From the sand the cliffs rise like a wall: boulders at your feet, well over a hundred feet of clay above you and Gay Head Light on top.
Plate 01
Moshup Beach is the public beach directly beneath the Gay Head Cliffs in Aquinnah, at the western tip of Martha’s Vineyard. It is open Atlantic on one side and clay cliffs rising as much as 150 feet on the other, and it takes about ten minutes to walk down to from the lot at the top. The land is the homeland of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), whose name for the giant who made the island, Moshup, the beach carries.
This guide was written and photographed by MV Vacation, from visits in every season and a lot of time on the walk down.
The cliffs come with a paid lot, a real walk, no lifeguards and heavy surf. Most people are here for the cliffs, the light and the sunset, and swim carefully if they swim at all.
Know Before You Go
Before you go in the water
Open Atlantic with a steep beach and a shorebreak that gets heavy on a south swell. There are no lifeguards. It is safest to swim near other people, keep children within reach and stay out on rough days.
The clay cliffs are a National Natural Landmark and sacred ground for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). Climbing them and taking or digging clay are prohibited by town bylaw and fined. The slopes slump without warning, especially after rain, so the sand is the safe place to be.
At high water the beach under the cliffs narrows to a strip and some sections close off. It is worth checking the tide and turning back before the water reaches the rocks.
Finding Moshup Beach
Getting There
How to reach the beach
04 WAYSThe beach lot is on Moshup Trail, downhill from the Aquinnah Circle shops. The town charges $35 a day to park here in season, credit card only, from June 15 in 2026; a drop-off is provided at the base of the slope on Moshup Trail. It fills by late morning in July and August.
A sandy path drops from the lot to the beach, then the sand itself runs back toward the cliffs. Allow ten minutes each way and more with small children or a wagon.
Arrive on foot or by bicycle and there is no charge; bike racks are at the lot. Up at Aquinnah Circle the free spaces by the overlook have a 90-minute limit in season and others are for resident permits, so for a beach day the Moshup Trail lot is the one.
Route 5 runs from West Tisbury to the Cliffs, with a connection from Route 3 out of Vineyard Haven; free through June 30, 2027. From October 4 to April 15 it is the same bus all the way, every two hours, and the last one back leaves the lighthouse at 6:05 PM. Get off at the Circle and walk down.
A 
B 
C A: the clay cliffs in evening light; B: the rocks and the gray clay face up close; C: the whole sweep of the cliffs from above on a windy day, with the scrub gone brown.
On Wampanoag land
Aquinnah is the home of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), one of two federally recognized tribes in Massachusetts, and the cliffs are sacred ground as well as a landmark. The beach sits inside the Land Bank’s Aquinnah Headlands Preserve and the lot belongs to the town, and the rules are enforced: no climbing, no clay, no dogs, no fires, no camping, and carry everything out. The shops and the Aquinnah Cultural Center at the top of the hill are the place to learn the story of Moshup and the people who have lived here for thousands of years, and they are worth an hour on your way up.
On the Sand
What Moshup Beach is good for
04 WAYSAt low tide you can walk a long way along the base of the cliffs, on the sand and never on the slope; keep one eye on the water and turn back early.
Bodysurfers and surfers come on a south swell; it is a heavy beach break and not a learning wave.
The cliffs face west and the sun goes down into the water. The overlook at the Circle has the wider view; the beach has the color on the clay.
The cliffs at the end of the day from the Moshup Trail side, looking back along the shore, the beach a pale line at their foot and the water calm.
Field Notes
Tips for visiting Moshup Beach
The lot fills by late morning in high summer and the walk down is hot at midday. Morning or late afternoon is better on both counts.
No concessions, no water and no shade on the beach. Whatever you need for the day comes down the path with you and goes back up.
None on the beach; the nearest are up the hill in season.
Older guides call the far end of the beach clothing-optional. The town bylaw says otherwise: public nudity is prohibited anywhere in Aquinnah, with a fine.
Not allowed on the beach at any time of year; it sits inside the Land Bank’s Aquinnah Headlands Preserve, which bans dogs year-round.
Questions
Questions about Moshup Beach
How much does Moshup Beach cost?
The beach itself is free. Parking in the town lot on Moshup Trail is $35 a day in season, credit card only. Walking or cycling in costs nothing.
How far is the walk from the parking lot?
About ten minutes each way on a sandy path and then along the beach. Plan for more with small children, chairs or a wagon.
Are there lifeguards at Moshup Beach?
No. It is open Atlantic surf and you swim at your own risk. Staying near other people, and out of the water on rough days, is the safe way to swim here.
Can you climb the cliffs or take the clay?
No. Aquinnah’s bylaws prohibit climbing the cliffs and taking or digging clay, and the town enforces them; the cliffs are also sacred ground for the Wampanoag Tribe.
Is Moshup Beach the same as Aquinnah Beach or Gay Head Beach?
Yes. All three names refer to the same beach under the cliffs. Moshup is the name the town and the Tribe use.
The Record
A few facts about Moshup Beach
+30 Aquinnah on film
-
Aquinnah Martha's Vineyard -
Oak Bluffs Summer Day Sunset at Lobsterville Bar and Grille and A Car Ride To Vineyard Haven -
Scenic Winter Drive Through Martha's Vineyard, West Tisbury to Aquinnah Cliffs Ride -
Lobsterville Beach, Martha’s Vineyard, Hidden Gem Near Menemsha -
Wampanoag Sneak Up Dance Aquinnah -
Aquinnah Beach, Ocean Waves and Seagulls at Rest, Martha's Vineyard
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.
