Buck Island West Beach
Photo: anoldent, CC BY-SA 2.0
West Beach (GoToStCroix's Turtle Beach) is the main beach on Buck Island, in the National Park Service's Buck Island Reef National Monument, 1.5 miles off St. Croix. It can be reached only by boat: on a concession boat from Christiansted Wharf or Green Cay Marina, or by private boat, anchoring only in the marked area off the beach. There is no entrance fee. The island is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed at night to protect nesting sea turtles. The clear, usually calm water suits swimming; the underwater snorkeling trail is off the island's east side. The beach has picnic tables, charcoal grills and vault toilets but little shade, and nothing is sold on the island, so bring water, food and sun protection. Pets, glass, drones, umbrellas or stakes in the sand, fires outside the grills and taking shells or coral are banned, and alcohol must stay aboard.
Services
- Boat access only, by concession trip or private boat
- No entrance fee
- Picnic tables, charcoal grills and vault toilets
- Trailhead for the Buck Island Trail
- Anchoring only in the marked area off the beach
- No pets, glass, drones, umbrellas or collecting
How we checked
Last verified on October 30, 2026. We checked it against the sources below.
Source: National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/places/buck-island-west-beach.htm (updated April 23, 2026; amenities, hours, rules, no provisions on the island, anchoring area, nesting wildlife, no pets), https://www.nps.gov/buis/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm (updated October 8, 2026; 1.5 miles off St. Croix, boat access only, concession boats from Christiansted Wharf and Green Cay Marina, no entrance fee, closed at night for nesting turtles, no visitor services), https://www.nps.gov/buis/planyourvisit/outdooractivities.htm (updated April 14, 2026; picnic facilities, trail of about 45 minutes, no collecting) and https://www.nps.gov/buis/learn/management/lawsandpolicies.htm (compendium updated July 10, 2026; no glass, no pets on the island or in the water, no poles, stakes or umbrellas in the sand, no drones, alcohol prohibited on the premises and kept on vessels), with the park alerts feed https://www.nps.gov/buis/park-alerts-buis.json (no alerts); GoToStCroix, https://www.gotostcroix.com/discover/beaches/turtle-beach-buck-island/ (copyright 2026; 'Turtle Beach' on the west side, generally calm current, little shade, underwater trail on the east side, restrooms, grills and picnic area); all accessed 2026-10-30. NPS pages disagree on whether private boats need a permit, so none is described. Map point: GNIS feature 1993700 (Beach), 'West Beach'.
USVI Realty does not rank, rate or endorse the places and services in this directory. Hours, fees and rules change, so check the official source before you go.
Around St. Croix
Photo: Jason P. Heym, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Matt H. Wade, CC BY-SA 3.0
