Martha's Vineyard, MA

Bicycle Helmet
Always Wear A Helmet

MARTHA’S VINEYARD: TWO TOURS

The Best Bike Rides in New England

Paul Thomas – Edited by Paul Angiolillo

Web Sites:

http://www.islandferry.com (The Steamship Authority - ferry service to and from Martha's Vineyard)

http://www.mvtimes.com (Martha's Vineyard Times)

http://www.insiders.com/capecod/index.htm

http://www.mvbestreadguide.com

http://www.marthas-vineyard.com

http://www.mvinfo.com

http://www.mvol.com (Martha's Vineyard online)

http://www.mvy.com (Chamber of Commerce)

http://www.menemsha.com

http://www.tiac.net/users/prowten/index.html

Ferry service is available from New Bedford, MA; Woods Hole, MA; Hyannis, MA.

* * *

A springtime dawn breaks quietly over Martha’s Vineyard. Mist rises from the lush fields, revealing deer that have come out to graze. Weathered shingle homes blend into the muted landscape. Rabbits disappear into the scrub oak woods at the sound of your tires humming down the road.

Martha’s Vineyard remains a timeless paradise for beachgoers and cyclists alike. Its roads wind through woodland and farms, past miles of white sand beaches, around millponds, inlets, and creeks. This triangular-shaped island has served as an offshore vacation retreat since the last century. Today the Vineyard’s population grows tenfold, from 12,000 to 120,000 residents, every summer. Although cycling here can be enjoyable at any time of year, the roads are quietest and the weather nicest in the spring and fall.

The first ride follows the rolling roads of the island’s less populated western half. A 25-mile loop extends from the ferry landing in Vineyard Haven as far as the fishing village of Menemsha and the summer community of Chilmark. A 39-mile alternative follows the Vineyard’s scenic roads all the way to Gay Head (now called Aquinnah), where sunset-hued cliffs drop down to the sea. This hilly point of land features some of the island’s most dramatic scenery.

The second day’s ride is a 28-mile ramble that follows flat roads around the island’s eastern half, exploring the historic and still busy beach communities of Edgartown and Oak Bluffs. The ride follows newly repaved bike paths through the island's state forest-—which contains miles of unpaved roads—and along the oceanfront stretch from Edgartown to Oak Bluffs. An optional 3-mile detour crosses Edgartown Harbor by ferry to visit Chappaquiddick Island.

Each ride represents a day-long excursion, including beach and lunch stops. The easiest way to get to the island is to leave your car in Woods Hole, on the mainland side, and take only your bike across. You are likely to find yourself in the company of other cyclists for the trip. Youth hostel and student cycling groups are regular ferry passengers.

If you would like to start riding on reaching Cape Cod rather than waiting to arrive on Martha’s Vineyard, consider following the Boston-Cape Cod Bikeway route from the Sagamore Bridge to the Woods Hole ferry. For the adventuresome, the Vineyard offers more than 100 miles of paved and unpaved roads. A detailed road map of the Vineyard is available in many outlets on the island.

The Woods Hole Steamship Authority runs daily ferries between Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven. The trip takes about forty-five minutes. Some ferries continue on to Oak Bluffs and Nantucket. Passengers traveling by bicycle or on foot do not need reservations. Call the Steamship Authority at (508) 548-3788 or 477-8600 for information on fares and schedules.

[You can also go to Hyannis and catch the ferry there. This adds the option of a second or third day's trip to Nantucket.]

The Vineyard: Gay Head Cruise

Vineyard Haven – North Tisbury – Menemsha – Gay Head – Chilmark – West Tisbury – Vineyard Haven

The Basics

Start: The ferry terminal in Vineyard Haven. The several-times-a-day ferry from Woods Hole, at Cape Cod’s southwestern tip, is the island’s primary link with the mainland. Follow Route 28S from Buzzard’s Bay to Woods Hole.

Length: 24.7 or 39.3 miles.

Terrain: Gently rolling, generally well-paved roads. No severe climbs—but some hills

Food: Places to eat in West Tisbury, Gay Head, and Chilmark. (Some of them may be seasonal.) Stop in Gay Head, this tour’s midway point, at 21 miles, for concession stands, a crab shack, and a restaurant as well as a picnic area and facilities. Alley’s General Store in West Tisbury, at 32.9 miles, offers snacks, drinks and a stoop to sit on.

Traffic / Safety: If you arrive in the summer, expect heavy, slow-moving traffic until you leave Vineyard Haven. And plan ahead for accommodations.

Miles and Directions:

