Hassel Island
Parks and historic sitesSt. ThomasLast verified October 31, 2026
Photo: Smallbones, CC0
Hassel Island forms the western edge of St. Thomas Harbor and covers about 135 acres. The National Park Service manages 128 acres as part of Virgin Islands National Park; the rest is Virgin Islands government land. Danish- and British-era ruins include the Garrison House, Prince Frederik's Battery, the Creque Marine Railway, and Cowell's Battery and Signal Station on the 267-foot summit. The St. Thomas Historical Trust runs guided boat-and-hike tours of 2.5 to 3 hours. Access to the park's land is unsettled: the Trust's Hassel Island website says it has been closed since the 2017 hurricanes overgrew the trails, but park crews cleared trails in 2024 and 2025, and the park's 2026 rules let boats tie up at Careening Cove or the Creque Marine Railway for day use. Call the park (340-776-6201) before landing independently. There is no ferry and no facilities, so bring water and sun protection.
Services
- Part of Virgin Islands National Park (128 acres); the rest is territorial land
- Guided boat-and-hike tours by the St. Thomas Historical Trust, 2 to 10 guests, trails rated moderate
- Water taxis through Crown Bay Marina; kayak rentals in Frenchtown (Department of Tourism)
- Park trails on the NPS map: Cowell's Trail, Officer's Quarters Trail, Shipley's Battery Trail
- Day-use docking only; drones need the superintendent's written approval
How we checked
Last verified on October 31, 2026. We checked it against the sources below.
Source: National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/places/virgin-islands-national-park.htm (128 acres on Hassel Island added to the park in 1978) and https://www.nps.gov/viis/contacts.htm (park headquarters and visitor center phone 340-776-6201); Virgin Islands National Park Superintendent's Compendium, 2026 update, last updated October 6, 2026, https://www.nps.gov/viis/learn/management/compendium.htm (vessels docking at Careening Cove or the Creque Marine Railway limited to day use, no vessel storage; uncrewed aircraft prohibited except as approved in writing by the superintendent); NPS public trails dataset, https://mapservices.nps.gov/arcgis/rest/services/NationalDatasets/NPS_Public_Trails_Geographic/FeatureServer (Cowell's Trail, Officer's Quarters Trail and Shipley's Battery Trail); NPS NPGallery, National Register record for Hassel Island (NRIS 76001862, published 1976), https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/76001862; St. Thomas Historical Trust, https://www.stthomashistoricaltrust.org/hassel-island-tour-1 (135-acre island at the western edge of the harbor; Garrison House, Prince Frederik's Battery, Cowell's Battery and the Signal Station at 267 feet; trails rated a moderate 3 of 5; 2.5 to 3 hours; 2 to 10 guests; boat pickup on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront; copyright 2026); Hassel Island website of the St. Thomas Historical Trust, https://www.hasselisland.org/ (notice dated November 2023) and https://www.hasselisland.org/access/ (notice dated May 2022): the park-owned part closed to visitors since the September 2017 hurricanes, the territorial part maintained by the Trust and open through the Trust; St. Thomas Source, January 9, 2025, https://stthomassource.com/content/2025/01/09/vinp-updates-public-about-infrastructure-upgrades/ (a park team clearing trails from the Creque Marine Railway to Shipley's Battery) and May 15, 2025, https://stthomassource.com/content/2025/05/15/vinp-officials-update-public-on-park-initiatives/ (trails cleared and the Creque Marine Railway ruins cleaned in 2024; a contract for the remaining trails expected in summer 2025; the park hoped to restart tours with the Trust); USVI Department of Tourism, https://www.visitusvi.com/st-thomas/take-a-trip-to-hassel-island-off-st-thomas/ (no facilities or services; water taxis via Crown Bay Marina; kayak rentals in Frenchtown; sun protection and drinking water essential); all accessed 2026-10-31. Map point: GNIS feature 1614000, 'Hassel Island' (Island), U.S. Geological Survey GNIS, current Virgin Islands file, https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/GeographicNames/DomesticNames/DomesticNames_VI_Text.zip, accessed 2026-10-31.
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