Nudist Beach: Gay Head Beach On Martha's Vineyard
BeoWolf
Gay Head Beach is a popular nudist beach and is located in the town of
Aquinnah, Massachusetts in the southwest corner of Martha's Vineyard
island. It is owned by the Wampanoag indian tribe as a result of
winning a lawsuit for the Gay Head cliffs in 1978 and can be freely
used by anyone who shows respect for the land. Millions of tourists
visit the top of the cliffs each year not realizing that the beach
below is a nudist beach. From the top of the cliffs, there is a trail
to the left (facing the cliff edge) that leads to the town beach,
Lighthouse Beach. Once on Lighthouse Beach, take a right, notice that
the no nudity sign is a tip off of nude sunbathing somewhere, and walk
to the nude use area under the cliffs. The cliffs are 300 feet high and
contain white, black, gold, and red clay and sometimes someone will
mould a tub out of the clay where a trickle of water flows out of the
cliffs. However, the Wampanoags prefer that no one touch the clay to
prevent erosion. Once I went early, dropped my clothes and took a walk
for several hours (it's a big beach) only to return to find textiles
camped out around my clothes. As soon as I got dressed many people left
to find out where I came from. If you have any questions while there,
talk to the man with the darkest tan.
The best way to get there is from Cape Cod via the Steamship Authority
out of Wood's Hole in Falmouth. Cars are costly to take and it is
recommended that you use a bus or moped on the island. You can park
your car in Woods Hole or you can take a Greyhound (Bonanza) bus to
Woods Hole from Boston or New York. The ferry leaves at 7:00 am or 8:15
am for Vineyard Haven and the trip takes about 45 minutes. The return
trip back leaves at 5:00 pm, 7:15 pm, and 9:30 pm (May 17 to Oct 10,
2006 schedule, and there are other trips available). The Steamship
Authority's website can be found here:
http://web1.steamshipauthority.com/ssa/
Martha's Vineyard Transit offers cheap and easy transportation. Between
May 6, 2006 through October 9, 2006 you can catch the Route 3 bus from
the Steamship Authority terminal in Vineyard haven to West Tisbury at
:07 past the hour. It connects to the Route 5 bus for transfers at :36
past the hour in West Tisbury and arrives at :08 past the next hour at
Gay Head Light. The return trip on the Route 5 bus leaves at :10 past
the hour from the Gay Head Light, arrives in West Tisbury at :38 past
for transfer to the Route 3 bus which leaves at :44 past the hour and
arrives in Vineyard Haven at the Steamship Authority terminal at :01
past the following hour. A one day pass for $6 can be bought at the
Steamship Authority and will save a couple of dollars. Martha's
Vineyard Transit's website can be found here:
http://www.vineyardtransit.com/
The following article is reposted from the Naturist Society website:
http://www.naturistsociety.com/magazine/detail.jsp?id=21
Martha's Vineyard Revisited
by Michael J. Cooney
The Martha's Vineyard nude beach tradition dates back to the 1930s,
when summering New York artists and writers gathered on the then-wild
beaches of the island's south shore. The tradition continued with
little fanfare until the late '60s. Then, as the flower children
generation descended on the island, nude beach use became something
more than a quiet, cloistered affair. Documented by early TNS
photographer Peter Simon, the newcomers' lifestyle and numbers
challenged local customs.
As Peter tells the story:
In 1968 I came to the Vineyard with my college friends and we went to
Zack's Cliffs in Gay Head. This was the first time I saw people my
own age naked and immediately it was like a revelation to me. So we all
got naked and it became a community in the late '60s. I found it to
be a very photogenic experience.
Clothes were optional at our house as well as the beach. We were living
in a rented house with about eight people who were all working together
at a movie theater that summer. That summer (1970) we were all arrested
and put in jail for indecent exposure. We were just sitting around on
the beach, playing music and all of a sudden this police paddy wagon
comes rolling down the beach and the cops jump out and arrest us. One
of the beachgoers tipped off the people to the fact that we were nude
on private property. This property at the time belonged to a guy named
Hornblower, who owned 23 miles of virgin beach and apparently didn't
want naked hippies roaming all over the place. We were put in jail for
about three hours so we sang folk songs. The song I remember the most
was "Urge for Going." So finally the bail arrived and we got out just
in time to run our movie theater that night.
