Jayneann

Hi all,

We will be in St. John in less than a month and are very excited!! Which beach has the best snorkeling in your opinion? We will have a jeep so we can go anywhere. Any other suggestions of must see areas or things to do (such as hiking) are very appreciated too!!

Thanks in advance!!

StanKase

Having made a number of trips I found the best off the beach snorkeling to be inside Caneel Bay Resort which has restrictive access to non-guests except if you were to have lunch or an early dinner and go before dinner. Scott Beach, Hawks Nest and Turtle Bay are really the best in my opinion. By tour boat a trip to watermelon Point has equal or better snorkeling.

hawksbill

The conditions at the various beaches depend on how big the waves are, and which direction they're coming from. During the winter, there's most often a Northeast swell, although that may be less the case by the time you get there.

Most visitors tend to visit the North Shore beaches, which are sandy, beautiful, and easy to get to. If you take a look at a map of St. John, you'll see that most of the North Shore beaches are pretty openly exposed to waves coming from the Northeast, making conditions less than ideal on many days. Looking at the map, you'll see that notable exceptions include Maho Bay and Francis Bay, which are shielded by Mary Point, and which are known for being calm on almost any day. Especially Maho. You have to drive considerably farther to get to Francis, and you have to walk farther from your car to the beach there, so I more often go to Maho. Also, at Maho, the bottom stays sandy and slopes down very gently, so it's a great place to bring small children, or beginning snorkelers who want to get the hang of it before they head out over the reefs. I must admit, I snorkeled at Maho a few weeks ago, and there weren't a whole lot of fish.

Historically, Caneel offered free parking to anyone, but allowed non-guests to visit only Caneel Beach. Nowadays they charge $10 for parking. I'm not sure if they still restrict guests to that one beach. I don't like snorkeling on Caneel Beach. I've never seen many fish there, and there's too much ferry- and watersports-related commotion. I have done some great snorkeling at the other Caneel beaches. Little Hawksnest often has a lot of turtles.

I second the recommendation of Waterlemon Cay. But there can be very strong current there, and a ton of sea urchins in very shallow water, which is a bad combination. And to get to it without a boat, you have to do some hiking. The best snorkeling I've ever done has been at Whistling Cay. There should be a lot of tarpon there by April. But you need a boat to get there, and the swell makes it unpleasant to snorkel there on many days. On really rough days, you may need to head to one of the South Shore beaches.

My favorite hikes are Ram's Head, and the bottom part of the famous Reef Bay Trail, from the ruins up to the Petroglyph Trail. But I find most of the Reef Bay Trail to be a little monotonous and not worth the effort. There's an alternative way to hike to the bottom that is more interesting, and described in Gerald Singer's book St. John: Off the Beaten Track. If you like hiking and snorkeling, you absolutely positively need that book. I hate to say that, because Singer is not the most upstanding guy, and he causes a fair amount of trouble on the island. I hate to see him get the royalties, but the book really is outstanding and unequaled. If you're doing a lot of hiking, also consider getting the Trail Bandit's trail map, which can be downloaded here: http://www.trailbandit.org/store.htm You can also buy it, printed out at full map size, at the Park Service Visitor's Center by Mongoose Junction.

qwovadis

Saloman my fav but many others

www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Snorkeling.htm

Have fun,

Jayneann

Thank you all for such valuable information!! Hoping to visit a number of beaches, so appreciate all advice!! I almost ordered Gerald Singer's book, but ended up ordering Feet, Fins & Four-Wheel Drive by Pam Gaffin, due to all the positive reviews. I hope the info is accurate! Thanks again!

hawksbill

I know that Feet, Fins, and Four-Wheel Drive book too. I think that Singer's book, especially the second edition, is much better. Maybe you can check it out of the library or something. I don't think there's any other documentation of that backwards approach to the Reef Bay Trail, which is probably my favorite hike on St. John.

In any case, for hiking purposes, consider picking up the Trail Bandit's map at the NPS Visitor Center, or downloading and printing out your own version. There's nothing else with that many trails or that much detail.

Dianebridles

Best snorkeling guide for St John is also by Singer, "St. John Beach Guide.

It is a pictoral guide with an aireal view of all St John beaches clearly marked and each photographed individually complete with descriptions, directions and best entry and snorkeling spots and if conditions re for beginner- advanced snorkelers.

