A Local's Guide to the Best Beaches on Martha's Vineyard

Not all island beaches are open to you

Here is the thing most guides leave out: Martha's Vineyard has public beaches, town beaches, and beaches that quietly require a resident sticker between mid-June and mid-September. Knowing the difference is the difference between a good afternoon and a long drive back to the car.

This is the short list we give our guests, in the order we would actually send you.

South Beach, Katama

The workhorse. Three miles of open Atlantic surf on the south shore of Edgartown, free parking, lifeguards in season, and real waves — the kind that knock a boogie board out from under you. Come before ten or after four in July and August, because the lot fills and stays full. The rip current here is genuine, so swim near a lifeguard stand and keep an eye on children.

Joseph Sylvia State Beach

The calm counterpoint. Two miles of protected, shallow water on Beach Road between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, warm by August and almost waveless. This is where families with small children end up, and rightly so. It is also home to the Jaws bridge — the one people jump from. Locals do it constantly. Check the tide first.

Menemsha Public Beach

Go for the sunset, not the swim. Menemsha faces west across Vineyard Sound, which makes it the only beach on the island where the sun drops straight into the water. The ritual is fixed: pick up lobster rolls and a bag of oysters from the fish markets on the docks, carry them the two hundred yards to the sand, and eat while the sky goes orange. Bring cash and a sweater.

Lobsterville Beach, Aquinnah

Quiet, rocky, and excellent for a long slow walk. No lifeguards, no facilities, and no roadside parking anywhere nearby — you either bike in or get dropped off. That inconvenience is exactly why it stays empty. Superb for shellfishing and birdwatching.

Moshup Beach, Aquinnah

The one that ends up on postcards. Moshup sits directly beneath the Aquinnah Cliffs, striped clay bluffs that glow red in late afternoon light. Paid parking, a solid walk down from the lot, and no shade — but no other stretch of sand in New England looks like it. Do not dig into the clay cliffs; they are sacred Wampanoag land and legally protected.

Long Point Wildlife Refuge, West Tisbury

Our pick for the day you want to be alone. A Trustees of Reservations property with a freshwater pond on one side, ocean surf on the other, and a strict cap on how many cars get in. Arrive early, pay the entrance fee, and you get a piece of coastline with maybe a dozen other people on it.

The practical notes

• Resident stickers. Lucy Vincent and Squibnocket in Chilmark are resident-only in season. If a beach on the up-island south shore looks suspiciously empty in August, this is why.
• Parking is the whole game. Most lots fill by ten in high summer. Bikes solve this completely, and the island's paved bike paths reach both State Beach and Katama.
• Water temperature splits by shore. The north shore and the ponds run warm. The south shore stays bracing well into July.
• Nothing is open late. Pack water and food before you go, especially up-island.

Stay close to the sand

Where you sleep decides which beaches are realistically yours. Our Edgartown and Katama homes put South Beach within a short bike ride; the Oak Bluffs houses sit minutes from State Beach and the ferry.

Have a look at the homes we look after, or send us a note and tell us how you want to spend the week — we will point you at the right one.