Lighthouses · Martha’s Vineyard
Five lights, and what it takes to reach each one
Two you can walk to, one that opens at sunset, one that is somebody’s house, and one you need a vehicle on the sand to see.
You can get close
A short walk along the harbor from town. The tower usually opens to visitors in season; the museum lists it as closed for the season until spring 2027.
The island’s first light, above the clay cliffs. Seasonal tours; moved back from the eroding edge in 2015.
Telegraph Hill, above the harbor entrance. Limited sunset openings, and a favorite evening spot.
Look, do not enter
Still a Coast Guard residence, so the tower is closed. The northernmost point of the island.
Only with a guide
Over-sand vehicle tour or a long walk up the beach. Moved several times as the shore retreated beneath it.
Martha's Vineyard sits off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and its five lighthouses have been guiding boats for more than two centuries. Each one marks a different corner of the coastline. The waters they guard have claimed a long list of ships; see our history of Martha's Vineyard shipwrecks.
The five lights at a glance
Edgartown Lighthouse
FIRST LIT 1828 · TOWER 1881, MOVED HERE 1939 · EDGARTOWN HARBOR · TOWER CLOSED UNTIL SPRING 2027
Location: Edgartown Harbor
Edgartown Lighthouse as seen from the Chappy Ferry
A brick path ends in a sandy trail through the beach plums, with the lighthouse and the harbor ahead.
The Edgartown Lighthouse has marked the entrance to Edgartown Harbor since it was first built in 1828. You reach it on foot across a short stretch of beach from downtown Edgartown, and the harbor view from its base is hard to beat.
Edgartown Light from the beach at the harbor entrance, beach roses in bloom in the dune grass below it.
Gay Head Lighthouse (Aquinnah)
FIRST LIT 1799 · TOWER 1856 · AQUINNAH CLIFFS · SEASONAL TOURS
Location: Aquinnah Cliffs
The Gay Head Lighthouse stands above the red-and-orange clay cliffs in Aquinnah. It was first lit in 1799 as the island’s first lighthouse, and the present brick tower dates from 1856. In 2015 the whole structure was moved inland, away from the eroding cliff edge.
East Chop Lighthouse
BUILT 1878 · TELEGRAPH HILL, OAK BLUFFS · SUNSET OPENINGS
Location: Oak Bluffs
The East Chop Lighthouse overlooks the entrance to Vineyard Haven Harbor, and its iron tower, built in 1878, still guides boats in. In the evening the lawn fills with walkers and photographers waiting for the sunset. Read our East Chop Lighthouse guide for the Sunday openings, the bus stop and the Telegraph Hill history.
The bench with the East Chop view, a good place for a coffee while the light changes.
West Chop Lighthouse
FIRST LIT 1817 · TOWER 1891 · VINEYARD HAVEN · CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC
Location: Vineyard Haven
The West Chop Lighthouse is the only lighthouse on the island that is still a U.S. Coast Guard residence. First lit in 1817 and rebuilt as the present brick tower in 1891, it overlooks Holmes Hole from the northernmost point of Vineyard Haven. The lighthouse itself is closed to the public, but the paths around it make for a good quiet walk along the water.
West Chop Light rising behind the keeper’s house roof at the end of Main Street; the tower is fenced, the walk along the water below it is not.
Cape Poge Lighthouse
FIRST LIT 1801 · TOWER 1893 · CHAPPAQUIDDICK · OVER-SAND TOURS
Location: Chappaquiddick Island
You can only reach Cape Poge Lighthouse by over-sand vehicle tour or a long walk up the beach, which makes it the island’s most secluded light. A light has stood here since 1801; the present wooden tower dates from 1893 and has been moved four times as the shoreline eroded, the last time by helicopter. It sits inside the Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge, a long stretch of dunes, tidal flats and open coastline.
The guided tours go inside the lighthouse, and the guides tell the story of its moves and of the refuge around it.
Who looks after the lights
Many of the island's lighthouses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and island hands look after them: the Martha’s Vineyard Museum cares for Edgartown and East Chop, the Town of Aquinnah has owned Gay Head Light since 2015, and the Coast Guard maintains Cape Poge.
For nearby ideas, see our guides to outdoor activities and beaches.
Questions
Lighthouse questions, answered
Which lighthouses can I go up or inside?
Gay Head Light runs seasonal tours up the tower. East Chop Light opens on a limited schedule around sunset in summer. Cape Poge Light is open only on a guided over-sand tour. Edgartown Light is run by the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, which opens the tower to visitors in season ($5 for adults, children 12 and under free, museum members free). The museum lists it as closed for the season until spring 2027, and West Chop is a working Coast Guard residence, so you look from the road.
Which is the oldest?
Gay Head Light, first lit in 1799, was the island's first. Cape Poge followed in 1801, West Chop in 1817 (the present brick tower dates from 1891), Edgartown in 1828 and East Chop, the cast-iron tower on Telegraph Hill, in 1878.
Can I walk to Edgartown Lighthouse?
Yes. From North Water Street it is a short walk across a stretch of beach to the base of the tower, and the harbor view from there is the reason most people come. Details on the Lighthouse Beach page.
Which lighthouse is best at sunset?
East Chop, which looks west over the entrance to Vineyard Haven harbor and draws a small crowd of walkers most summer evenings, and Gay Head, where the cliffs face the sunset. Our sunset guide ranks the spots.
How do I reach Cape Poge Light?
Only over sand: a guided over-sand vehicle tour inside the Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge on Chappaquiddick, or a long walk up the beach. It has been moved several times as the shore retreated beneath it. The Wasque and Cape Poge page covers access and permits.
Why was Gay Head Light moved?
The clay cliff under it was eroding toward the foundation. In 2015 the whole brick tower was moved about 130 feet inland; the Aquinnah page has the story.
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