Here is a list of St. Croix beaches. The first 20 are on the east end. Directions take you south and east until you can’t go any farther, then west along route 82. We call it the “east end loop”. The first 17 are in the East End Marine Park.
1.) Great Pond Bay Beach is down the road beyond the big chain link fence across from Milgie’s Grocery. The gate is open for public use on traditional holiday week-ends (4th of July, Easter….)Take a left from SunDog Lane and go less than ¼ mile on route 624. The road to the beach is frequently very muddy and barely accessible without a 4WD vehicle, but the beach is very unspoiled and there are beautiful patch reefs to snorkel around if you want to swim out to them. No amenities.
2.) A very peaceful beach that hardly anyone goes to is located just east of the East End Marine Park headquarters. When you leave SunDog Lane, take a left onto route 624, when you get to the “T”, go right onto route 60 (South Shore Road) and stay on this road for maybe a mile, until you see a sign for the EEMP, which is on the opposite side of the road from the sign. Drive into the parking lot, follow the dirt road to the steep part which goes down to the beach, but don’t drive down there. We haven’t been there in a while, so we’re not sure what the sea grass/sea urchin situation is like, so be careful when walking in. You can swim out to more patch reefs from here. No amenities.
3.) A little farther to the east on route 60, on the other side of Mount Fancy, are more unspoiled beaches, but we haven’t been down there in years, so cannot vouch for accessibility. No amenities.
4.) Divi Carina Bay Resort farther east on route 60 has a nice beach good for swimming or snorkeling. As you look toward the water, you can walk down to the right a few hundred yards past the hotel and snorkel among many patch reefs right off shore. They do not charge non-guests for chairs, so hanging out under the palms in front of the hotel is a great way to spend an afternoon. Plus there is a restaurant/bar right there!
5.) Grapetree Beach is about 0.5 miles beyond Divi. The hotel was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo, but is being slowly rebuilt by the new owner. Take a right at the small sugarmill, and when you get to the “T”, take another right. There is a parking area on the right. You need to walk back from where you just drove from to find a path beyond a fence. No amenities.
6.) Jack’s Beach is part of The Nature Conservancy’s east end property. Take the same road as the one that leads to Grapetree, but go left at the “T”. Drive slowly in this neighborhood, until you see a TNC sign on your left. You need to hike about ½ mile to get to the beach. There are marked trails.
7.) You can get to Isaac’s Beach from Jack’s, but it’s another mile or so of hiking.
8.) On the road to Point Udall (the easternmost point of the US), there are also a few beaches. As soon as you take the right onto route 82, there is Smuggler’s Cove beach on the left. The dirt road drops off sharply from the main road, so go really slowly, or park across the street and walk down. No amenities.
9.) About a mile farther east is Cramer’s Park. Big party spot for locals on week-ends. Loud boom-box music, so we don’t go there. Restroom facilities and picnic tables.
10.) Farther east is Boiler Bay with very nice snorkeling, but you need to hike down from the main road (route 82). No amenities.
11.) Just before you reach the top of the hill where Point Udall is, there is a trail on your right that leads down to East End Bay Beach. There are lots of rocks and cobbles. Not good for swimming or snorkeling, but the sea turtles love it and lots of Hawksbills and Greens nest here during the summer and fall. You can also go all the way to the end of the beach and climb over the rocks to another trail which leads to Isaac’s Beach. No amenities.
12.) Heading back west on route 82 from Point Udall, the St. Croix Yacht Club is on your right. Nice beach for swimming. You can stop in and ask about joining!
13.) Over the hill just west of the YC is Duggan’s Reef restaurant and Teague Bay Beach. Park in the parking lot. Good swimming beach and probably pretty good snorkeling. The restaurant is only open for dinner, so….No amenities.
14.) Coakley Bay Beach is across the street from the pink multi-story condo complex. Park just off the road at the top of a short trail which leads down to the beach. No amenities.
15.) “Big Beard’s Beach” (not really sure if it has an official name) is often used by kite surfers. Pretty good swimming and snorkeling if there aren’t a bunch of speeding surfers doing tricks in the water. No amenities.
16.) Candle Reef Beach is down Miss Bea Road off of route 82. Go down until a sign asks you not to go any farther. There’s a small parking area on the right. The beach on the left as you look toward the point, is rocky, but the one to the right becomes nice and sandy with pretty good snorkeling. We usually see green sea turtles in this area. No amenities.
17.) Chenay Bay Beach Resort has a sandy beach with lots of sea grass just off shore. Good for swimming and okay for snorkeling. Take a long walk toward the west (left as you look toward the sea). This area is the Southgate Coastal Reserve, owned and managed by the St. Croix Environmental Association. Good swimming and snorkeling. The hotel has a restaurant and bar.
18.) Tamarind Reef Hotel Beach – still on route 82, about 1/4 mile past Cheeseburger’s on the right. Go down the speed-bump-studded road to the guard shack and go left toward the Deep End Bar and Grill. The beach is off to the right. There’s a shallow pool created by large boulders, and just outside of the boulders is an awesome snorkeling trail. Entrance to snorkeling area is down at the end of the beach to the right. Talk to Jerry at the water sports shack to rent a chair or a tiki hut, or just use a beach towel for lounging after your snorkel. We usually see large schools of blue tang, adult and juvenile French angel fish, large parrot fishes, trumpet fish and puffers, butterfly fish and past the yellow floats, there is usually at least one small hawksbill turtle.
19.) Shoy’s Beach is accessible by the road that leads to the Buccaneer. There are two guard gates. The one to the right goes into the exclusive Shoy’s community. You must tell the guard that you are going to the beach. He or she will ask for your name and take down your license plate number. Stay on the speed-bumpy road until you see the pyramid house gate in front of you. Park in the gravel lot to the right. A short trail across from the lot leads to the beautiful sandy beach. Good for swimming and snorkeling. No amenities.
20.) The Buccaneer has great beaches, but unless you tell the guard at the gate that you will be having lunch at the mermaid, you will be charged a fee per person to use them.
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