Main content

Gay Head Moraine

Dog Policy

Size

119.6 acres

Description

Quirky land is a natural conservation priority; this land is quirky. Its wetlands form a honeycomb near the center of the property, and the rise and fall of the various elevations creates puddles of wetlands in unexpected places. A sphagnum bog, pyriform and isolated, is its most special feature. Visible from the rises are the Vineyard Sound and the hills above Menemsha.

Universal Access

Packed gravel trail
  • Difficulty rating: Difficult
  • Trail: Park at lower UA trailhead. Trail is packed gravel and grass for 1000’
  • Points of Interest: Views of stream, meadow and glacial erratic. 
  • Benches: 1

Access

Start at the intersection of the State and Lobsterville Roads. Proceed 0.5 miles down the Lobsterville Road and turn right onto the dirt road; trailhead is 0.1 miles ahead

Historical Highlights

  • Gay Head Moraine was at one time farmland; the four stone cellar walls and numerous stone walls attest to this
  • a deed dated from 1956 refers to the property as the “homestead of Thomas Manning,” who was among those who attempted to rescue the stranded crew and passengers of the City of Columbus on the morning of January 1884; his boat was wrecked, and he and the other would-be-rescuers narrowly escaped drowning themselves

Trail / Property Map