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The Beaches Of St. Thomas And St. John: U.S. Virgin Islands
September 13 2009, 12:10pm
The Beaches of the Virgin Islands: St. Thomas and St. John
Over the last month, Tara and I were in the Virgin and British Islands doing some fieldwork with indigenous West Indian peoples. Of course, during times we got to see some amazing places, as well as visit most of the beautiful beaches, hiking trails, colonial ruins, and petroglyphs. A lot of these places are associated with traditional knowledge, and I can't really talk about any of them or show photos and maps of their locations. However, I can help future visitors out in highlighting some of the best beaches and hiking trails found on St. Thomas and St. John. So let's go...
The Beaches of the Virgin Islands: St. Thomas and St. John
The U.S. and British Virgin Islands are known for their great beaches, crystal clear water, snorkeling and sailing. Around almost every corner of each island awaits a white sand beach with turquoise blue waters. Most are lined with palms, sea grape trees, and grasses. There are a lot of good websites out there if you want to find out about amenities, hotels, etc. However, if you want to find out about the best beaches, snorkeling, and hiking, I found it very hard to locate information online. So below I've simply outlined a couple of the quieter beaches and one really good hiking trail on St. Thomas and St. John.
Lindquist Beach/Smith Bay Park: St. Thomas
This is one of the nicer beaches on St. Thomas. Used in many photography ads in magazines, it has some nice snorkeling on the left hand side near the sea grass beds and rocks. Rays, sea turtles, squid, and tons of other fish are often found here, and the views are easy on the eyes. Local knowledge: although the beach changed from Lindquist to Smith Bay Park, it is still free on weekdays. They charge on weekends as they do at Magen's. It's 2 for locals, 4 for others.
{mosmap lat='18.338456'|lon='-64.856372'|text='Lindquist Beach/Smith Bay Park'}
Francis Beach: St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands Francis Beach on St. John is amazing. Out on the north side, it is a giant horseshoe beach with only enough parking spaces for about 10 parties. This means that it can never be crowded, or even feel remotely used. In fact, with the pristine waters, long white sand beach, and secluded feel, Francis Beach is my favorite one on St. John. {mosmap lat='18.363873'|lon='-64.74359'|text='Francis Beach: The best on St. John - Secluded, beautiful waters, and tranquil setting.'} The John Horn Trail: This trail, located on the east side of St. John, at the end of the road, is really worth doing. It's hot, so bring a lot of water, don't wear many clothes, and look closely. Things (crabs, lizards, geckos, spiders, and more are everywhere. Wild pigs and goats are often found here. Also, pay attention to the plants, some have big thorns while others bear genip fruit. Local knowledge: From the top where you come out onto the dirt road before dropping to Coral Bay, hang a left. This takes you up and over to an amazing overlook, revealing the view to the British Virgin Islands and south to the Lesser Antilles.The snorkeling in both Leinster Bay towards the beginning of the hike and Brown Bay are the best on St. John. Sea turtles, rays, and other fish are often seen in the grass beds on the left. The right side has a nice reef with a small but decent drop (around 15-20 feet). Here is some of the best snorkeling on St. John, and the reef is still fairly well established. Pay close attention, the fish are everywhere and if you go slow, you will see how many of them are so well adapted to their environment that you can barely see them despite the water being crystal clear. Also, watch out for barracuda; we encountered a couple here. Scary, but nothing to really worry about (when they are 2 feet away, their eyes are extremely fierce). {mosmap lat='18.36314'|lon='-64.720266'|text='Watermelon Bay: The best snorkeling on St. John, and great hiking too.'} This trail is not nearly as popular as the Reef Trail on the south side of St. John. Although that one is slightly longer (2.2 miles one way), the John Horn Trail (1.8 miles one way) goes up and down, leads to better beaches, and is less traveled. In fact, I don't think it gets many hikers. If you go during the week, there will be no one, and Brown Bay beach will be all yours.Leinster Bay, which is also known as Watermelon Key, is a small beach. Go for the snorkeling, and hang out on Francis for the sand and sun. Hike the trail in the morning, going all the way to Coral Bay and the overlook too. Then hit up Brown Bay on the way back, hike up to the old sugar mill ruins and then do some more snorkeling at the reef on Watermelon after. Eat some lunch and then relax on Francis for the afternoon. No better time.The reefs and waters of the U.S. Virgin Islands are still relatively pristine. Although there is a lot of boat traffic, one has to be amazed at nature's resilience. Please, do your part to keep these Islands and waters clean and alive. Future generations deserve to experience this. The connection to Earth and all her beauty are readily apparent at every turn or swim. Bazillions of fish, empty views, and open waters gives one peace of mind. Something no one should take for granted, nor should it be denied to anyone.A few simple rules to make sure everyone can enjoy one of the true wonders of Earth are:
Have a good time. Go slow. Leave no trace. Watch but don't touch. Stay longer then you think you can. Breath.
{mosmap lat='18.36088'|lon='-64.705675'|text='Brown Bay: St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands'}
