Mermaid's Chair (Botany Bay)
BeachesSt. ThomasLast verified October 31, 2026
Photo: Matt Wade, CC BY-SA 2.0
Mermaid's Chair is a narrow strand of sand at the far west end of St. Thomas, inside the gated Preserve at Botany Bay, where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean. The Department of Tourism says every visitor signs in and shows ID at the gate, then hikes a mostly paved trail, 3.5 miles round trip. Allow two hours with beach time, expect a strenuous 500-foot climb on the way back, and bring plenty of water, since no facilities are listed. Come at low tide, when a sandbar, rocks and tide pools are exposed, and get back to the main shore before high tide returns. A resort, The Botany, is being developed in the preserve; in August 2026 it aimed to open this winter, with no date set, so ask at the gate whether hikers are still admitted. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources does not test the water here.
Services
- Gated preserve: sign in and show ID
- 3.5 miles round trip on a mostly paved trail, steep on the return
- Best at low tide
- No facilities listed: bring water
How we checked
Last verified on October 31, 2026. We checked it against the sources below.
Source: USVI Department of Tourism, 'Scenic St. Thomas Hiking Trails', https://www.visitusvi.com/experience/st-thomas-hiking-trails/ (Mermaid's Chair Trail: start at The Preserve at Botany Bay, all visitors sign in and show identification at the gate, paved trail to the beach where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean, 3.5 miles round trip, about two hours with beach time, mostly paved, 500-foot elevation makes the hike back strenuous, bring plenty of water, visit at low tide for the sandbar, exposed rocks and tide pools, get out of the water and back to the mainland before high tide returns; the page is undated); St. Thomas Source, February 13, 2023, https://stthomassource.com/content/2023/02/13/8-incredibly-beautiful-beaches-to-visit-on-st-thomas/ (a narrow strand of sand where the Caribbean and the Atlantic meet, inside the gated Botany Bay community), August 2, 2026, https://stthomassource.com/content/2026/08/02/new-botany-bay-resort-promises-sanctuary-from-st-thomas-bustle/ (The Botany, 20 cottages on a 40-plus-acre part of the roughly 400-acre Botany Bay preserve near Mermaid's Chair and Sandy Beach; officials eyeing a winter opening but unable to give a date; no word on hiker access) and September 9, 2025, https://stthomassource.com/content/2025/09/09/botany-bay-resort-project-secures-financing-after-years-of-delays/ (resort financing and a projected 2026 opening; Botany Bay's beaches part of a long debate over public access); DPNR Coastal Zone Management, https://dpnr.vi.gov/coastal-zone-management/marine-protected-areas/ (Botany Bay is an Area of Particular Concern) and its 'Parks, Beaches and Public Access' map, https://arcg.is/0iPDCi (a beach point named 'Botany Bay-Mermaid's Chair'); DPNR beach data, https://dpnr.vi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Beach-Data-10.30.26.pdf (not a testing site); all accessed 2026-10-31. No source says whether hikers are still admitted during resort development. Map point: GNIS feature 1613743 (Bay, 'Botany Bay'); GNIS has no feature for Mermaid's Chair. 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 2026-10-31.
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