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Sunset at West Chop, the quiet northern tip of Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard: where to stand on the bluff and the beach, the 1891 lighthouse you see from the road, the West Chop Woods, parking, and the 2-mile walk or ride from downtown, with an evening there on video.
Sunset from the shore, jetty rocks in the foreground and the water gone gold.
West Chop is the quiet northern tip of Vineyard Haven, in the town of Tisbury: a peninsula with Vineyard Sound on one side, the harbor on the other and the West Chop Light at the point. Downtown is about 2 miles back along Main Street, a 35-minute walk or a short bike ride, and at the end of the day the bluff and the beach below it face the sunset over the Sound. The video below is one evening there, start to finish.
Filmed February 2024The island moves on: shops, signs and prices may differ from what you see here. The text of this guide was checked November 2026.
A beach at dusk, footprints in the sand and the last light on the water.
After the sun goes down at West Chop the sky runs from orange to violet, with a low stone jetty reaching out from the beach.
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The overlook on the bluff has benches and a flagpole with the Sound laid out flat below it. The beach underneath is sand and pebbles, with low stone jetties reaching out, a snow fence holding the dune and a long pier a little way along, and a sandy path drops through the beach shrubs to the water. The Woods Hole ferries pass close offshore, so most evenings a boat crosses the sunset. In summer the color runs from orange to violet after the sun is down, and it is worth staying for the afterglow; in winter the same bluff is gray and empty, with old snow along the fence and the water flat and quiet. The short clip below is a winter drive on West Chop at sunset, snow on the ground and an orange sky behind the bare trees.
Filmed February 2026
Benches and a flagpole at an overlook on the bluff, the Sound flat and blue below.
A pebbly stretch of shore at West Chop in the afterglow, beach grass on the bluff and the far shore low on the horizon.
Dune fencing along the West Chop beach at dusk, the sky going orange over the Sound.
Sunset over Vineyard Sound from West Chop, the island’s northern tip, twenty miles from the cliffs at the other end.
A sandy path through the beach shrubs down to the water at West Chop, the sky going orange after sunset.
A ferry out on the water on a summer day, seen from the shore.
The sand and pebble shore at West Chop on an overcast day, the beach curving away toward the houses on the bluff and the Sound flat and gray.
A bluff over the water on a gray winter day, with old snow along the fence and the water flat and quiet below.
The West Chop Light marks the northern edge of the neighborhood. The brick tower dates to 1891 and is still active, but it is the one island lighthouse not open to the public, because the property is Coast Guard housing; you see and photograph it from the road. The West Chop Woods, 90 acres of Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation conservation land, begin about a mile and a quarter from downtown, with a bike rack at the Main Street entrance and a small lot for two or three cars off Franklin Street. Parking near the point itself is limited to street-side spots by the West Chop tennis courts on Franklin Street, so the walk or the bike is the easier plan. In the short clip below we drive the road out to the West Chop Light, filmed over the hood of the car.
Filmed April 2024The island moves on: shops, signs and prices may differ from what you see here. The text of this guide was checked November 2026.
West Chop Light over the keeper’s red roof, at the turnaround point of the run.
Oak woods on West Chop in early October, with low shrubs underfoot and the first yellow leaves showing.
The tree-lined road out to West Chop, double yellow line and no traffic.
West Chop and its lighthouse from the ferry as the boat clears Vineyard Haven harbor. It is the last piece of the island you see before the open Sound.
A still pond under the pines, glass-calm on a gray day. The island has dozens like it; most have no name a visitor would know and no path to their edge.
In the late 19th century West Chop was a busy summer resort, with hotels, a steamboat wharf and sports grounds, drawing summer people from engineering, academia and the arts. Today it is almost entirely residential, with rambling waterfront houses from the 1890s and 1900s looking over the Sound, a few private clubs and very little commercial activity, which is why an evening out here is so quiet.
A beach at West Chop on a bright afternoon, a snow fence holding the dune.
Sunset over the water in Vineyard Haven, one person standing at the edge of the beach.
From the ferry, walk or ride north on Main Street. The sidewalk ends after the shops and the rest is the road shoulder, so the quiet hours are the pleasant ones. The 3-mile run from Franklin Street to the light is in our Vineyard Haven bike and run guide, and the same route on foot is in the walking tour guide. Owen Park, back in town, faces east across the harbor and is the morning counterpart. For the rest of the island’s evening spots, East Chop across the harbor is the closest, and our sunset guide ranks them all.
Only from the road. The grounds are Coast Guard housing and the tower is not open, unlike the island’s other four lights.
A few street-side spots near the West Chop tennis courts on Franklin Street, and a small lot for two or three cars at the West Chop Woods off Franklin Street. Most people walk or ride the 2 miles from downtown.
Over Vineyard Sound, with the Elizabeth Islands low on the horizon and usually a ferry somewhere in the frame. Stay a few minutes after the sun is down for the afterglow.
How we checked: the video and the photographs are ours, from several evenings at West Chop across the seasons. The lighthouse, the woods and the parking notes come from our Vineyard Haven town guide, which cites the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation and the town’s own listings; the resort-era history is from local accounts. Last checked November 1, 2026.
Exploring the town? Start with our complete Vineyard Haven guide for food, beaches and parking.
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. From MV Vacation, written on Martha’s Vineyard · https://mvvacation.com/blog/west-chop-sunset-marthas-vineyard · printed . Hours, prices and schedules change; the page online is the current one.
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Island tip of the day Ferry No. 2 of 79 New tip at midnight, island time
Walk-on passengers never need a reservation on SSA ferries. $11 one-way: buy at the terminal or via the SSA eFerry mobile site. On peak summer weekends, arrive 30 minutes early to guarantee your seat.
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