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    Trunk Bay

    4.7 (146 reviews)

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    Gina P.

    Trunk Bay is a must do when in virgin Island national park. We were stopped in st Thomas on a cruise so had super limited time in the park. We realized we only had time to do one "thing" so trunk bay was it. After the ferry ride to St John we then took a van over to trunk bay. What interested us most is that Trunk Bay has the only underwater snorkle trail within the US national park system. We brought our gear and were ready to go. If you need gear you can rent all you need at trunk bay. It is a pristine beach in a national park and they do not have vendors and things on the beach. There is a small snack shake a 5 min walk from the beach with lots of cocktails and bites. The bay itself was beautiful. White sand and water so blue it made your eyes hurt. From the sand you can walk directly into the bay and snorkle the trail. There are buoys to keep you in the .25 loop. The snorkel trail was cool but a little small. There were placards on sea floor with informative info on the reef and wildlife. We were there 90 mins and snorkled the trail twice, had a little beach time and got a frozen bev at the snack shack. An amazing place that can't be missed when in USVI National Park

    Underwater trail
    Laura P.

    Loved our time there! This was my favorite of the 3 bays we snorkeled in. Had the most fish and they were beautiful! We heard someone saw a stingray here while we were in the water. Otherwise loved the fish at this spot. We also got to see a spotted moray eel.

    Danielle V.

    The best beach on the island, one of the top beaches in the world. Pictures don't do it justice. The water is so blue it doesn't feel real. There is a fee to go into the beach but only 5 per person which is super cheap. Minimal parking but we found a spot. They have a snack shack, drinks, snorkel rentals and chair rentals. They have everything you need to stay there all day! If you go to St. John you have to go here!

    Underwater Snorkel Trail
    Alyssa A.

    A must-stop while visiting St. John & the Virgin Islands National Park. This beach is absolutely beautiful and is set-up so you can spend an entire day here without ever leaving. Plenty of beaches with water that's perfect for relaxing, swimming, and snorkeling. The water is the clearest water I've ever experienced - which is perfect for snorkeling and experiencing the underwater snorkel trail. My favorite beach while visiting USVI NP. Besides the beach, Trunk Bay is set up with a stand that rents out snorkel gear as well as lockers to store your belongings, multiple bathrooms, a small food shack, a small bar, and a little souvenir shop. It's also directly on the main taxi path, and many taxis are stationed in their parking lot, so it's easy to get there as well as get a ride back. This beach gets very busy, especially on days that cruise ships are docked in the area, so be prepared to get their early or have to look for a spot. That being said, there's a reason it gets so busy, and it's well-worth the stop.

    Jen J.

    Still the favorite spot of the family! The water is so clear with a soft sand bottom that it's like a swimming pool. Several rays swam along the beach on our visits, so it was really neat to see them up close in shallow water. We even saw a nurse shark this time! Soooo many fish! And the bartenders we had that week were phenomenal and made the best BBCs I have ever had.

    Jessica P.

    We made the trip from St. Thomas. Ferry ride was only $8. About 15 mins. Took a taxi $9 pp on a nice ride to the beach. Then had to pay to get in. Rented the chairs $10. Found a nice spot and had a glorious day. We were unable to snorkel bc the conditions were too wavy but we still had a tremendous day at the beach. Highly recommend going here. It was beautiful.

    Bar and grill
    Mike M.

    This is rightfully known as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world! It has absolutely amazing views, perfect white sands, and beautiful blue waters. With a small rocky cay only about 200 feet off the beach, the snorkeling is amazing with tons of aquatic life. We even saw a 3-foot ray hovering around the sandy wading area in 2 feet of water. The underwater snorkel trail around the cay is a nice little feature which provides information about the habitat and aquatic life. It gets crowded after 11am, so getting there early is a good idea to if you need to get parking and a good spot on the beach. Parking is ridiculously limited. But there's plenty of space on the beach despite it being relatively narrow. The scene is pretty laid back with lots of families. There were no crazy party animals when we were there fortunately. Parking is indeed a challenge. We took an 11am ferry from Red Hook, and by the time we got there, all the parking was taken. There are probably only about 20 spots in the lot. We ended up parking up the hill in the side of the road about a quarter mile away. Not ideal, but worth the hike! They have a real nice snack shack for drinks (beer, cocktails, sodas, teas, water, etc.), gifts, and pub grub (burgers, sandwiches, snacks, etc.). They also have large and very well maintained restroom and shower facilities. You can rinse the sand off yourself, and they have places to clean your snorkel gear. They also rent snorkel gear if you don't have your own. This was our third time coming back to Trunk Bay. The next time we come back to the islands, it will definitely be on our list of destinations!

    beach
    Nathan H.

