Things To Do on an eBike in Nantucket County
Nantucket rides run on town-built sidepaths that follow the main roads out of town, so the island is easy to cover without a car.
All island shops are on the eBike shops in Nantucket page. The four paths below are the ones the town describes with a published length.
Where to ride in Nantucket County
Nantucket County has four documented paths: the Madaket Road Path, the Sconset Path along Milestone Road, the Polpis Road Path, and the Surfside Road Path.
A sidepath beside an island road on Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Compared with Barnstable County across Nantucket Sound, where the Rail Trail is the main draw, Nantucket's riding is a web of town sidepaths with a stricter local eBike rule.
1. Madaket Road Path
The town calls this one of the longest and most scenic sidepaths on the island. It starts at Caton Circle and follows Madaket Road west, passing Sanford Farm and Ram Pasture, the landfill and take-it-or-leave-it, Long Pond and Madaket Beach.
Distance: 5.7 miles, rated easy by the town; start: Caton Circle, at the start of Madaket Road; surface: Sidepath beside the road; the town does not publish a surface type.
eBike access: The town's eBike page allows Class 1 and Class 2 eBikes on its paths with a 20 mph limit, a helmet for everyone, and no double riding. See the path page for the route description. Etiquette and planning: Slow for walkers near Sanford Farm and Madaket, and call out before you pass. Managing source: Town of Nantucket, Madaket Road Path.
2. Sconset Path along Milestone Road
This path links the middle of the island to 'Sconset. It runs from the Milestone Rotary along Milestone Road to the Sconset Rotary on Main Street, passing the Sconset Golf Course, the Milestone Cranberry Bogs and the road to the Tom Nevers fields.
Distance: 6 miles, rated easy by the town, which suggests you bring water; start: The Milestone Rotary; surface: Sidepath beside the road; the town does not publish a surface type.
eBike access: The same town eBike rules apply on every sidepath: Class 1 and Class 2 only, a helmet for everyone, and a 20 mph limit. Etiquette and planning: Carry water, because the town flags this as a long ride with little shade noted. Managing source: Town of Nantucket, Sconset Path.
3. Polpis Road Path
The Polpis Road Path starts half a mile down the Sconset Path, across from the Milestone connector, and follows Polpis Road toward 'Sconset. It passes Moors End Farm, Altar Rock, the Nantucket Shipwreck and Life Saving Museum and Windswept Cranberry Bog.
Distance: 8.7 miles, rated easy to intermediate by the town; start: Half a mile along the Sconset Path from the Milestone connector; surface: Sidepath beside the road; the town does not publish a surface type.
eBike access: The path ends on Sankaty Road, and the town's eBike rule applies the whole way. The town's path page lists the Nantucket Conservation Foundation properties along it, which have their own trail rules. Etiquette and planning: Stay on the path at Altar Rock and Windswept Bog and check the Conservation Foundation's posted rules. Managing source: Town of Nantucket, Polpis Road Path.
4. Surfside Road Path
The Surfside Road Path is the short one, running from Nantucket High School to Surfside Beach. The town lists stops for food, a skate park and an ice rink via Backus Lane.
Distance: 2.2 miles, rated easy by the town; start: Nantucket High School, 10 Surfside Road; surface: Sidepath beside the road; the town does not publish a surface type.
eBike access: The town's eBike page governs this path as well, with Class 1 and Class 2 allowed, a helmet for everyone, and a 20 mph limit. Etiquette and planning: Expect heavy beach traffic on summer afternoons, and lock the bike at the beach racks. Managing source: Town of Nantucket, Surfside Road Path.
Planning a Nantucket County ride
For a first ride, take the Surfside Road Path to the beach, or the Madaket Road Path for a longer day.
Rent from a shop near the ferry and ask which bikes are Class 1 or Class 2.
Half-day and full-day eBike plans
Half day: Ride the Surfside Road Path to the beach and back.
Full day: Ride the Sconset Path out in the morning and return by the Polpis Road Path.
What not to ride
Downtown sidewalks: The town's biking page says downtown sidewalks are not for biking, so ride in the street or walk your bike.
Class 3 and e-motos on the sidepaths: The town's eBike page says Class 3 bikes are prohibited from the sidepaths and must ride on the street, and that e-motos are treated as motor vehicles.
When to ride Nantucket County
Plan a Nantucket ride for the cooler hours of a summer day, and check trail conditions before you go in spring and fall.
Shop hubs
The directory lists one town, Nantucket. Its page has phone numbers, street addresses, and claim links.
Rental and tour operators
The rental listings are below. Call each one about electric models, helmets, and return times, because a listing does not show today's fleet.
