View of Cape Poge from Dike Br...
Explore this magnificent barrier beach with its sandy shoreline, expansive salt marsh, beautiful salt pond, and unique colony of hardy red cedars.
Plan Your Visit
- Overview
- Ideas for Your Visit
- Admission & Hours
- Directions & Contact Info
- What You'll Find
- Facilities & Accessibility
- Property Map
- Regulations & Advisories
Overview
Formed thousands of years ago by offshore currents, the barrier beach on Chappaquiddick Island’s eastern edge extends for seven miles from Wasque Point past the Cape Poge Lighthouse to the Gut. Powerful currents push through and flush Cape Poge Bay with oxygen-rich water that attracts striped bass, bluefish, bonito, and albacore, while tidal waters support extensive salt marshes around Poucha Pond.
Cape Poge elbow is home to a gull rookery and nests of piping plovers, least terns, and oystercatchers, while The Cedars offers a glimpse of century-old, low-growing eastern red cedars sculpted by salt spray and wind.
Ideas for Your Visit
Ride a rumbling over-sand vehicle to tour and explore Cape Poge’s diverse upland, marine habitats and world-renowned fishing spots, and a lighthouse with origins dating to 1801, that used to guide ships through the shoal waters and shallows of Muskeget Channel into Edgartown Harbor.
For a different view, paddle through Poucha Pond or amble along an easily accessible two-mile walk at Wasque Beach Uplands.
Admission & Hours
Gatehouse Hours: 9AM-5PM
Admission and fees from May 30 to Oct. 15:
Trustees Members:FREE
Nonmembers: Adult $5, Child (15 & under) FREE.
Free to pedestrians at other times of the year.
Admission paid at Mytoi, Dike Bridge, or Wasque provides visitor access to all three Chappaquiddick properties for that day.
Learn more about OSV permits and buy a permit.
Open year-round, daily, 24 hours (10PM to 5AM – fishing access only).
We welcome school and youth groups for experiential educational programs. Please visit our Education Page for details and to initiate a visit request.
Directions & Contact Info
Dike Road, Chappaquiddick Island
Martha’s Vineyard, MA 02539
Telephone: 508.627.7689
Tours: 508.627.3599
Email: capepoge@thetrustees.org
Beach access hotline (current beach closure updates): 508.627.8390.
From Edgartown-Chappaquiddick ferry, take Chappaquiddick Road 2.5 mi. At sharp right curve, continue straight on Dike Road (dirt road) and follow 0.5 mi. to entrance and gatehouse over Dike Bridge. Town parking area (20 cars) on town side of bridge. Additional parking (15 cars) at Mytoi on left side of Dike Rd. 0.2 mi. before reaching bridge.
What You'll Find
Trails
Moderate hiking along 14 miles of oversand vehicle and walking trails, plus beach front.
Shining Light
At the northernmost tip of the sand barrier stands the Cape Poge Lighthouse. First erected in 1801, the lighthouse helped guide ships through the shoalwaters and shallows of Muskeget Channel, and into Edgartown Harbor. Storms and erosion felled the beacon twice; the lighthouse was rebuilt in 1844 and again in 1893 and this latter incarnation still stands.The Cape Poge light flashes a brilliant white 63 feet above the sand dunes and can be seen by sailors nine miles out to sea. Today, the Cape Poge Lighthouse is managed by The Trustees, while the U.S. Coast Guard maintains the automated lantern.
Facilities & Accessibility
Picnic tables, bike rack, restrooms (May 30 – Oct. 15) provided.
Fresh water is available by hand pump from Mytoi parking areas.
Property Map
View or download a trail map by clicking here.
Regulations & Advisories
- Over-sand vehicle access is subject to occasional closures (June/July) to protect rare nesting shorebirds, the presence of rare or endangered species, or for any other reason pertaining to the safety needs of visitors and/or wildlife.
- Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times.
- Authorized seasonal bow hunting is allowed on this reservation with written permission for a limited number of hunters through a deer management program administered by The Trustees. Per MassWildlife regulations, hunting is permitted from the first Monday in October through December each year, from ½ hour before sunrise all day until ½ hour after sunset, Monday through Saturday. Hunting is not allowed on Sundays. Signage is posted at the property listing safety precautions and requirements. Learn more about hunting on Trustees properties. Any questions may be directed to The Trustees at info@thetrustees.org.
- There is no longer over-sand vehicle access to Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge via Wasque due to severe beach erosion at Wasque Point.
- Free town parking lot (20 cars) located on town-side of Dike Bridge.
- Additional parking (15 cars) is located at Mytoi on the left side of Dike Road 0.2 mi. before Dike Bridge.
- Limited handicapped-accessible transportation; call 508.627.3599 for details.
- Tour participants may utilize a complimentary shuttle service that runs all day, with pickup 30 minutes before tour time at the Edgartown-Chappaquiddick ferry landing on the Chappaquiddick side.
- When bringing a vehicle across, please be aware that summer ferry lines to Chappaquiddick Island may exceed 1 hour. Walk-on passengers rarely have to wait more than 7 minutes.
- PHOTOGRAPHY: We ask that photographers or their clients become Supporting Level Members before conducting portrait sessions at this property. Click here for more information, and to request permission for any portrait sessions. The Trustees of Reservations reserves the right, and may give permission to its designated photographers and videographers, or to outside media, to photograph or video visitors and program participants at all its facilities and properties.