    Voted the best beach in the world on several travel sites and they are correct. Easily the best beach I've ever been to. The bluest water, the best snorkeling and the whitest sand. If you're looking for an incredible beach experience this is the one. We took the ferry over from St. Thomas and rented a taxi. I would advise doing this, others in our party took their vehicle over and there was no parking for the beach so they had to find another beach. There is a snorkel trail that is marked by buoys. We did it it was ok. The real show is at the reef the best marine life we saw on our trip was at the reef to the right of the trail. Don't forget your snorkel and fins. The beach is the only beach that cost money, 5 dollars per adult. This is a don't miss opportunity to snorkel one of the best beaches in the world. The shack that sells burgers and things was really good eats, as well. Don't forget a go pro the best videos you will take here. Also a spot under the vegetation like pictured to get relief form the sun.

    Yuk L.

    Our goto beach on St John. 5 dollar entry. Beautiful clean beaches. Crowds fade away around 4pm when facilities close and cruise tourists need to get back to ship.

    Jas S.

    Trunk bay really should be called Turtle beach. We saw so many turtles here in the grassy areas. It is a low key beach and not crowded. There is also a food truck across the street. No rentals for anything so you will need to bring chairs, umbrellas, etc if needed. Also not too many shady spots. Great area for beginning snorkelers.

    Tiffany Y.

    After my visit, Trunk Bay is one of my favorite beaches! $5 per person to enter this National Park area. You just cannot beat the beautiful sand, endless views, rocky backdrop, and perfect waters. On either side of the beach are more rocky areas that are great for snorkeling. There are food and restroom options but they are tucked a little farther back (not right along the shore) which helps keep the beach itself more peaceful in my opinion. It is a very popular beach though, so my recommendation is to come early before the crowds come in.

    Ryan M.

    One of the best beaches I have experienced in the world. This beach has everything you would want in a tropical beach experience. Clean, fine white sand and see through water. There are no shells or rocks for the most part so you won't have to worry about the soles of your feet. The sand of this beach is among the very best I have experienced in my travels. Thick layers of fine white sand more than a foot deep. It is the type that you want to run your feet through all day. It is soft and free of shells and other debris. Find yourself a mound of the shifty stuff and take a nap -- oh so comfortable!!!. The water a see-through turquoise color and is excellent. The depth increases gradually and the sand underneath is clean and free of shells. It is an excellent beach for families. One excellent part of this beach are the food stands and the bar that serves alcoholic. There is a good selection among the 3 food huts. Parking is decent -- there is a parking lot with a good amount of parking,

    Trunk Bay!
    Amy W.

    One of the most beautiful, secluded, charming beaches in the world!!! I highly recommend !

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    Excellent snorkeling and a beautiful beach! There are some reefs and fish but watch out for the jellyfish!

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    Review Highlights - Trunk Bay

    There's also lots of white sand if you just want to play in the water without disturbing any coral.

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    Cinnamon Bay Beach - Clean bathrooms!!

