Aug 12, 2026

Every Dog on Martha's Vineyard Arrives by Boat: 5 Ferries and the Pet Rule on Each

There is no bridge to Martha's Vineyard. Every ferry takes dogs and every one carries them free, but the rules differ in ways that matter on the dock.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts10 min readGetting There

There is no bridge to Martha's Vineyard. Every dog that has ever set foot on the island got there on a boat, which makes the ferry crossing the one part of this trip you cannot design around.

The good news is that all five operators serving the island take dogs, and every one of them carries them free. The rules differ in ways that matter once you are standing on a dock with a lead in your hand, and no two of them are worded the same.

Here is each ferry, in its own words.

1. The Steamship Authority

Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs. The only operator that carries vehicles, and the one most people use.

The policy, in full. The Steamship Authority states that pets are welcome on board its ferries and are carried free of charge, but must be accompanied by the passenger responsible for their care and conduct during the passage. Owners are required to clean up after their pets. All pets must be kept on a leash or in a container and under the control of the passenger at all times.

Two hard exclusions. No pets except service assistance animals are allowed in any food service area. And no pets are allowed on any passenger seat or table.

That second rule is the one people break. A small dog on a lap is one thing. A small dog on the seat beside you is a violation, and on a busy summer crossing you will be asked to move it.

If you are bringing a car, the dog is the easy part. Vehicle space on this route is the constraint, not the animal. Book the car well ahead in season.

2. Hy-Line Cruises

Hyannis to the islands, and the operator with the most specific carve-out.

The policy. Hy-Line states that pets are allowed on board all of its island-bound ferries, with one exception: the Captain's View section of its Nantucket ferry, the Grey Lady IV. There is no fee. Pets must be properly leashed or caged, and are not allowed on the furniture.

The exception is a Nantucket detail, not a Vineyard one, but it is worth knowing if your trip takes in both islands. Premium seating sections are where pet exclusions tend to live across the industry.

"Not allowed on the furniture" is the same rule as the Steamship Authority's, phrased more bluntly. Assume it everywhere.

3. The Island Queen

Falmouth to Oak Bluffs, seasonal, passenger only.

The policy is the shortest of the five. The Island Queen states that pets are welcome, free of charge, if properly leashed or crated.

Short does not mean loose. "Properly leashed or crated" is the same standard as everywhere else, and a passenger-only boat is a more confined space than a car ferry, so a dog that finds crowds difficult will find this harder than the Woods Hole crossing.

4. The Falmouth Edgartown Ferry

Falmouth to Edgartown, and the only operator that lands you directly in Edgartown.

The policy adds a word the others do not. The Falmouth Edgartown Ferry states that leashed, well-trained, and well-behaved pets are welcome at no additional cost.

Read that as a filter rather than boilerplate. On a small boat, "well-behaved" is enforced by circumstance. If your dog barks at strangers in a confined space, this is not the crossing to test it on.

It is also the most useful arrival point for the east of the island, since Edgartown is where the Chappaquiddick ferry leaves from.

5. The Chappy Ferry, the On Time

Edgartown to Chappaquiddick. 527 feet. Technically a ferry, functionally a floating road, and the shortest crossing your dog will ever make.

Fares, effective 1 August 2025, all round trip: passenger $5.00, car and driver $17.00, bike and rider $8.00, moped or motorcycle including operator $10.00. No pet fare appears anywhere in the published fare schedule, which in practice means the dog crosses on your ticket.

It runs almost continuously. In summer to midnight. In winter to 10:00 pm, then a final run between 11:00 and 11:15 pm. After hours it is on call for emergencies only.

One thing the operator publishes two ways. Its schedule page gives continuous operation from 6:30 am, while its FAQ states that the first run every day is 6:45 am year round. Assume 6:45 and you will not be waiting on the wrong side of the water.

The season changeover is oddly precise. The summer schedule starts the Thursday before Memorial Day and runs to the Saturday in mid-October when the MV Derby ends. Winter picks up the Sunday after.

Worth buying a book if you are staying a while. A 50-round-trip passenger book is $193, which works out at $3.86 a crossing against the $5.00 cash fare.

The five at a glance

Ferry	Route	Pet fee	The rule in their words
Steamship Authority	Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven / Oak Bluffs	Free	Leash or container, no food service areas, no seats or tables
Hy-Line Cruises	Hyannis to the islands	Free	Leashed or caged, not on the furniture
Island Queen	Falmouth to Oak Bluffs	Free	"Properly leashed or crated"
Falmouth Edgartown Ferry	Falmouth to Edgartown	Free	"Leashed, well-trained, and well-behaved"
Chappy Ferry (On Time)	Edgartown to Chappaquiddick	No pet fare published	527 feet, near-continuous

The rules every operator shares

Strip out the wording differences and four rules hold across all five boats.

Your dog travels free. Not one operator charges for a pet. That is unusual enough to say plainly, because it is not true of most transport.

Leash or crate, always. Every single policy specifies one or the other. There is no voice-control option on a boat.

