Virgin Islands National Park

North Shore

The scenic drive on North Shore Road leads to the turn-out at Trunk Bay Viewpoint, one of the best views in the park and one of the easiest to reach. White-sand beaches line this coast, and the coral reefs just offshore invite snorkelers to explore. The Lind Point Trail leaves from just behind the visitor center and finishes at either Honeymoon or Solomon Bay, and along the way a bench lets you watch boats sail by. Salomon and Honeymoon Bays, two white-sand beaches, are a short hike from the road or reachable by boat. Cinnamon Bay has a boardwalk that takes visitors past historic ruins, and Annaberg Sugar Plantation has a path through its ruins as well.

South Shore

Dry, desert-like coastal cliffs set the South Shore apart, with cacti growing near the point at Ram Head. Salt Pond Bay is a long, curved beach where the sand slopes gently into the water, reached by a quarter-mile walk along an old road bed with only a slight grade. Visitors snorkel there, and hikers who continue along Ram Head Trail may spot whales or dolphins offshore. The 0.7-mile Tektite Trail starts with a moderately strenuous climb from Lameshur Road to scenic views atop the cliffs, passing through the same arid terrain. Little Lameshur Bay and Great Lameshur Bay are other spots worth a visit, and coral reefs offshore hold hidden marine life for snorkelers. Reef Bay Trail leads to ancient petroglyphs left by Indigenous people.

East End

Salt Pond Bay is known for its long, curved beach, which has a gentle slope into the water and suits visitors of every age. Reaching it is an easy hiking outing: a quarter mile along an old road bed with only a slight grade from the parking area. Snorkeling is a popular pastime here. For a longer walk, the Ram Head Trail continues past the beach to Ram Head Point, where cacti grow and the viewpoint looks out over the water. Keep an eye on the waters below, since whales and dolphins are sometimes seen from the point.

Central

Hiking here doubles as a walk through the island's sugar history. The Cinnamon Bay Sugar Plantation ruins sit beside the path, and a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk winds through the old buildings, a reminder of a time when sugar crops and enslaved workers defined daily life. For a longer outing, the strenuous Cinnamon Bay Trail climbs uphill through shaded forest, where kapok and mammee apple trees mix with mango, genip and guava berry. A branch of roughly 0.38 miles leads to the America Hill great house ruins. Along the way, the leaves of bay rum trees are fragrant, and these trees were once the raw material for St John Bay Rum Cologne. The route reaches Centerline Road at its far end. For a different view, the Trunk Bay Outlook on North Shore Road looks over Trunk Bay.