0.0	Coming off the Wood’s Hole ferry, turn left onto Water Street.
0.1	Right, following the sign toward West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Gay Head.
0.2	Stay left at the fork, merging into South Main Street, which soon becomes State Road.
1.4	Scenic turnoff on the right.
1.6	Right on Lambert’s Cove Road.
5.9	Right at T onto Vineyard Haven Road.
7.1	Fork right onto North Road toward Menemsha. Look for the ancient oak tree in the clearing on your right just before this turn.
12.4	Left on Menemsha Crossing Road toward Chilmark and Gay Head.
	You may detour into the small fishing village of Menemsha by simply continuing straight, downhill, for just under a mile. Double back to this intersection to continue.
13.3	At Beetlebung Corner turn right on South Road. There’s a general store with food here—open Memorial Day to Columbus Day.
	If riding the shorter, 24.7-mile option, continue straight onto South Road toward West Tisbury, picking up the directions starting at 27.9 miles below.
16.4	Reach the ENTERING GAY HEAD SIGN. (Don’t miss the views of Menemsha Pond on your right.)
16.8	Stay right on South Road as the Moshup Trail turns left.
18.0	Right on Lobsterville Road toward Lobsterville Town Beach for a downhill run.
18.8	Left, gradually uphill, onto Lighthouse Road.
	For a beachside detour follow Lobsterville Road around to the right as it traces the edge of the Menemsha Bight. This road follows the line of the beach for 2 miles to the narrow channel connecting Menemsha Pond to the Vineyard Sound. Continue the tour by retracing your route and then turning right onto Lighthouse Road.
20.8	Right onto the short loop of road at Gay Head. Look for the lighthouse on your right. Leaving the road, walk your bike among the concession stands and up the short path to the Gay Head Cliffs viewing area.
21.2	Right at the end of the loop onto the Moshup Trail, which swoops downhill toward the open ocean. This road offers terrific views of the surf along Gay Head Town Beach for most of the next 2 miles.
24.4	Right back onto South Road.
27.9	Returning to Beetlebung Corner, turn right with South Road toward West Tisbury.
32.9	Arriving in West Tisbury, you may want to stop for a snack and a sit on the front stoop of Alley’s General Store on your left.
33.0	Continuing through West Tisbury, bear right onto Edgartown Road toward Katama and Edgartown.
33.3	Left onto Old County Road, soon after passing the Old Millpond on the left.
36.4	Bear right onto State Road after the stop sign, returning to Vineyard Haven. Caution: Watch for traffic. Traffic laws are strictly enforced in Vineyard Haven—for cyclists too.
39.2	Turn left onto Water Street.
39.3	Arrive back at the ferry terminal.

The Vineyard: Edgartown Ramble

Vineyard Haven – North Tisbury – Edgartown – Chappaquiddick – Edgartown – Oak Bluffs – Vineyard Haven

The Basics

Start: The ferry terminal in Vineyard Haven, the same starting point as for The Vineyard: Gay Head Cruise.

Length: 25.3 miles, or 28.3 with Chappaquiddick excursion.

Terrain: Flat coastal and woodland roads. Includes two long sections of well-maintained bike trail.

Food: Many selections for quick lunch stops at the Edgartown harborfront at 15.0 miles and in Oak Bluffs at 21.5 miles.

Traffic / Safety: In the summer even the bike paths can be crowded with cyclists, skaters, and walkers. Relax and enjoy

Miles and Directions:

0.0	Coming off the Wood’s Hole ferry, turn left onto Water Street.
0.1	Right, following the sign toward West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Gay Head.
0.2	Stay left at the fork, merging into South Main Street, which soon becomes State Road.
1.4	Scenic turnoff on the right.
1.6	Continue straight onto County Road as Lambert’s Cove Road turns right.
2.9	Bear left onto Old County Road as State Road turns right toward Menemsha.
3.8	Left onto the Hopps Farm Road bike trail through Martha’s Vineyard State Forest. As you enter the forest, go straight rather than turning right onto the trail that parallels Old County Road.
6.3	Right, toward Martha’s Vineyard Airport, as the trail comes to a T.
7.2	Left with the trail as it skirts the airport.
8.1	Right onto Airport Road or onto the trail paralleling it across the street.
10.1	Left onto W. Tisbury Road or the adjacent bike trail.
14.3	Right on Robinson Road, following the sign toward Edgartown Center and Chappaquiddick. From here follow the bicycle route signs through Edgartown’s narrow one-way streets to the “On Time” ferry terminal. (Or turn left to return to Oak Bluffs.)
15.0	Arrive at ferry terminal. After visiting Chappaquiddick island or checking out Edgartown’s waterfront, leave the harbor area by following Winter and Pease streets to the flagpole at the intersection of Pease and Main Streets.
	For the 5-mile round-trip excursion to Chappaquiddick Island, hop the ferry for the short trip across Edgartown Harbor. Follow the island’s only paved road, Chappaquiddick Road, past the beach club and up a small rise. In 2 miles the road turns sharply right. Continue straight onto Dike Road, which is unpaved but smooth. It will lead out past a Japanese garden on the left to the Dike Bridge. Lock your bike for a walk onto expansive East Beach.
15.7	Right onto Main Street toward Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs.
16.3	Fork right onto Edgartown-Oak Bluffs Road toward Oak Bluffs. Hop onto the broad, smooth bike trail on the left just a short distance down the road.
21.3	Left onto Bluffs Avenue immediately opposite the Oak Bluffs ferry terminal. Then continue straight onto Lake Avenue, skirting Oak Bluffs Harbor.
21.7	Right onto E. Chop Drive, also called Commercial Avenue, continuing across the harbor. Follow E. Chop Drive, which turns into Highland Drive, around the waterfront.
22.7	East Chop lighthouse on the right.
23.4	Right on Temahigan Avenue, toward Vineyard Haven, immediately after Highland Drive turns sharply inland.
23.7	Right on Beach Road across the long causeway back to Vineyard Haven.
25.1	Right on Water Street.
25.3	Right on Union Street at the Vineyard Haven ferry terminal.

TAKEN FROM

The Best Bike Rides in New England, written by Paul Thomas

Published by

The Globe Pequot Press
P.O. Box 833
Old Saybrook, Connecticut 06475

This company has published a number of other biking books. Check out your local bookstore or contact them for availability.