Take Your Pick, Then Take a Hike on Martha’s Vineyard

Photo: Monique Belair

​Most people associate Martha’s Vineyard with it’s many beaches, after all it’s an Island. What many people don’t know is that much of the Island is rural and wooded, with thousands of acres of preserved land perfect for hiking and exploring. Martha’s Vineyard has over 200 miles of trails and over 100 preserved properties that are open to the public.
 
Here’s our top three hiking trails on the Island and where to find them. Keep in mind that many are located in remote areas on the Island where cell reception is limited, and navigation systems often confuses coordinates on Martha’s Vineyard–so make sure to follow trail maps and markers. If you have an iPhone be sure to download the TrailsMV app available in the Apple app store courtesy of the Island’s Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, it’s a free app for hikers exploring Martha’s Vineyard that doesn’t require either cell service or Wi-Fi.

Photo: Aela Mass

Menemsha Hills Reservation: Menemsha Hills is a beautiful and diverse nature reserve located off of North Road in Chilmark. The 211-acre preserve is owned and managed by The Trustees of Reservations, look out for their sign when approaching on North Road. Menemsha Hills is a popular hike that offers a variety of natural habitats including wetland, marsh, wooded groves, and a rocky shoreline, with sweeping views of Vineyard Sound. The three miles of trails are easily passable for the moderate hiker, with some extra energy needed to summit Prospect Hill, the second highest point on the Vineyard at 308 feet, and the view is worth the extra work! Menemsha Hills is open year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. Allow a minimum of 1½ hours to fully appreciate the trail.

Photo: LA Brown

Long Point Wildlife Refuge: Long Point is an expansive property on the south side of the Island, accessible off Edgartown-West Tisbury Road. Long Point is not only a great spot to hike but given its sprawling coastline and sheltered salt and freshwater ponds many people flock here to splash in the waves, take a leisurely swim, or to go kayaking. You can stay by the water and relax or follow a two-mile trail that leads through oak forest and savanna bordered by Middle Point, Long Cove, and Tisbury Great ponds. Long Point offers a rare grassland habitat across its more than 600 acres, and is one of the largest publicly accessible properties on Martha’s Vineyard, also managed by The Trustees of Reservations. With beach, dune and woodland areas this property is also beloved for its diversity and size, even on a busy day you feel like you have the place to yourself. Birders and other nature-watchers also appreciate this spot for the plants and wildlife that call it home. Long Point is open year round, but last admission is at 5:30pm and the gate closes at 7pm during summer months. Public restrooms, picnic tables, bike rack, and a small visitor center is available, as well as kayak and standup paddleboard rentals from 10am to 3pm during peak season. 

Photo: Monique Belair

Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary: Cedar Tree Neck is another Island gem, located on the north shore of the Island in West Tisbury. The sprawling 400-acre preserve is managed by the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation and is one of their oldest and largest properties, it just celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. The property is accessible via Indian Hill Road and Obed Daggett Road, be forewarned that the last mile of the drive is extra bumpy and unpaved - but keep driving, you’re in the right place. Once there you’ll find a true sanctuary, and a diverse landscape that underscores the natural beauty of the Island. Take your pick of a series of trails, where you’ll traverse alongside a bubbling brook, under canopies of cedar trees, large ferns, beech trees and oaks, in between large glacial boulders and out toward the beautiful Vineyard Sound. Swimming is not permitted here but appreciating the view is very much accepted. Cedar Tree Neck is open daily from 8:30am to 5:30pm. 

​Another great way to discover the Island’s many trails is grabbing a copy of the book “The Walking Trails of Martha’s Vineyard,” which is provided by the Vineyard Conservation Society and available for purchase at many Island retailers including Bunch of Grapes bookstore, Edgartown Books, Alley's General Store, and Cronig's. Happy hiking!