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I'm ordering the book by Singer about the beaches on St. John and the trails. But before I get it, please tell me this - are all the beaches public? I know that the Caneel resort has like seven private beaches. Does this mean that no one but Caneel guests can visit these beaches? I thought I actually read something that said while the beach is public, access is only allowed to the guests, which would mean I can't go.
Also, I know there are some remote beaches and these are the ones I want to go to. I'm familiar with Trunk Bay and Hawksnest, and while they are truly beautiful, I want to see some of the other ones like Reef Bay and Leinster; however, I want to make sure I'm not parking in an area I shouldn't be resulting in a fine, or worse yet be crossing over private property.
I've been sending a few e-mails about things in St. John, so if I'd already sent this message to you, I apologize. You cannot imagine how excited my husband and I are about this vacation.
If there is another book, or map you know I should purchase, please suggest it.
Thank you very much.
If you have a rental car my favorites are Francis and Maho. We were just there for Valentines day and all the beaches were a little crowded but hey it's high season!
Jeff
Hello Amy,
Order the St. John Combo Pack - its a great deal on price and a great deal of great information. It includes the Beach Guide which covers getting to the beaches, parking, snorkeling, a little history on some of the beaches. Included is St. john off the Beaten Track - which is wonderful, covers trails, beaches, sites that are not the "common" places - its the off the beaten track places. And it includes St. John on Foot and by Car which offers nice driving and walking routes and information about what you see along the way. And finally it includes a National Geographic Trails Illustrated St. John Road and Trail Map. We created the packet just for folks like you who are vacationing on St. John and want to make the most of it!
Go to the store at http://www.vitraders.com/
and then in the top navigation on the right side select Planning
The St. John Combo Packet is on Page 2 of the Planning Materials and Books Section
If you are not interested in the all the items included in the packet you can order each one individually.
Your question - yes all the beaches in the USVI are public by law. The land around it can be private and in many cases is. All the resorts pretty much have either a public entrance road or allow the public to access the beach through the resort grounds/road. You can go to Caneel Bay, you can hike to Honeymoon - thats two of the 7 bays but some of the smaller ones you would either have to hike along the rocky coast, swim or take a boat in as the resort doesn't want the public walking around rooms to get to the littler beaches.
Reef Bay trail is worth hiking and the beach is nice. The last time I was there was after the rainy spell we had at the end of last year and the no-see-ums and mosquitos were there by the hundreds it seemed. Take some bug repellent with you when hiking this trail just in case. Lameshur is another beach you might try. From Leinster you can hike to Waterlemon - if you want to snorkel. Salt Pond Bay is another nice one and it has several trails in that area - so you can make a day of it, hike, swim, picnic... Most beaches on St. John are National Park - so you shouldn't be crossing private property unless you stray off the trails. There is some private property within the park but again if you stay on the trails shouldn't be a problem.
Happy Planning.
--Islander
Thanks for the suggestion. Also, thanks for not pointing out all my grammar errors.
AFTER ALL THESE YEARS HAWSNEST IS STILL MY FAVORITE
ALL of the beaches on St. John are public. If you can get to them, you get to use them! Caneel has some nice beaches, and you are allowed to use Caneel's parking area. Maho, Francis and Cinnamon all have parking right adjacent to the beach, as does Haulover on the South shore. For remote beaches try Lameshur, Europa, Reef Bay, Leinster / Waterlemon and Privateer. All require some walking.