Our arrest created a big furor about nude beaches on the Vineyard. The
court put us on probation and told us that if we were ever caught again
we would be put in jail. That ended our use of that beach but nude use
at Windy Gates and nearby Jungle Beach (Lucy Vincent Beach) was
sanctioned so it became a non-issue.
My own introduction to the wonderful world of nude beaches came as a
direct result of Peter's arrest and the subsequent newspaper
coverage. I was working on Cape Cod and the Vineyard at the time and as
soon as I read the newspaper accounts of Jungle Beach I was on my way.
Asking locals for directions, I was given the classic Vineyard
response: very little and very vague-"It's up island, in Chilmark."
But just where up island? No one would tell me. With a little scouting
I learned that all those cars parked along the road were a sure sign
that something was happening on the other side of the thickets.
The name Jungle Beach was appropriate; to get to the beach in the early
'70s required navigating a maze of trails that worked their way
through dense thickets and underbrush. But it was worth it. Even to
this day, Jungle Beach is one of the most stunning beaches I have ever
seen. But then again, you always feel that way about your first love.
In the mid '70s the beach passed from private ownership to the Town
of Chilmark and was restricted to residents and guests. However, the
nude tradition continues. While no longer the domain of flower
children, the beach is now about one-third nude and populated by the
aging boomers who remember simpler times.
With the closing of Jungle Beach to visitors, the island's main nude
beach became Zack's Cliffs Beach, located in the town of Gay Head
(now known as Aquinnah). The town is the home of the Wampanoag tribe,
for whom nude bathing is the natural thing to do.
Zack's is still the site of occasional nude bathing, but the beach is
now private and is located next to Philbin Beach, which is restricted
to Gay Head residents. Clay bathing, long a nude beach tradition, is
now forbidden due to ecological concerns.
Gay Head Beach
The naturist visitor seeking a nude beach accessible to the general
public will still find one of the best beaches in America below the
cliffs of Gay Head. The only public beach in Gay Head, Moshup Beach, is
a surf beach off Moshup Trail. The beach is a 10-minute walk from the
parking lot on a cleared trail. On reaching the beach turn right and
proceed to the official end of Moshup Beach, on which nudity is not
permitted, to the large boulders, the beginning of the nude area. This
beach area is commonly known as Gay Head Beach, but is not listed as
such on island maps.
This serene and refreshing location offers peace and space for
everyone. The multi-colored clay cliffs, not unlike the Dakota Badlands
in appearance, make a breathtaking backdrop to the ocean. The surf is
terrific as it pounds on the soft white sand beach. Large boulders are
strewn about the length of the beach, offering the only shade
available-but only in the late afternoon. While rangers do
occasionally patrol the beach, their concern is with safety and keeping
people off the fragile cliffs.
Since the Vineyard is farther south than most other nude recreation
areas in New England, the water tends to be a bit warmer. The best time
to visit is after Labor Day when the weather is delightful, the ocean
is warm, and the summer crowds are gone.
On a summer day as many as 150 nude sunbathers may be found freely
mixing with the textiles in a remarkable spirit of acceptance and
tolerance. Weekends can bring many more visitors, but with the wild
beach stretching over a mile there is room for all.
There are no facilities on the beach itself. At the top of the bluff
are a small restaurant, cafés, gift shops and commendably clean public
rest rooms. This area is a good distance from the nude use area so plan
ahead and bring everything you will need to the beach, especially
sunscreen and water.
The Vineyard for $30
For a beachgoing daytripper the normally expensive Vineyard can be a
bargain.
The key to affordability is not to bring your car to the island. It is
expensive, and ferry reservations are mandatory in summer season.
Be-sides, just trying to find a place to park on the island can become
the focus of the day.
The Beachgoer's Budget Plan:
Roundtrip ferry from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven: $12.
Day pass for island buses, which can be purchased with your ferry
ticket: $6.
Beach sandwich, bottle of water and a cup of great island coffee: $6.
(The bus makes a five-minute stop in the West Tisbury town center,
where you can visit the local bakery for lunch supplies.)
Post-beach cup of Quahog chowder at the Broken Arrow café (located at
the Gay Head bus stop) plus more great island coffee: $4.25.
Mandatory stop at the Black Dog bakery, gift shop or restaurant located
near the dock in Vineyard Haven: $1.75 (if you use great restraint).
The bus from Boston will take you directly to the Woods Hole ferry
dock. Parking for the ferry will cost an additional $8 to $10.
If you take the 8 a.m. ferry and use the island bus system you can be
happily naked on the beach by 11 a.m.