- I go on vacation to Martha's Vineyard in the summer and hear their is trails on the island. I have been looking around on the internet and have not really been able to find a good trail review. I looked on you tube and only found one thing for Martha's Vineyard mountain bike trails, it wasn't really a trail either more if a dirt road. Please tell me if you know any good trails, preferably near vineyard haven. I heard something about the trail of tears but couldn't find much about it.
Martha's Vineyard trails
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Ewik, TOT (Trail of Tears) is on Cape Cod in Barnstable. As is Willow Street (Barnstable/Yarmouth), Nickerson (Brewster), and Otis (Falmouth). I'm a Falmouth resident and my girlfriend in on the Vineyard for the summers. There is a group who call themselves VORBA (Vineyard Off-Road Bicycle Association), they ride 9am on Sundays. I haven't been able to hook up with them just yet. There are many trails on the island, from deer trail to singletrack to dirt road. It's typically tamer than where ever you come from (I can pretty much assume that). I've ridden my "cross" out there and loved it.
Additionally you have Otis (its right off 28 before you get to Falmouth). I ride there and its a blast. Many flowing singletracks with a good deal of hills and even rocks! I've met guys from the island there.
If you can spare time in Falmouth I'd recommend Otis (or any of the other trails I listed, plus more), check with Cape Cod NEMBA (Facebook is the best bet) or PM me for a tour there. As for the Vineyard specifically, google VORBA, you'll get some contact info and where/when they meet.
Also, I'll likely be on island most weekends and will be looking to explore more of the trails there.
Additionally you have Otis (its right off 28 before you get to Falmouth). I ride there and its a blast. Many flowing singletracks with a good deal of hills and even rocks! I've met guys from the island there.
If you can spare time in Falmouth I'd recommend Otis (or any of the other trails I listed, plus more), check with Cape Cod NEMBA (Facebook is the best bet) or PM me for a tour there. As for the Vineyard specifically, google VORBA, you'll get some contact info and where/when they meet.
Also, I'll likely be on island most weekends and will be looking to explore more of the trails there.
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There are tons of trails on the island but learning how to string them together to avoid riding long stretches on the road is the key. Sadly the MV Land Bank has been ruining the trails on their property buy making them double track and putting down mulch. I'm not sure if they are doing this for ease of maintenance (they can now just drive a tractor down them) or if they think the people want golf paths through nature. But there are still many great trails on the island. There are some fun trails in sherif's meadow properties. The best way to learn the trails is to go ride with VORBA.
Sheriff's Meadow Foundation : Martha's Vineyard
I ride regularly with VORBA in the summer and occasionally in fall and spring if I can get out to the island. But the core group rides all year long. They start at 9am from Grange Hall (old ag hall) in west tisbury and ride for at least 3 hours, sometimes 4. The pace is mellow but fun. This is no hammerfest... The Ride | VORBA
In summertime there are often 12-15 people on the ride. The trails have very frequent intersections so it would be very easy to loose the group. To prevent fragmentation they use a novel approach. The leader navigates and the 2nd rider stops to mark the intersections and point the remaining riders in the right direction. This effectively means that everyone rotates through the order from back to front. It makes for a very friendly ride. I've been to many special parts of the island that I would never have seen otherwise and learned many new trails and great views.
The trails are not usually very technical but often narrow flowing single track that is fun to ride on a hard tail or short travel bike. There's some nice loamy dirt around much of the island with more sandy soil as you get closer to the coasts. Thorny bushes are common and so are the ticks and poison ivy. I'm sensitive to the ivy so I was with Technu after a ride and that almost always seems to prevents it.
See you on the trail! I'll be on the chromed Canfield.
Sheriff's Meadow Foundation : Martha's Vineyard
I ride regularly with VORBA in the summer and occasionally in fall and spring if I can get out to the island. But the core group rides all year long. They start at 9am from Grange Hall (old ag hall) in west tisbury and ride for at least 3 hours, sometimes 4. The pace is mellow but fun. This is no hammerfest... The Ride | VORBA
In summertime there are often 12-15 people on the ride. The trails have very frequent intersections so it would be very easy to loose the group. To prevent fragmentation they use a novel approach. The leader navigates and the 2nd rider stops to mark the intersections and point the remaining riders in the right direction. This effectively means that everyone rotates through the order from back to front. It makes for a very friendly ride. I've been to many special parts of the island that I would never have seen otherwise and learned many new trails and great views.
The trails are not usually very technical but often narrow flowing single track that is fun to ride on a hard tail or short travel bike. There's some nice loamy dirt around much of the island with more sandy soil as you get closer to the coasts. Thorny bushes are common and so are the ticks and poison ivy. I'm sensitive to the ivy so I was with Technu after a ride and that almost always seems to prevents it.
See you on the trail! I'll be on the chromed Canfield.
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Reviving this old baby as I hate starting new threads. Wanted to throw it out there that I effectively live on this island now (when I don't spend weeks on end on the road for work). I've gotten to know the off-road options well and have been having fun this summer.
Always happy to give tours to folks, I accept high fives and beer as payment. I live in Vineyard Haven so its easy to meet folks at the boat and there is plenty from there.
Alternatively I also used to live in Falmouth and know the area well, always looking for excuses to grab a boat to Woods Hole and mess around on the cape.
As a heads up if anyone ever did want to ride on the island come prepared. While there is a lot of dirt (with lots of sand content) most stuff is doubletrack and singletrack can be boring in stretches. A lot of the riding is more about exploring and pedaling than playing or descending, though it happens. Most stuff requires many bike path, road, or dirt road connections.
I use my plus HT and its a blast. As someone who travels the east coast to ride and loves rugged big days and elevation and all that; I'm always pleasantly surprised here. There is climbing (50-75ft/mi avg. vs more typical 100-200ft/mi on mainland), rocks, roots, places to boost, technical sections, flowier sections, etc. plus ocean views.
Always happy to give tours to folks, I accept high fives and beer as payment. I live in Vineyard Haven so its easy to meet folks at the boat and there is plenty from there.
Alternatively I also used to live in Falmouth and know the area well, always looking for excuses to grab a boat to Woods Hole and mess around on the cape.
As a heads up if anyone ever did want to ride on the island come prepared. While there is a lot of dirt (with lots of sand content) most stuff is doubletrack and singletrack can be boring in stretches. A lot of the riding is more about exploring and pedaling than playing or descending, though it happens. Most stuff requires many bike path, road, or dirt road connections.
I use my plus HT and its a blast. As someone who travels the east coast to ride and loves rugged big days and elevation and all that; I'm always pleasantly surprised here. There is climbing (50-75ft/mi avg. vs more typical 100-200ft/mi on mainland), rocks, roots, places to boost, technical sections, flowier sections, etc. plus ocean views.
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Wish I would have known earlier! I rented a house in Chilmark during the last week of June. Didn't bring my bike this year but ended up hiking Wakosim's Rock. I rode those trails once before and it's not all that exciting. Would definitely like to find other trails. Does VORBA still run their ride on Sundays?
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