Caneel Beach
Photo: Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0
Caneel Beach is the main beach of the former Caneel Bay Resort, on St. John's northwest shore inside Virgin Islands National Park. The resort closed after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, the United States won ownership in court in 2024, and the park opened the beach to the public on August 1, 2024. Drive in through the Caneel Bay entrance off North Shore Road, park in the public lot and follow the paved path to the sand; the park map also marks a Durloo Plantation viewing area. The lot is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is locked after hours. Facilities are limited to portable toilets, and no lifeguard is listed. The pier is closed as unsafe, the rest of the old resort is off limits, and pets and glass are not allowed. The park is choosing a developer for the resort, so access may change.
Services
- No fee
- Public parking lot, open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and gated after hours
- Paved path from the lot to the beach
- Portable toilets
- Viewing area for the historic Durloo Plantation
- Dinghies 16 feet or shorter may drop off passengers beside the closed dock
How we checked
Last verified on October 30, 2026. The business has not reviewed this listing.
Source: National Park Service pages https://www.nps.gov/viis/caneelbay.htm (updated July 14, 2026: April 2024 court ruling, upheld on appeal in May 2025; August 1, 2024 opening; lot hours; portable toilets; pier closed), https://www.nps.gov/viis/learn/news/virgin-islands-national-park-issues-request-for-proposals-for-caneel-bay-redevelopment.htm (May 7, 2026), the Caneel Beach parking and access map https://www.nps.gov/viis/learn/news/upload/CaneelBeachOpeningParkMap_v10.pdf (August 2024), https://www.nps.gov/viis/learn/management/compendium.htm (updated October 6, 2026: open and closed areas, dinghy drop-off, pets and glass) and the park alerts feed https://www.nps.gov/viis/park-alerts-viis.json (no closures posted); V.I. Consortium, October 27, 2026, https://viconsortium.com/vi-legal/virgin-islands-new-federal-lawsuit-seeks-to-block-national-park-service-from-leasing-entire-150-acre-caneel-bay-property (a new lawsuit challenges the lease plan; no developer chosen yet); all accessed 2026-10-30. The proposal deadline was extended to August 10, 2026.
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. John
Photo: Navin75, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Photo: Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0
