Island life, public services listed for reference
Trails lead to beaches, sugar plantation ruins, petroglyphs and hilltop views, and most of St. John's run through Virgin Islands National Park. Hike early: the heat builds by late morning, shade is patchy and many trailheads have no water or cell service. Carry more water than you think you need, wear shoes with grip for loose rock, and tell someone your route. Each listing gives the length and difficulty as the managing agency states them, where the trail starts, and the date we last verified it.
Every named public trail we could verify, with lengths and difficulty as the managing agency gives them, checked in October 2026.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Discovery Nature Trail runs about 1.5 miles through the Magens Bay Authority's preserve on the north side of St. Thomas, from a trailhead off Magens Bay Road at Canaan to the west side of Magens Bay beach.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Charlotte Amalie Harbor Walk is a flat, paved route along the St. Thomas waterfront that the Department of Tourism lists among the island's hiking trails.
Last 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…
Last verified October 31, 2026
Perseverance Bay is a cobblestone beach on the west end of St. Thomas. In March 2026 the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) announced that it had bought the 140-acre hillside above the bay for…
Last 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.
Last verified October 31, 2026
Santa Maria Bay is a soft-sand beach on the northwest coast of St. Thomas, reached by a footpath. The Department of Tourism describes an out-and-back walk of about a mile from a trailhead on Fortuna Road,…
Last verified October 31, 2026
Annaly Bay is a pebble beach on St. Croix's northwest coast, with tide pools at its west end, inside Maroon Sanctuary Territorial Park.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Estate Morningstar Water Mill trail is a short, easy walk to the stone tower of a sugar mill, dating from at least the mid-1700s, in Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Buck Island Trail crosses Buck Island, in Buck Island Reef National Monument, a 5.5-mile sail from Christiansted by private boat or with an authorized concession operator from Christiansted Wharf or Green…
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Jack and Isaac Bay trail crosses The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) Jack and Isaac Bay Preserve on the far East End, 300 acres that TNC keeps open to the public.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Cinnamon Bay Nature Loop is an easy 0.5-mile walk through the ruins of the Cinnamon Bay sugar plantation in Virgin Islands National Park, across North Shore Road from the entrance to Cinnamon Bay Beach and…
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Cinnamon Bay Trail is a strenuous 1-mile climb in Virgin Islands National Park from the Cinnamon Bay plantation ruins on North Shore Road up to Centerline Road.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Francis Bay Trail is an easy walk at Francis Bay, off North Shore Road in Virgin Islands National Park, that the park recommends for bird watching.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Leinster Bay Trail follows the shore of Leinster Bay in Virgin Islands National Park from the Annaberg Sugar Plantation parking lot, at the end of a spur road off North Shore Road, to the bay's main beach…
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Johnny Horn Trail is a strenuous 1.8-mile hike in Virgin Islands National Park over the hills between Leinster Bay and Coral Bay.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Ram Head Trail climbs to Ram Head, the point south of Salt Pond Bay in Virgin Islands National Park. From the Salt Pond Bay parking lot past Coral Bay, walk the 0.25-mile rocky track to the beach, where…
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Tektite Trail runs 0.7 mile in Virgin Islands National Park along the ridge of Cabritte Horn Point, near Lameshur.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Bordeaux Mountain Trail runs from Bordeaux Mountain, St. John's highest peak, down to Lameshur Bay in Virgin Islands National Park.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Yawzi Point Trail is a short, easy walk in Virgin Islands National Park along the crest of Yawzi Point, the spit of land between Great and Little Lameshur bays on St. John's south shore.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Reef Bay Trail descends about 3 miles one way in Virgin Islands National Park, from Centerline Road near mile marker 5 to Reef Bay, under some of the island's oldest and tallest trees and past four ruined…
Last verified October 31, 2026
The L'Esperance Trail descends about 2.6 miles one way to the beach at Reef Bay in Virgin Islands National Park, following an old Danish road past the ruins of some of the earliest plantations on St. John.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Caneel Hill Trail is a steep 1-mile climb in Virgin Islands National Park from just above Cruz Bay to an observation deck on Caneel Hill, with views over the bays of St. John's north shore.
Last verified October 31, 2026
The Lind Point Trail is a set of short, signed paths in Virgin Islands National Park that starts just behind the park visitor center in Cruz Bay.
Visiting, updated October 30, 2026