Jayneann

I guess I should have checked here before buying! Hawksbill, thanks for the tip, I just downloaded the Trail Bandit's map. I'll check out the Reef Bay Trail.

Dianebridles, I almost bought this book instead of Gaffin's but when I read through Amazon's reviews, they convinced me Gaffin's was the one to buy if I only wanted to purchase one book. Do you think it's a must have book?

Thanks again for all your help!!

brenandg

I have the Feet, Fins book and my personal version hasn't been updated since 2001. I have to say that I think Gerald Singer's version is better. Great descriptions and pictures. I have browsed through it. Here is a link to Gerald Singer's website. It has much of the books information and more.

http://www.seestjohn.com/

As for Caneel, you can use Caneel and Honeymoon beaches. All others are restricted and you are not allowed to use their chairs. And yes, they are now charging $10 to park there. You can however use it toward lunch or a drink and be reimbursed. You have to stop at the desk on your way out.

I can't recommend the best beaches to snorkel because I don't, but our traveling companions are snorkel nuts. The swells really have a lot to do with it. I know they like Maho on the right side following the rocks to the point. Waterlemon is a great snorkel but you must be a good swimmer because as mentioned, the currents can be strong.

I would definitely take a day and explore the East End of the island. Start by going all the way East to Vies Beach for a while then back and go south with a stop at Skinny Legs or The Tourist Trap for lunch then mosey on over to Salt Pond and or Little Lamesure. Visit any of the North Shore Beaches, beautiful. Even though it can get "crowded" bu St John standards, it is a beautiful beach.

We always make it a point every trip to make it over to Jost Van Dyke and visit White Bay for the day whether by ferry or private charter. Yes there is enough to see on St John for sure. But, we feel it is worth the day off island to experience White Bay. What part of the island are you staying on?

hawksbill, I think the backwards trail to Refe Bay might be this one? I remembered seeing the signs when we were at Little Lamesure.

http://www.seestjohn.com/trails_lameshur_bay.html

Jayneann

brenandg, thank you so much for the great links, much to read!! We are staying at Lavender Hill Suites at Cruz Bay, but we'll have a jeep. We are also staying on St Thomas for a few nights and plan to visit JVD for the day. I'd like to go to JVD while on St Thomas, but I think it make more sense to take the ferry from STJ. We leave three weeks from tomorrow, YAY!!!

brenandg

It really doesn't matter if you take the ferry from St Thomas or St John. It runs on the same days, the boat from STT picks up passengers on STJ. Here is the link to the ferry schedule. You will still clear customs on St John on the way back from Jost Van Dyke if continuing on to St Thomas. I guess I would rather use up one of my St Thomas days to go to Jost rather than a St John day though.

http://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/in...and_ferry/#Red Hook, Cruz Bay to Jost Van Dyke

Lavender Hill is walking distance to Cruz Bay but there will be a couple of hills involved on the way back.

One of my current favorite restaurants in Cruz Bay is Rhumblines. Be sure to check it out if you like spicy food and different dipping sauces. Their steak dinner is probably one of the best I have had on the island.

http://rhumblinesstjohn.com/home.html

Enjoy your trip. I am making a quick trip to St Thomas to see friends in May.

brenandg

Too bad you can't edit on this forum. In my earlier post I was talking about Trunk Bay as being a beautiful beach, one of the most photographed in the Caribbean.

Dianebridles

Jayneann,

I have both books, but like St. John Beach Guide best and because I am a frequent visitor to St.John and keep it always packed in my carry-on so that I can refresh my memory. In addition, it is always fun to look at the beautiful pictures, especially at home on a snowyday. I don't think you will regret ever buying it.

With all of your research, you will have a ton of fun.

hawksbill

I once bought that St. John Beach Guide too. I remember it having photos that I liked looking at, but not really adding much to the info that I found in "Off the Beaten Track."

brendang, the Little Lameshur is not the "alternate route to Reef Bay" that I was thinking of. The one that I did, as described in "Off the Beaten Track" isn't an official NPS trail, and most of it isn't a trail at all. You drive about as far east as you can on the roads along the south shore, until you're above the far western edge of Reef Bay. The first part is called the "Parret Bay Trail" on the (downloadable) Trail Bandit map. It starts "next to a wood shingled house with a green metal roof at a telephone pole with an electric meter on it" (there's no sign identifying the trail). It's not hard to find. There are some very steep steps that lead down to the water, with a rope to hold onto for support. The steep part is very short. Then you walk along the shore, until you get to the bottom of the Reef Bay Trail. There's a short scramble over some rocks, but even that part is pretty easy. Singer's book has more details about the various sights that you'll see on the way to the bottom of the Reef Bay Trail. I thought this was more interesting than just hiking down the whole Reef Bay Trail, which I've also done.

