Nantucket Bike Paths > Biking To Surfside

Why bike to Surfside?

Surfside is a popular Nantucket destination and a great place to ride for a few reasons:

  • Surfside is probably the best bet for families due to the amenities and the fact that it's the closest south shore beach to Town. You can leave our shop and be sitting on a beautiful beach in about half an hour.
  • There are several great beach access points near Surfside, so you can find a great spot whether you're looking for full amenities or something more natural.
  • Surfside has a perfect combo of spacious beach and a more forgiving current, as the south shore currents on either end of the island can be much stronger.
Surfside beach on Nantucket's south shore

Logistics

📍 How far is it:

~7 miles roundtrip

🕘 How long does it take?

1-2 hours roundtrip

🚽 Bathrooms:

Public restrooms are available in-season at Surfside Beach

🚰 Water:

There is a water fountain towards the beginning of the Surfside Road bike path that operates in-season.

🍽 Food:

Food can be purchased in Surfside Beach in-season at The Surf.

Points of interest

Young's Bicycle Shop map of Surfside on the south shore of Nantucket

Download our famous Map of Nantucket

The route to Sufside passes through Town towards the residential beach area of the south shore. Here are some of the must-do's in Surfside:

  • Grab a snack on your way out at 45 Surfside or Yummy, two good options that are right on the bike path, or get a burger and a drink at The Surf when you get to the Surfside Beach parking lot.
  • Walk the seemingly endless shoreline that stretches for miles in either direction.
  • Find yourself a nice patch of sand, set up your spot, and enjoy some of the best beach Nantucket has to offer.

How to get to Surfside on a bike

Via Atlantic Ave (3.5 miles, 1/2 - 1hr)

There are a couple easy ways you can get on the Surfside bike path. One way is to head west out of town and navigate to Atlantic Ave over by Nantucket High School where the beginning of the bike path starts.

While you'll still be on the road with cars for the 1st mile or so, this route is a little quieter and gives you the opportunity to see some historical sites on the way.

Click to open map

Directions to Surfside via Atlantic Ave

  1. From our shop, head up Broad Street and take your second left onto Federal Street.
  2. Turn right on Chestnut Street, cross Centre Street at continue up Hussey Street heading in the same direction.
  3. Follow Hussey Street as it veers left and at the end of the road go left onto Gardner Street.
  4. Gardner Street will lead you to a four way intersection with a Civil War monument, where you'll take a quick left onto Main and right onto Pleasant St.
  5. Take Pleasant St. to the 5 way intersection. Atlantic Ave is a slight right, don't continue straight on Pleasant or take a hard right onto York St. (unless you want to see the Old Mill!)
  6. Atlantic Ave takes you past the Hospital and the High School, and after you cross the intersection with Vesper Ln the Surfside Road bike path begins on your right.
  7. Take the Surfside Road bike path all the way to the beach!

 

Recommended stops and quick detours on this route:

 

  • Greater Light - Originally a livestock barn and later converted into a summer home and art studio by eclectic Quaker sisters Gertrude and Hanna Monaghan in the 1930s.
  • Fire Hose Cart House - The last of the neighborhood fire houses on Nantucket.
  • Hadwin House - The Hadwen House is a Greek Revival mansion built in 1846 by whaling merchant and silver retailer William Hadwen. It's also the only publicly accessible mansion of its age in the area.
  • The Old Mill - Built in 1746, The Old Mill is the oldest operating mill in the Unites States that still operates.

Via the Rotary (3.5 miles, 1/2 - 1 hr)

Another way to get to Surfside is by heading south out of Town towards the Rotary, where you can take the Old South Rd and Fairgrounds Rd bike paths to the Surfside Rd path.

This route passes more businesses and places to eat, and you can also get some good views of the harbor this direction. It's the same distance as going via Atlantic Ave, so you can't go wrong either way.

Click to open map

Directions to Cisco via Hummock Pond Road Bike Path

  1. From Young's Bike Shop, head up Broad St and turn left just past the Sunken Ship gift shop onto South Water St.
  2. Take South Water St across Main St past the compass mural and stay keep riding out of Town (sorry about the cobbles - just be glad you're not in a horse drawn carriage!)
  3. Most of the cars will eventually turn right onto Francis St but on bikes you'll want to go straight and ride past the Kayak rentals.
  4. Just past Sayle's Seafood the road will end and you can take the nice path through the marsh which spits you out onto an intersection with Orange S., which you'll turn left onto.
  5. Take Orange St to the Rotary, and use the cross walks to cross Sparks Ave and Old South Road which will put you on the intersection of two bike paths.
  6.  Take the Old South Road bike path to the intersection of Fairgrounds Rd, get on the Fairgrounds Rd bike path and take that path to the intersection of Surfside Rd.
  7. Cross over to the Surfside Rd bike path and take that all the way to the beach.

 

Recommended stops and quick detours on this route:

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