Reef Bay
Reef Bay is a south shore beach in Virgin Islands National Park, reached only on foot or by boat. Its trail starts near mile marker 5 on Centerline Road and drops about 900 feet over 3 miles, past sugar estate ruins to the Reef Bay sugar factory near the beach; a side trail at mile 1.6 leads to a waterfall and Taino petroglyphs. The park rates the hike strenuous: steep, rocky, slippery even when dry, with a long climb out. No facilities are listed; bring water, food and a swimsuit. Friends of Virgin Islands National Park runs a seasonal guided hike ending in a boat pickup, weather permitting; in October 2026 its 2026-27 details were not yet posted. Land behind the shore between Reef and Europa bays is closed to protect a rare plant. There is no fee or listed lifeguard, and pets and glass are banned on the beach.
Services
- No fee
- Reef Bay Trail from Centerline Road, about 3 miles each way, rated strenuous
- Trailhead parking and a bus stop listed by the park
- Side trail to a waterfall and petroglyphs
- Ruins of the Reef Bay sugar factory near the beach
- Seasonal guided hike with a boat pickup, run by Friends of Virgin Islands National Park (2026-27 details not yet posted as of October 2026)
- Two day-use moorings for boaters
- No facilities listed
- Drones allowed only with the park superintendent's written approval
How we checked
Last verified on October 30, 2026. We checked it against the sources below.
Source: National Park Service pages https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/reef-bay-trail.htm (updated September 21, 2023; strenuous, steep, rocky and slippery, about three miles one way to the beach, 900 feet of elevation, trailhead near mile marker 5 on Centerline Road, swimming at the beach at the end, leashed dogs on trails but not on beaches), https://www.nps.gov/places/reef-bay-trail-and-sugar-plantation.htm (updated August 10, 2023; side trail at mile 1.6, four sugar estates, parking and bus stop at the trailhead), https://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm (updated June 6, 2022; the sugar mill is reachable only by hiking or boat), https://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/hiking-in-viis.htm (updated September 8, 2022; the mill is near the beach), https://www.nps.gov/viis/learn/management/compendium.htm (updated October 6, 2026; White Cliffs temporary closure, with no landward access from the shoreline between Reef and Europa bays; two day-use moorings in Reef Bay; glass banned on all park beaches; drones only with the superintendent's written approval), https://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/fees.htm (updated September 29, 2026; no entrance fee, only Trunk Bay charges) and the park alerts feed https://www.nps.gov/viis/park-alerts-viis.json (no closures posted); Friends of Virgin Islands National Park, https://friendsvinp.org/seminars-and-more/ (Reef Bay Hike with a boat pickup at the beach, weather permitting; 2026-27 details expected in December or January); all accessed 2026-10-30. No source lists lifeguards or facilities at the beach. Map point: GNIS feature 1994055 (Beach, 'Reef Bay Beach', Coral Bay map sheet). GNIS has a second point with the same name, feature 1994068 on the Cruz Bay map sheet, about 1.4 km to the southwest; the first lies at the head of the bay, closer to GNIS's Reef Bay (feature 1614260, Bay). U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System, Virgin Islands file published September 29, 2026, https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/GeographicNames/DomesticNames/DomesticNames_VI_Text.zip, accessed 2026-10-30.
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Around St. John
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