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Chappy Point Beach

Dog Policy

Size

2.9 acres

Description

Seven hundred feet of beach are preserved here at the neck of land where the Katama Bay and Edgartown Harbor wash into each other. The wash creates swift, scouring currents; swimmers will find that water becomes rather deep rather fast. The Edgartown lighthouse and the North Neck bluffs sit opposite the beach and the inlet is a parade of boats all summer long. The Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group leases the beach-house here and uses it as a satellite nursery, supplying shellfish spat to seed the island towns’ ponds and lagoons.

Universal Access

Sandy path to beach
  • Difficulty rating: Easy
  • Trail: Direct access to beach from Chappy Point trailhead and two wooden dune walks
  • Points of Interest: Beach access and harbor viewing
  • Benches: 1

Access

On-premises parking is extremely limited. Park in Edgartown center (or, better, park at the Triangle and hop the trolley into town) and take the On-Time ferry to Chappaquiddick Island. The property begins immediately to the left of the ferry slip.

Historical Highlights

  • Charles Bunting, an Edgartown merchant, ran a salt production industry on Chappy Point; the process was by evaporation in large wooden pans and continued to as late as 1840

Trail / Property Map