    Cinnamon Bay Beach

    4.9(60 reviews)
    1.3 km

    Such a BEAUTIFUL BEACH - highly recommended beach... also with a gift shop with souvenirs and…read moresnacks and more   - - -   June, 2025 Visit   - - -   Short Review,   Cinnamon Bay Beach...   ... has an island you can swim / snorkel to... many fish to see closer to the island   ... has a view of Great Thatch, British Virgin Islands   ... has indoor facilities... gift shop, snack bar (indoors and outside), campsites   ... not crowded       - - - Additional information: - - -   My wonderful wife planned a relaxing trip for us to St. John's, US Virgin Islands (just east of Puerto Rico), in June, 2025; we had a great time... such a beautiful island!     We snorkeled two beaches on St. John, and we enjoyed them both.   Cinnamon Bay Beach stuns you with its beautiful colors... the beach has light tan sand, helping make the water is a light green-blue color... stunningly beautiful!!     - - - Why Cinnamon Bay Beach - - -   Most of St. John is a National Park and most of the northern part of the island provides a nearly continuous beach... nearly continuous because peninsulas that extend into the water separate each beach from the other.    We looked at the map and read the reviews and picked Hawksnest and Cinnamon Bay beaches  because they looked more likely to have slightly smaller crowds, as cruise ships apparently visit other beaches (at least when we visited).  When we visited we were not alone and it was also not crowded.   Both are within a couple miles of each other, so while they are similar in overall look and feel - similar color of the water and sand, similar plants, etc., they are unique in what you can see underwater when you're snorkeling, and unique in the views from the beach.     - - - Taxis to and from - - -   To get to and from Cinnamon Bay Beach, you can drive or take a taxi.  The taxis on St. John, at least the ones we saw, are all trucks, with the driver in the cab, and the passengers sitting, open air, in the back... on benches with a roof over our heads.  The taxis run all day and will stop at multiple beaches to drop off and pick up passengers along the way.      - - - Cell / Mobile service - - -   Cell phone service is present, but the signal is a bit weak - 1 to 2 bars of signal strength.      - - - The beach - - -   Even if you never get in the water, the scene is beautiful... the water color is such a beautiful shade of blue...   Enya's "Caribbean Blue" (from 1991 album "Shepherd Moons") was playing in our heads, and was surely inspired by waters like these...   The sand is light and soft   Beautiful green trees and plants along the beach.     - - - The view from the beach - - -   Cinnamon Bay Beach is a beautiful beach and view of the British Virgin Islands' (BVI's) Jost Van Dyke in the distance and Great Thatch island closer... both BVI; St. John's Whistling Cay is visible, closer to the left, and Mary Point, closer to the right; Cinnamon Brach curbs east, and out into the water to a point that becomes Maho Bay and we stayed within Cinnamon Cay..     - - - The water... snorkeling - - -   On any given day, the water quality and aquatic life are things you cannot control.  The day we visited water quality and aquatic life were both goo -  the water was so clear and we saw so many fish, especially as we snorkeled out toward the island... which is much closer than it looks.. 5-10 minutes of calm to quicker leg kicking should get you there.     - - - Snorkeling - what we saw - - -   While snorkeling we were blessed to see: ⁃            a stingray swam by right as we started out !! ⁃            many more parrotfish-like blue-green-purplish fish and others ⁃            on the way back in, two squid!!     - - - Back on the beach - - -   We enjoy laying back and relaxing... and taking photos of our feet as they point toward the sand + surf... and we captured another one here on Cinnamon Bay Beach.   What a great afternoon!     - - - The surf, the lack of on St. John - - -   We have been blessed to visit the Caribbean a couple times and have noticed that there is not much surf, not many waves. On an early trip someone explained that the Caribbean is just at a position in the ocean that the rides are not small; brief internet searches suggest the tide only varies a few inches to a foot or so... such small changes don't lead to many waves. You'll likely see and enjoy hearing waves "lapping at the shore," but you're not likely to do much body surfing... if you have a boogie board, while you could bring it on your flight, you'll likely be better off leaving it at home. - - - Gift Shop - t-shirts, hat pins and more - - - - - - Thank you - - - Thank you to all the park team members who maintain Cinnamon Bay Beach, and to the taxi drivers getting us visitors to and from the beach! ----- ----- -----

    Full disclosure I didn't actually swim at this beach but I spent an hour or so here because it's…read moreactually a huge beach! The internet says it's one of the most famous ones and I can see why - the water is crystal clear, bright blue (as are most of the other national park beaches lol). It's spacious though, and in addition to the beach itself, there is a snack vendor area where you can buy lunch (like sandwiches and drinks), and a gear rental place for snorkeling etc. They also have a small restaurant adjacent to the campground cafeteria area which does breakfast and dinner (but not lunch). They have pretty clean bathrooms and showers too, and the most parking of all the beaches that I went to. They even had an info booth; the lady there was fairly knowledgeable about the park although I don't think she was an actual ranger (she wasn't in the ranger outfit). There's also a little area right at the entrance to the beach that is part of some ruins, it's a nice photo op spot. Overall this is a great beach! Def recommend.

    Photos
    Cinnamon Bay Beach - Beach

    Beach

    Cinnamon Bay Beach
    Cinnamon Bay Beach

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    The Honeymoon Beach - Honeymoon Beach at Caneel Bay

    The Honeymoon Beach

    4.0(20 reviews)
    2.8 km

    During our honeymoon we figured it would be fitting to visit honeymoon beach! Since we visited…read moreduring off season it was basically empty, so we nearly had a whole beach to ourselves! Beautiful clear waters and we were visited by a stingray and sea turtle. We did have to take about a mile hike to the beach, but we saw a taxi drop by at some point so I guess there is an option to be driven there. The hike was no bad and fairly flat the entire time, with some rocks. I managed in flip flops. It looked like there were concessions that may be open during a busier time, but were closed when we visited.

    Free entry and parking, but $10 round trip PER PERSON for a shuttle to the beach (which is far from…read morethe entrance). Hike it or pay. This beach was not that great compared to the beautiful secluded beaches that St. John has to offer. Pretty disappointing honestly. It was SO CROWDED on a Sunday. So many people, floaties, and kayaks polluted the water. Lots of debris in the sand and in the water too. A lot of their trees have swarms of bees too! When we came around 2:00 PM, there were strong waves that would constantly slap us in the face with salt water. The water was not peaceful at all. There is also a lot of people in line at the Bikinis On The Beach Bar. It was not worth it and the food is so overpriced. They also have a gift shop where you can rent beach chairs, floaties, and kayaks... but honestly, they just leave them all over the beach anyways. Just use them for free. If you are looking for a beach to party at with a big group with lots of rentals and you don't mind the $10 shuttle fee... This might be the place for you.

