The US Virgin Islands are known for their tropical beaches and they all have some beautiful places. While St. Croix and St. Thomas both have some really pretty beaches, the beaches on St. John are hard to beat.
St. Croix is the least visited island so you can expect less crowded beaches with easy access and more seclusion. St. Thomas is more of a touristy island and while it has some great beaches, you can expect a lot of them to cater to tourists. You’ll find more beach chairs, more people, more activities etc.
About two thirds of St. John is a part of the Virgin Islands National Park. The beaches are well-kept, protected and gorgeous. The thing about St. John is that it doesn’t just have one stand out beach, it has many. And they are some of the best beaches in the US Virgin Islands.
For St. Croix and St. Thomas, I could tell you which beach is by far the best (in my opinion). Not the case for St. John. While one is typically named as the most beautiful/popular beach–the others are not far behind.
Exploring the Beaches on St. John
St. John has beaches all over but particularly along the north coast. There are beaches bay after bay and any one of them would be a great place to spend the day. Before I get into the actual beaches, here’s a few things to note when traveling around St. John.
Beaches:
All beaches in the US Virgin Islands are open to the public, even if they have a resort on them. Quite a few beaches in St. John are part of the Virgin Islands National Park. There isn’t an entrance fee for the national park–only one of the beaches, Trunk Bay.
Restaurants:
Most of the mentions of restaurants are not what you think of when you think of a restaurant. They’re more like little food shacks where you can walk up and order something from a window and then grab a nearby table to eat.
We asked a local about the type of food we could find around the north coast beaches and the response was ‘hotdogs and hotdogs’. Expect to find hotdogs, burgers, tacos, wraps and salads at most of the beach restaurants.
Parking:
Most of the beaches have small lots or parking along the road. Some of the main beaches have larger lots, but they can fill up quickly. We saw people parked everywhere and we tried to park in line like the other Jeeps (St. John is full of Jeeps).
At one of the beaches, we parked along the road with our right tires very slightly on the road. And somehow we were the only ones to get a $75 parking ticket for ‘blocking the flow of two lane traffic’, though we were parked just like everyone else. Ugh. Another couple we spoke to later said they parked all over the place whether it was a spot or not.
Taxis:
There are plenty of taxis around Cruz Bay and the north coast to get you from beach to beach if you don’t have a car. Taxi rates are per person based on the destination and you’ll definitely want to have cash on you. The popular beaches like Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay will have taxis waiting at the taxi stand for people ready to go back. Most taxi rates are under $10 for a one-way trip.
Check out some of the beaches on St. John:
Cruz Bay Beach
If you take the people ferry over, you’ll land right in the capital of St. John, which is Cruz Bay. You can even see the edge of the ferry to the very right in the picture below. If you take the car ferry over, you’ll come in on the other side of the town just a few streets over.
This beach is obviously the closest and most accessible beach once you land on the island. The town of Cruz Bay has many shops and restaurants that are right near the beach or right on the beach.
You can have a great view from the bar of a restaurant but as you can see, there are lots of boats that will be coming in and going out of Cruz Bay. But, it’s definitely nice to have the beach right near the town where you can easily pop in to get lunch somewhere.
Honeymoon Beach
Honeymoon Beach is listed as one of the top beaches on St. John for its powdery, white sand and turquoise water. It’s part of the Caneel Bay Resort, but anyone can access it.
This was a top beach on a lot of sites I saw and I was excited to check this one out. None of them said it was closed, however. I’m not sure what caused it to close or for how long. All I know is as of Feb 2022, access to the beach was closed off.
Updates are that it should be open even though the resort is not. And if not, you can see Honeymoon Beach from a viewpoint down the road.
How to Get There:
There are a few ways to access Honeymoon Beach. You can take a taxi or drive there, then take the beach shuttle from the resort, which is $10 round trip. Or you can hike there using the Lind Point Trail or the Caneel Spur Trail. (The Caneel Spur Trail is further away and you would need to drive to the trailhead.) The Lind Point Trail starts behind the National Park Visitor Center in Cruz Bay and is about 1.3 miles one way.
Facilities:
Honeymoon Beach has a lot of different activities available. You can rent beach chairs, cabanas and any sort of rental gear like snorkels, kayaks and paddle boards. There are also restrooms and changing rooms available. For lunch, there’s a little restaurant called Bikinis on the Beach Bar & Grill, where you can get frozen drinks, tacos, sandwiches and that sort of thing.
Hawksnest Beach
Just up the coast from Honeymoon Beach is where you’ll find Hawksnest Beach. It’s a bit smaller of a beach with a narrower sand area, but still has pretty water and beautiful scenery. It doesn’t have the activities like some of the other beaches and is more for relaxing. It’s a popular beach for the locals and easily accessible.
How to Get There:
Hawksnest Beach is an easy drive from Cruz Bay–about a 7 minute drive down the road. You can take a taxi here or drive here. There is a long parking lot that is steps from the beach, so it’s a great place to go if you have things to carry.
Facilities:
You won’t find much in terms of facilities here except for covered pavilions with picnic tables and grills.
