor House Rd; a 400-foot hardened universal-access trail starts at the Radar Hill lot, the longer walk from the Pasture Road trailhead. 148.9 acres. Dogs leashed April to September.
185 acres. 3 miles through meadows and ridgelines to a 14-foot glacial erratic split down the middle. Marked the colonial-era English/Wampanoag boundary. 17th-century homestead remnants (cellar holes, stone walls). Free.
South Head Trail (0.9 mi, year-round) descends to Moshup Beach beneath the 130-ft Gay Head Cliffs. North Head Trail (~1.0 mi) with lighthouse views, open Sep 15–Jun 14 only. Summer parking $35/day. Do not climb cliffs or remove clay.
5,300 acres, island's largest conservation area. 14 miles of trails through pitch pine woodland. Fire Road Loop (3.0 mi) and Red Trail (3.6 mi). Best shade on hot days. Free. Dogs on leash. Easy to get disoriented; carry a map. The forest began in 1908 as a reserve for the heath hen; the last one, Booming Ben, was seen here on March 11, 1932, and a plaque and sculpture off the bike path mark the spot.
Cape Poge: 516 acres, 7-mile barrier beach. 3.5 mi one-way through soft sand to lighthouse. Walk/bike free. Poucha Pond: 2.1 mi out-and-back through grasslands. Cross-Chappaquiddick Trail: 6 mi connecting multiple preserves. All free. Full Chappy guide.
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Beyond the famous four, the Land Bank and Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation keep dozens of smaller preserves open dawn to dusk, free, with a trailhead sign and a bike rack and not much else. An old Appalachian Mountain Club guide to the island covers most of them, and its trail notes still hold; its dog rules do not, so the rules below are the current ones from each owner as of September 2026. Every one of these is on the free TrailsMV app.
Woods to water in 1.7 miles: the White Trail finishes on a wild Sound beach with Cape Cod across the water.
Two rules cover almost everything above: the Land Bank publishes a dog policy for every property (immediate control, leashed, or no dogs in the nesting months), and Sheriff’s Meadow allows no dogs at all on most of its sanctuaries, Caroline Tuthill and Sheriff’s Meadow included. Bring a printed map or the app; cell coverage in the middle of the island is thin, and the smaller trailheads have room for four or five cars at most.
A hundred bird species and the island’s easiest wild mile; four dollars at the gate.
Time the descent right and the north shore does this.
Know Before You Go
The free TrailsMV app works offline; the Land Bank map lives at mvlandbank.com, and the "Walking Trails of MV" pocket guide is at Bunch of Grapes or Alley’s.
Varies by property: Land Bank mostly allows them, Sheriff’s Meadow requires a leash, the Trustees prohibit them at Long Point and Mytoi, and Felix Neck bans all pets.
Free at most trailheads, but the lots hold 15 to 20 cars. Arrive early in summer.
October through December (not Sundays): wear blaze orange.
For getting around: car-free guide and VTA schedule. For beaches at trail's end: every beach ranked.
More outdoors: our guide to kayaking Martha's Vineyard, our mountain biking trails guide, and if you're planning an extended stay, our 3-day Martha's Vineyard itinerary.
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Edgartown Lighthouse is climbable daily in summer, roughly 10 AM–4 PM, with the shortest waits right at opening. Small admission ($5 at last check). Staff may close the door a few minutes early.
Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown: the four easy trails and what each passes, the ospreys, the butterfly garden, hours and admission, Mass Audubon's kayak tours and prices, accessibility, the Wampanoag and Smith-farm history, and when to go.
Guide to identifying and avoiding poison ivy on Martha's Vineyard. Recognition tips, treatment options, and safety measures for island trail visitors.
Updated for 2026: Martha's Vineyard tick safety. Four species now including the Asian longhorned tick, 2025 alpha-gal figures, the island's new tick clinics, prevention, removal, and the latest Lyme vaccine news.
Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary: about 400 acres of bluffs, forest trails, and rocky shoreline in West Tisbury. Free admission, open year-round.
Long Point Wildlife Refuge: 632 acres of rare grassland, Atlantic beach, trails, kayaking, and seasonal access in West Tisbury.
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