I did not camp here, but I did visit for a day trip. When in doubt, walk or bike the CCRT (Cape Cod…read moreRail Trail) from wherever you are staying on the cape and bike into Nickerson State Park for beautiful views, hikes, bird songs, and more! Nickerson State Park was not on my radar until recently and now that I've visited, I think this would be a beautiful place to camp with friends. The stamp at the entrance made my heart happy!

This was very nice 8.00 to park all day and boy you could get lost in this place. But it was very…read morenice well kept grounds people were very nice ponds and little beach areas cute.

Before our visit to Martha's Vineyard, I did a little research on-line to determine what is worth…read moredoing during our 4-day stay. Hiking and biking are our main activities, with possibly a day of kayaking thrown in. I decided that one day of hiking would consist of hiking both the Great Rock Bight and the Menemsha Hills Reservation. I wish I had put as much time and effort into researching HOW to do the hikes as I did in selecting which hikes to do, as these trails are not so easy to find. We asked at our hotel (Pequot) for maps of hiking trails and found that they didn't have any. I drove west on N Road assuming that there would be signs for these popular hiking trails, but there were none. We made it all the way to the Menemsha Beach and parked. As we knew that the hiking trail ends at the beach, we figured it would be just as nice of a hike to start at the beach and end on the hilltop. There is a Texaco Station across the road from the end of the hiking trail and I asked them for a trail map. Can you believe not only did they not have maps, they didn't know about the hiking trail or so they said. So we winged it and began hiking from the statue of the man spearing a swordfish across the marsh and up the hill until we somehow lost the unmarked trail. We eventually came out to N Road and asked several people until we finally got lucky and asked a local on a bicycle. He directed us to take Prospect Hill Road saying it leads to the hill and the trail to the beach. We never would have guessed because of the signs that said "private property" and "no trespassing". Apparently the locals want to discourage the tourists enjoyment of this natural beauty. Once on this road we never saw any signs in English for trails, but we did see one tree that had a series of trail markers, which were useless without a map showing the key. We hiked all the way to Gosnold's Way as far as we could go. We saw some trails meandering here or there off the road, but none seemed to call to us, "this must be it". So we turned back toward N Road. Less than a quarter of a mile before we reached N Road, we noticed a steep incline on our right leading to a hilltop. It turned out to be Prospect Hill which is one of the highlights of this trail. We had unwittingly hiked miles past it. There were no signs, just one lonely bench at the summit. We rest there an hour or so and then retraced our steps back to the beach. As for beauty, the place is excellent. But the only signs are to discourage rather than help hikers. Plus I don't recall seeing anyplace on Prospect Hill Road or Gosnold's Way you can park. If you do this hike I strongly advise you to do your homework.

A hidden jewel…read more Prospect Hill in Menemsha Hills is either the highest or second highest point on the Vineyard. I'm not sure because I have heard both. It's only 300 feet high, yep it's not exactly a mountain but since the whole island is basically a glacial moraine, not bad. Heard all kinds of tales about people putting dirt and rocks on the top to keep it the highest point. As with most island tales I am somewhat skeptical but there are a bunch of boulders on the summit that do look like someone took the trouble to move them there. The entire reservation is over 200 acres and a absolutely fantastic place to hike. Anyone interesting in nature will love this place, ancient oaks, cherry trees, maples and a lot of shrubs and plants with names I'm not familiar with. Plus tons of obvious glacial evidence and debris. The whole trail is probably a little over four miles but with a lot of ups and downs. Two hills to negotiate and lots of curves and rocks to go over. Not very many flat places so the four miles is longer than it seems. Bring tick repellent because the nasty little things always seem to appreciate cool places like this. At the eastern most part of the trail you arrive at the magnificent Great Sands Cliffs, with incredible views in every direction. You can then climb or more likely slide down the slope to the beach. A great place to swim if you respect the water and don't get yourself killed. Menemsha Reservation and Prospect Hill are hidden jewels, even in the busy tourist season virtually no one goes here. The best places on the island always seem to be the ones least frequented.

It was a great hike, but believe the reviews about the trail markers! We downloaded All trails map…read moreand still got turned around a few times. No cell service , so download map.

This trail is fantastic. While the terrain is a little challenging because of sand, it is mostly…read moreflat. The variety of sand, dunes, water and panoramic views are beautiful. Lots of little crabs along the way, and birds flying overhead. The parking lot is very convenient. We arrived at 10 am and only 3 cars were in the lot. Y the time we got back at 2 pm the lot was full so plan accordingly. Bring water and snacks and a camera!

This hidden gem has 2-3 miles of wooded trails for trailing running, dog walking, and light hiking…read more While the paved rail trail and the small beaches along the way are fun to explore, it's the wooded trails that are a win for me when I want a shaded run that's easy on the knees. Trails are well maintained and easy to navigate. Parking is available from the Main St Rail Trail Lot. For the wooded trail, you can either access it from the smaller secondary lot or take the main Rail Trail about a quarter mile down towards the river until you start seeing small paths on your left. There is a dirt service road with power lines running parallel to the rail trail that you will cross over. These power lines will also help navigate you back if you get turned around. I had to knock of a star because the trails are not marked so you can get turned around. Luckily the loops are short so you can't get too lost but don't be surprised if you end up in someone's driveway or come across a dirt road you weren't expecting. There are a few spots along the loops that have benches if you want to take a break and enjoy the views.

Great place to walk the dog. Beautiful views of the river and marshes along the way. However,…read moretrails are not well-marked so you're never sure exactly where you are (as a newbie). Clear trail markers would be very helpful. Though there were several dogs off-leash, most were controlled by their owners. Definitely worth a visit!

A family tradition that always carries on is always stopping here. There's a lot of history to…read moreUncle Tim's Bridge dating back to the 20th century. The bridge crosses a creek that connects with the Cape Cod Bay, which corresponds with the tide. Speaking of tides, if it is low, you will smell the dirt. It's not that bad when you get use to it, but be aware. If you're better off coming if the tide is high, that is your choice. The view from there is great, overseeing Wellfleet and the Island. Parking can be found from 300 ft. down from the bridge. There is no sidewalk that connects to the lot, so please be careful. Once that's done, enjoy the stay!

This is a cute spot for a quick walk like if you just want to stretch your legs. We visited here…read moretoday (1/3) and found it to be surprisingly busy with a number of folks out walking or walking dogs. Lots of incredibly huge seagulls. You can cross the bridge into the park (Hamblen) and walk more although today we couldn't get very far as there were massive puddles due to recent rainfall. Very quick spot to visit just for the bridge but well worth a look see if you're in town.

This is a cool little spot with some history. I would make a stop here and enjoy the view. I also…read morethink they have a trail as well. Parking is a "B" though, FYI.

Tony and I stopped at the 40 stepsoverlook at Cliff Walk. They are doing some minor construction at…read morethis location so please be careful! There are bathrooms located here along with some signage! A few Park benches to rest and relax! Dog friendly but please clean up after them. Highly recommend to all

There is a good sized dirt parking area here with security lights. A trail map is located at the…read moretrail head and the paths are very clearly blazed. You can see they have been through and cleared winter debris from the trail. The terrain is rocky with plenty of roots and has a slight incline. Nothing too strenuous. An excellent location to get into the woods for a quick day hike.

This is such a hidden gem! I would def recommend making the trek out to enjoy it. We followed a…read moreroute on all trails but took our own way sometimes too making our hike about 6 miles. It wasn't very green yet but we cannot wait to come back in a month. There were some deer tracks, two garter snakes, a frog, and lots pretty birds. Oh and a crab! Our pup did great too. Make sure to check for ticks. We found a few on him!