You are responsible for conduct, not the crew. The Steamship Authority puts it most directly: the pet must be accompanied by the passenger responsible for its care and conduct during the passage.

Off the furniture. Seats, tables, benches. Two operators state it explicitly and it is safe to assume on all five.

What actually goes wrong on a crossing

The dog that has never been on a boat. Engine noise, vibration through the deck, and a moving floor are all new at once. Sit on the vehicle deck or an open outside deck rather than an enclosed lounge if your dog is unsure, and get there early enough to choose.

Heat on the vehicle deck in summer. Never leave a dog in a parked car on a ferry. Vehicle decks are enclosed, unventilated in places, and hot.

Nowhere to relieve itself. Crossings from Woods Hole are short, but the queue beforehand is not. Walk the dog properly before you join the line, not after you board.

Water. Bring your own bowl. Do not rely on finding one.

The queue is longer than the crossing. In season, the wait at Woods Hole regularly exceeds the sailing time. Plan the dog's day around the queue.

Choosing your crossing by what you are bringing

The five ferries are not interchangeable, and the deciding factor is usually not the dog.

Bringing a car. Only the Steamship Authority carries vehicles to the island, so the decision is made for you. Vehicle space is the scarce commodity in season, not passenger space, and it books out long before the sailings do. If your plan depends on driving between the island's conservation properties, which are spread across six towns and rarely walkable from one another, this is the crossing.

Arriving on foot with a dog and no car. The Island Queen into Oak Bluffs or the Falmouth Edgartown Ferry into Edgartown both put you in a walkable town centre, which for a dog trip is often better than a car park. Oak Bluffs and Edgartown are the two towns where you can do a genuine afternoon on foot.

Heading for the east of the island. Take the Falmouth Edgartown Ferry. It lands you in Edgartown, which is where the Chappy Ferry leaves from, so you skip a cross-island drive entirely.

Combining the Vineyard with Nantucket. Hy-Line is the operator to know, and the Captain's View exclusion on the Grey Lady IV is the one seating restriction you will meet anywhere in this system.

Travelling out of season. Check before you commit. The Island Queen is seasonal, and the Chappy Ferry switches to winter hours the Sunday after the MV Derby ends. The Steamship Authority is the year-round backbone.

A note on the dog itself. Bigger boat, easier crossing. A large ferry with open deck space and a vehicle level gives you somewhere to stand with an unsettled animal. A small passenger boat gives you a seat in a cabin and not much else.

Once you are off the boat

The island's conservation land runs seven different dog policies, and the property you land nearest may not be one that admits dogs. The full breakdown is in the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank's seven dog policies.

The Trustees of Reservations run a separate set of rules on their own properties, including one that bans dogs year round. See the Trustees properties and the dog rule at each.

Beach access is town by town, and the six towns do not agree. See Martha's Vineyard town beach dog rules.

If you arrived in Edgartown, Chappaquiddick is 527 feet away and has its own considerations, in Chappaquiddick with a dog.

Know the vet situation before you need it. An island changes that calculation. See emergency and after-hours vets on Martha's Vineyard.

Planning notes

Get the free map before you go anywhere. The Land Bank's Map and Guide lets you filter conserved land by dog policy, and the printed Conservation Lands Map is free at the Land Bank office and all six town libraries.

Download TrailsMV. Sheriff's Meadow Foundation produces it free, and it covers all of the island's public trails rather than one landowner's.

Check what is open. The Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce is the general starting point for seasonal opening.

Seasonality is severe here. The Island Queen is seasonal, several businesses close entirely in winter, and the Chappy ferry changes schedule twice a year. Month-by-month detail is in Martha's Vineyard with a dog, month by month.

Frequently asked questions

Can you take a dog on the ferry to Martha's Vineyard? Yes, on all five operators serving the island, and every one of them carries pets free of charge. Each requires the dog to be leashed or crated and under the owner's control.

Does the Steamship Authority charge for pets? No. Pets are carried free of charge, but must be accompanied by the passenger responsible for their care and conduct, kept on a leash or in a container, and cleaned up after.

Where can't my dog go on the Steamship Authority ferry? Any food service area, other than service assistance animals, and any passenger seat or table.

Are dogs allowed on Hy-Line ferries? Yes, on all island-bound ferries except the Captain's View section of the Nantucket ferry Grey Lady IV. No fee, leashed or caged, and not on the furniture.

Is there a pet fee on the Chappy Ferry? No pet fare appears in the published schedule. Passenger fares are $5.00 round trip and car and driver $17.00 round trip, effective 1 August 2025.

What are the Chappy Ferry hours? Summer, 6:30 am to midnight. Winter, continuously from 6:30 am to 10:00 pm plus a final crossing between 11:00 and 11:15 pm. After hours it operates on call for emergencies only.

Sources

Fares, schedules, and pet policies change, and several operators run seasonally. Confirm with the operator before travelling. This article is general information and is not veterinary advice.