Affordable Rentals🚲 Rentals
Young's Bicycle Shop🚲 Rentals
Easy Riders Bicycle Rentals🚲 Rentals
Cook's Cycles Nantucket🚲 Rentals
Nantucket Bike Shop🚲 Rentals
Massachusetts eBike rules snapshot
Massachusetts defines an electric bicycle in General Laws chapter 90, section 1 as a bicycle or tricycle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of 750 watts or less that meets the rules for a Class 1 or a Class 2. A Class 1 motor assists only while you pedal and stops assisting at 20 miles an hour. A Class 2 motor may be used exclusively to propel the bike and is not capable of assisting at 20. The statute has no Class 3, so a 28 mph pedal-assist bike does not meet the state definition, and we found no section that says how it is treated. That section also leaves e-bikes out of the motor vehicle definition, so no license or registration applies, and it separates them from the motorized bicycle, the moped category that needs both.
The operating rules are in chapter 85, section 11B3/4. An electric bicycle gets the rights and duties of a bicycle under sections 11B and 11B1/2, but it may not be ridden on sidewalks. A municipality, local authority, or state agency that controls a bike path or bikeway may, after public notice and a hearing, prohibit or regulate e-bikes on it, including speed limits. A trail designated nonmotorized, with a natural surface of cleared and graded soil, is closed to e-bikes unless that authority permits them after notice and a hearing. The bike must meet federal Consumer Product Safety Commission equipment rules and carry a permanent label with its class number, top assisted speed, and motor wattage, and it is unlawful to change the motor speed without replacing the label.
For helmets, chapter 85, section 11B requires anyone 16 or younger who operates a bicycle or rides as a passenger on a public way, bicycle path, or other public right-of-way to wear a helmet that fits, is strapped on, and meets federal standards. Because section 11B3/4 gives e-bike riders the duties of a bicycle operator under 11B, we read that rule as reaching e-bike riders, although the helmet clause does not name them. The section's twenty-dollar fine excludes the helmet clause, and a shop that rents bicycles must make a helmet available under section 11D. The statutes we read set no helmet rule for adults, no minimum age for a Class 1 or Class 2, and no statewide e-bike speed limit. Our Massachusetts eBike laws guide covers the basics, and the posted sign and local code come next.
Land managers add rules on top of the statute. On Department of Conservation and Recreation land, 302 CMR 12.12 prohibits e-bikes on sidewalks and on improved or natural surface trails, with one set of exceptions: a Class 1 may use an improved DCR trail eight feet wide or wider, places where vehicles are allowed and bicycles are not prohibited, and bike lanes on DCR roadways. A Class 2 or Class 3 may use only places where vehicles are allowed and bicycles are not prohibited, and DCR roadway bike lanes. That means a throttle-capable Class 2 is not permitted on a DCR rail trail or path, and DCR may also close any trail by posting. The regulation's helmet line cites section 11B1/2, which covers skates and scooters, while the bicycle helmet clause is in section 11B, so we cite the statute directly.
The National Park Service lets e-bikes go where bicycles go and prohibits motor-only use, which at Cape Cod National Seashore means pedaling on the bike trails (see the Seashore's biking page). Town conservation commissions, regional trail committees, and private landowners set their own rules, which we name route by route. Massachusetts law also treats a Class 3 as outside the e-bike definition even though DCR's regulation defines one, so a rider on a 28 mph bike should check with each manager before riding.
Where a trail sign, a town bylaw, a land manager, or a municipal code says no eBikes, that rule controls. We name the managing source for each route below and mark what we could not confirm.
Nantucket's eBike page says that a device which can be throttled past 20 mph is treated locally as a motorized bicycle, scooter or motorcycle that needs a license. The town's biking page cites the state helmet rule for riders 16 and younger, while its eBike page says everyone must wear one, so follow the stricter line.
Frequently asked questions
How long are Nantucket's bike paths?
The town publishes 5.7 miles for Madaket, 6 for Sconset, 8.7 for Polpis and 2.2 for Surfside, among more than 35 miles of sidepaths.
Is Class 3 allowed on Nantucket paths?
No. The town says Class 3 bikes are prohibited from the sidepaths and must use the street.
What is Nantucket's speed limit on paths?
The town sets 20 mph on its multi-use paths and bars double riding.
Where does the Sconset Path start?
At the Milestone Rotary, running along Milestone Road to the Sconset Rotary.
Can I ride on downtown Nantucket sidewalks?
No. The town says to ride in the street or walk your bike downtown.
Is a helmet required on an eBike in Massachusetts?
Only for riders 16 or younger, as far as we can tell. General Laws chapter 85, section 11B puts the helmet duty on anyone 16 or younger who rides a bicycle, and section 11B3/4 hands e-bike riders a bicycle operator's duties, though the helmet clause never uses the word e-bike. We found nothing that sets a helmet rule for adults. See the Massachusetts eBike laws guide.
Does an eBike need a title or insurance in Massachusetts?
The Registry of Motor Vehicles describes a moped as registered but not titled, while an e-bike that meets the Class 1 or Class 2 definition is not a motor vehicle at all. No insurance rule for an electric bicycle turned up in the statutes we read, though a rental counter or park may ask for a waiver or coverage.
All shops in Nantucket County
You can scan every listing, 8 listings across 1 city, on the Nantucket County eBike shops page.