Trunk Bay Beach
Continuing along the north coast, the next bay you’ll come to is Trunk Bay where you’ll find the famous Trunk Bay Beach. This is one of the best beaches on St. John and is also named one of the best beaches in the Caribbean by Travel & Leisure. And they aren’t wrong. Trunk Bay has beautiful turquoise water and white, powdery sand. It’s not the widest beach but has plenty of room to spread out. As you can see below, it’s not so terribly crowded that it becomes unenjoyable. (This was during the week but still not bad.)
Like the other north shore beaches, Trunk Bay Beach is part of the Virgin Islands National Park. It’s also the only beach that charges an entrance fee, which is $5 per person.
How to Get There:
It’s about 11 minutes along the north shore from Cruz Bay. You’ll either be taking a taxi or driving there. Because of its popularity, there is a decent amount of parking. However, it will fill up quickly. We lucked out and caught someone leaving in the afternoon just as we were arriving. Otherwise, if you plan on spending the day here, you might want to get here early.
Facilities:
Trunk Bay Beach has an entrance that you’ll need to pay your entrance fee at. Beyond that, there are showers and restrooms before you get to the beach. There’s also a snack bar for some light snacks.
Must-Do: Underwater Snorkeling Trail
Trunk Bay Beach is a great spot for snorkeling as there is a 650 ft long underwater trail that is just off the shore. The rocky cay in the picture above is where you’ll find the shallow reefs of fish and coral. The self-guided snorkeling trail has underwater plaques that provide information to you while you snorkel along.
Photography Tip: Don’t forget to stop along the road at the top of the hill to get the famous shot of the bay from above!
Cinnamon Bay Beach
When I first looked up Cinnamon Bay Beach, I read that it was the less crowded version of Trunk Bay. I can’t say that it was any less crowded, but it is definitely beautiful as well. It’s the longest of the beaches on the island and has calm, sparkling water.
How To Get There:
By taxi or driving. It’s about 15 minutes up the shore from Cruz Bay. There is a parking lot and also parking along the road if you can find a spot.
Facilities:
Cinnamon Bay has a water sports stand where you can rent kayaks and other gear. There are bathrooms as you walk towards the beach and two food stands–one of which served BBQ sandwiches.
Must-Do: See the Ruins
Cinnamon Bay actually has ruins that are right on the beach. The ruins above are of a 1680 Estate House. They are the oldest remains on St. John and up until Hurricane Irma, had many uses over the years. You can also take the 1/2 mile loop trail to ruins of an old sugar factory.
Maho Bay Beach
Another beautiful beach along the north coast is Maho Bay Beach. It’s a pretty narrow beach that also has calm, beautiful water and easy access. Maho Bay is a very ‘beachy’ location with a slow beach road right at the beach, palm trees lining the sand and a cute bar and restaurant across the street.
How To Get There:
Maho Bay is about a 20 minute drive from Cruz Bay and you’ll be taking a taxi or driving here as well. For parking, you’ll likely be looking for a spot to parallel along the road.
Facilities:
There are restrooms towards the west end of the beach as well as picnic tables and grills. Maho Bay has a cute area with food trucks and seating. It’s an easy place to get a drink or a snack and then head back to the beach.
Must-Do: Look for Sea Turtles
Maho Bay is known for its sea turtles and this is the beach where you’re probably most likely to see them. The reefs are along both ends of the beach. The seagrass beds at Maho Bay are food for the turtles and sting rays, so make sure you bring your snorkeling gear here.
Salt Pond Beach
On the south side of the island is where you’ll find Salt Pond Beach. It’s a small, quiet cove with still water and few crowds. If you’re looking for a quieter place away from it all, this would be a good option to check out.
How To Get There:
Salt Pond Beach is located on the southern side of the island and takes a fair amount of driving from Cruz Bay. It’s about 35 minutes through the national park and is kind of a nice, peaceful drive. When you arrive, there’s a small parking lot at the top of the road down, so I’d suggest getting there early to make sure you have a spot. There is a bit of a walk to get down to the beach, but it is along a dirt path and takes less than 10 minutes.
Facilities:
There is an outhouse style restroom right before you get to the beach. But other than that, this is a pretty secluded area.
Must-Do: Ram Head Trail
One of the best hikes on St. John is the Ram Head Trail. The trailhead actually starts on the edge of Salt Pond Beach. So if you see people in hiking gear walking along the beach, this is where they’re going. The hike takes you up one of the surrounding hills and gives you great views of the surrounding area.
Blue Cobblestone Beach
If you do decide to do the Rams Head Trail hike, you’ll be hiking along the Blue Cobblestone Beach which is entirely a rocky beach. It isn’t really anything you would want to see otherwise, since there are so many great beaches on St. John. However, this is what it looks like in case you see it on the map and wonder if it’s worth checking out.
The island of St. John is full of beauty and there are many more beaches to check out. Whether you are staying on St. John or coming over for a day trip, these beaches are well worth seeing and truly beautiful.
Read More on the US Virgin Islands
PIN IT FOR LATER
Although Caneel Bay resort is currently closed, it is one of the most romantic resorts in the world to vacation. Since half of St John is a US National Park, it is a great place to hike too.