The first thing you need is a beach sticker. These are a permit to drive on the beach. Almost all beaches are covered by the Town of Nantucket beach sticker. Great Point and Coatue are covered by the Trustees Great Point Sticker. These are the ones you see on lots of clothing items. Get your sticker online or in person, stick it on the front and back of your car, and you are done with the first step. Order before June for a discount on your sticker! Best place to get the great point sticker is right at the gatehouse on the entrance to the beach.

Not all vehicles were created equal when it comes to off roading. Use a tall truck or SUV with a true 4×4 system. You can get away with and AWD system too but it might be a little less capable. AWD systems are very computerized and can get confused on the beach. Electric vehicles are one of the worst choices due to their heavy weight and AWD systems. Basically the wider your tires, lighter the car, and higher the ground clearance, the better.

Good choices: Pickup Trucks, Jeeps and other tall SUV’s such as Toyota 4Runners, Ford Broncos, Ineos, and so on

Poor choices: Electric vehicles, crossover SUV’s with minimal ground clearance, sedans, ANYTHING 2WD

This is where the good info starts. Here are the techniques you should use when driving on the beach. Don’t be intimidated. It’s not that hard.

Deflate all tires to 15 PSI. 12 PSI for extremely soft sand like Coatue.

Use 4HI most of the time and 4LO when sand is extremely soft or you start getting stuck.

Do not brake or accelerate too hard.

Keep your speed and momentum this can get you over any obstacle or tricky spot.

Do not drive on the dunes and do not leave trash. Respect the beautiful beaches.

That’s all. Now go enjoy the convenience and beauty of being able to drive on all our beaches. Happy beaching!