When you get to the bottom of the Reef Bay Trail, you can take a swim, check out the ruins, and then hike up the Trail as far as you want before you turn around and go back. Make sure you go far enough to take the Petroglyph Trail off to the side -- the petroglyph pool is one of the most special spots I've seen on St. John.

Jayneann

Thanks again, more great information!!! I'm going to print this out and bring it with me!! Three weeks from today I'll be limin, YEAH!!!

Pulley

Off the beaten track is my favorite St. John guide. My favorite beaches:
EASY ACESS - Hawksnest, Caneel & Cinanmon (the cay in the middle). Rent lights from Lowkey Water Sports and snorkel Hawksnest after dark - AWESOME.
MODERATE ACCESS - Haulover Bay (unbelievable), Waterlemon Cay, Salt Pond & Lameshur at VIERS.
HARDER ACCESS - Kiddle Bay, Brown Bay & Denis

You will have a great time! We'll be ther in June for 16th St. John vacation!

hawksbill

I had no idea there was such a thing as an underwater light for nighttime snorkeling! In fact, some old St. John types have cautioned me that it's a bad idea to go swimming in the ocean at night at all. Supposedly it's just too easy to get disoriented, or step on bad stuff, or clock your head on something, or whatever. What's night snorkeling like?

A couple of other notes about a few of those beaches: By law, all St. John beaches are public, up to the treeline. However, to get to some beaches, you need to either have a boat, or go over private property. Denis Bay is almost like that. The most direct road access goes over private property, so you'll need to hike a little ways to get to the beach, and then be sure that you stay on sand, and don't go over the treeline. If you look at a map, you'll see that Denis Bay is relatively exposed to the north swell. For that reason, it's one of the first of the North Shore beaches to get rough. Once you're on the beach, there's good sandy access to the water, and usually good snorkeling on both sides of the beach, if the water is calm. But the water is seldom calm. So it's usually not worth the hike, if you're going there to snorkel.

I have never snorkeled at Brown Bay, but I hiked there once, a few years ago. I found it to be rather unsettling. Brown Bay is quite isolated, and it is frequently used by illegal aliens who sneak into the USVI by boat. For some reason, these people like to change into new clothes as soon as they arrive, maybe so their clothes will be dry. The whole beach, and the trail to the beach, are littered with clothes. Like, hundreds of garments, as well as other personal belongings, children's toys, backpacks, etc. When I was there, someone had set up a little chair on the beach, which I guess is used by the illegal aliens' handlers, who meet them when they arrive. And there's a little cave on the beach, which caused me to wonder who might be hiding inside, and what they might be inclined to do to me if I happened to be present when some of their clients were due to arrive. I can't say that I felt unsafe, exactly, but it didn't put me in a relaxed and recreational frame of mind.

I really have to try Haulover soon.

Pulley

We used dive lights and only went to Hawksnest since we know it so well. Had some moonlight so orientation wasn't a problem. For safety reasons we only snorkeled the right reef (facing the water). We saw more lobsters and other fish - it was cool but spooky at the same time. Think Jaws. You are right about Brown Bay it was too isolated and I was too worried to enjoy it. I might be confusing Denis with another beach. We hiked the Peace Hill trail to the beach and entered to the left and went left for a good snorkel. Went to the right later and it was too rocky and no exit point. I should either state that in my post or not mention it as a snorkel spot since it is for advanced snorkelers. Thanks for pointing that out.

Haulover is unbelievable you really will not regret going there!!

Jayneann

This girl certainly won't be snorkeling at night as I would be petrified of what I might encounter!! I definitely would be looking for Jaws, haha!! Very cool (and brave) that you have though, Pulley!!!

Thanks again for such insightful feedback! Two weeks from today, YAY!!!

Pulley

Where are you staying?