    Photos
    The Honeymoon Beach
    The Honeymoon Beach - Beautiful

    Beautiful

    The Honeymoon Beach

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    Hawksnest Beach

    Hawksnest Beach

    4.3(14 reviews)
    1.5 km

    Beautiful beach, great for snorkeling and relaxing…read more - - - - - - - - June, 2025 Visit - - - Short Review, Hawksnest Beach... ... is an absolutely beautiful beach... so much color... ... is so relaxing ... not crowded - - - Additional information: - - - My wonderful wife planned a relaxing trip for us to St. John's, US Virgin Islands (just east of Puerto Rico), in June, 2025; we had a great time... such a beautiful island! We snorkeled two beaches on St. John, and we enjoyed them both. Hawksnest Beach stuns you with its beautiful colors... the beach has light tan sand, helping make the water is a light green-blue color... stunningly beautiful!! - - - Why Hawksnest Beach - - - Most of St. John is a National Park and most of the northern part of the island provides a nearly continuous beach... nearly continuous because peninsulas that extend into the water separate each beach from the other. We looked at the map and read the reviews and picked Hawksnest and Cinnamon Bay beaches because they looked more likely to have slightly smaller crowds, as cruise ships apparently visit other beaches (at least when we visited). When we visited we were not alone and it was also not crowded. Both are within a couple miles of each other, so while they are similar in overall look and feel - similar color of the water and sand, similar plants, etc., they are unique in what you can see underwater when you're snorkeling, and unique in the views from the beach. - - - Taxis to and from - - - To get to and from Hawksnest Beach, you can drive or take a taxi. The taxis on St. John, at least the ones we saw, are all trucks, with the driver in the cab, and the passengers sitting, open air, in the back... on benches with a roof over our heads. The taxis run all day and will stop at multiple beaches to drop off and pick up passengers along the way. - - - Cell / Mobile service - - - Cell phone service is present, but the signal is a bit weak - 1 to 2 bars of signal strength. - - - We really enjoyed the snorkeling and views on Hawksnest beach. - - - The beach - - - Even if you never get in the water, the scene is beautiful... the water color is such a beautiful shade of blue... Enya's song "Caribbean Blue" (from the 1991 album "Shepherd Moons") was playing in our heads, and was surely inspired by waters like these... The sand is light and soft There are some brain coral close to shore, at the water's edge, that you can readily see Colors... beautiful green trees and plants along the beach. - - - The water... snorkeling - - - On any given day, the water quality and aquatic life are things you cannot control. The day we visited water quality and aquatic life were both goo - the water was so clear and we saw many fish, and a ray! - - - Snorkeling - what we saw - - - While snorkeling we were blessed to see: - A sea turtle right away - Then a school of blue fish with yellow fins - so nice floating with them - as we approached the beach, a ray swam by !! - - - Back on the beach - - - We enjoy laying back and relaxing... and taking photos of our feet, pointing toward the sand + surf... and we captured another one here on Hawksnest Beach. What a great afternoon! - - - The surf, the lack of on St. John - - - We have been blessed to visit the Caribbean a couple times and have noticed that there is not much surf, not many waves. On an early trip someone explained that the Caribbean is just at a position in the ocean that the rides are not small; brief internet searches suggest the tide only varies a few inches to a foot or so... such small changes don't lead to many waves. You'll likely see and enjoy hearing waves "lapping at the shore," but you're not likely to do much body surfing... if you have a boogie board, while you could bring it on your flight, you'll likely be better off leaving it at home. - - - Thank you - - - Thank you to all the park team members who maintain Hawksnest Beach, and to the taxi drivers getting us visitors to and from the beach! ----- ----- -----

    This is another of the pretty famous USVI national park beaches. I didn't actually swim here but we…read morecame to scope it out. The parking lot is smaller compared to other beaches, and there wasn't much area available on the side of the road either - that was part of why we decided to not bother with swimming. That said, I walked onto the beach and it is as blue and stunning as the other main beaches, just gorgeous! Pretty spacious too, and I could see not too far out from shore a darker area which would be consistent with the "excellent snorkeling" I read is available at this beach per the internet. Random note, there were also quite a few chickens on this beach lol. I saw online sometimes random wild donkeys also walk by? The internet says don't pet them. I didn't see any lol.

    Photos
    Hawksnest Beach - Pano of hawksnest beach

    Pano of hawksnest beach

    Hawksnest Beach - Hawksnest Beach... so beautiful

    Hawksnest Beach... so beautiful

    Hawksnest Beach - The beach!

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    The beach!

    Trunk Bay - beaches - Updated May 2026

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