East Beach

Take the tiny Chappy Ferry, then bike or drive to Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge. Remote, wild Atlantic beach with nesting shorebirds, seals, and virtually no other people. The journey is part of the experience.

East Beach is the eastern shoreline of Chappaquiddick, accessible by taking the tiny Chappy Ferry from Edgartown and then biking or driving across the island to the Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge entrance. It's a barrier beach in the truest sense — Atlantic on one side, Cape Pogue Bay on the other — with no facilities, no concessions, and almost no other people on a typical summer day. The Trustees of Reservations manage the property; non-members pay a per-vehicle fee. The water is cold and the surf is real, with rip currents that demand respect. The reward is solitude: nesting plovers and oystercatchers, occasional seal sightings, and a horizon free of buildings. Bring everything, including extra water; in summer the sun can be brutal and there's no shade. The Chappy Ferry runs every ten minutes in season; it's a short trip but the ferry itself is part of the charm.