Aquinnah Headlands Preserve – North Head
Managed by Martha's Vineyard Land Bank
16 acres0.5 mi of trail
North Head Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: MarinelaK · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Aquinnah
11% of Aquinnah’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Aquinnah Headlands Preserve – North Head (0.5 mi). 11% of Aquinnah’s land is conserved, about 359 acres. 242 acres are parks and preserves, 364 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
11%
359 acres · of 5.3 sq mi of land
Trails
7.8 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
242 ac
364 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
4
8 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Aquinnah?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Aquinnah Headlands Preserve – North Head, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Aquinnah Headlands Preserve – South Head
Managed by Martha's Vineyard Land Bank
16 acres0.4 mi of trail
Field LoopMoshup Beach Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Moshup Beach Town Parking
Moshup Beach
Managed by Martha's Vineyard Land Bank
17 acres0.2 mi of trail
Moshup Beach Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Leonard
Nature preserve
14 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Aquinnah Headlands Preserve – North Head16 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Martha's Vineyard Land Bank
Aquinnah Headlands Preserve – South Head16 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Martha's Vineyard Land Bank
DirectionsMoshup Beach17 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Martha's Vineyard Land Bank
DirectionsAquinnah Circle Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWallen, Preston, and Shands Preserve3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Sheriff's Meadow Foundation
Leonard14 acres
Eastman14 acres
Gay Head Beach/Cliffs/Dunes8 acres
DirectionsNuovo5 acres
Dogfish Bar Beach Coastal Access2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
359 conserved acres
11% of Aquinnah’s land. Water is left out: Aquinnah has 5.3 square miles of land and 35.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Aquinnah’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits60 ac
Regional agency16 ac
Not recorded313 ac
Private Conservation · 147 acLocal Conservation Area · 101 acConservation Easement · 70 acLocal Other or Unknown · 68 acState Other or Unknown · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 43 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 64 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gay Head Moraine Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 70 | Restricted |
| Moshups Trail Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 43 | Open |
| Aquinnah Cliffs Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 43 | Restricted |
| Aquinnah Headlands Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 27 | Open |
| Moshup Beach Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 22 | Open |
| Nuovo Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 20 | Open |
| Eastman and Knapp Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 18 | Open |
| Leonard Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 16 | Open |
| Aquinnah Public Beach Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 8 | Open |
| Toad Rock Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Aquinnah
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Aquinnah
Gay Head Town Beach
DirectionsLobsterville Beach
DirectionsLobsterville Beach
DirectionsLong Beach
DirectionsMoshup BeachIn Gay Head Beach/Cliffs/Dunes
DirectionsMoshup BeachIn Moshup Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Aquinnah
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Aquinnah
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Aquinnah
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.3 mi
Gay Head Moraine woodland trail1.0 mi
Moshup Beach Trail0.5 mi
North Head Loop0.3 mi
Field Loop0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
7Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Aquinnah: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 41 | 46 | 55 | 65 | 74 | 80 | 79 | 73 | 63 | 53 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.9 | 3.5 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 |
July is the driest month (2.7 in) and the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.9 inches fall in March, the wettest month. The climate in Aquinnah →
Next door
Aquinnah and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquinnah | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Chilmark | 29% | 2.3 | 923 | 87% | A+ |
| Gosnold | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Aquinnah
Where can I hike in Aquinnah?
The longest trail networks: Aquinnah Headlands Preserve – North Head, 0.5 miles; Aquinnah Headlands Preserve – South Head, 0.4 miles; Moshup Beach, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Aquinnah’s trails?
Aquinnah Headlands Preserve – North Head and Aquinnah Headlands Preserve – South Head don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Aquinnah?
9,853 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Aquinnah or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 254 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Aquinnah neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →