I'll be making my second visit to St. John in May (can't wait) and want to do my homework this time before arriving.

I'm looking for beaches to visit that can't be reached by vehicle but require a hike. Looking through St. John -- Off the Beaten Track, Denis Bay and Brown Bay seem to meet our requirements: secluded beaches but not too long a hike. I'd appreciate any comments/advice on them and any other suggestions for suitable beaches.

Thanks, Tom

It's been a few years since I've been to Brown Bay, but back then it was more of a gravel beach than a sand beach. It's a nice place for snorkeling, and had very few human visitors. Denis Bay is a nice sand beach. Like Brown Bay, not many humans visit the place. Denis Bay is much closer to Cruz Bay, if that is an issue.
Bill

Have you checked out hiking back to Waterlemon Cay? A easy, short hike. Great snorkeling around the Cay. However since it's an easy hike it may not be as secluded as you want. We hiked to Brown Bay. Not a great beach but decent snorkeling. We were the only ones on the beach.

Off the beaten path is a great guide book. It will give you good directions and descriptions to the beaches. To supplement it go to
www.seestjohn.com
It is operated by the author of Off the Beaten Path.

Haulover North
Reef Bay
Little Reef Bay
Genti Bay
Fish Bay

"I got a drink in my hand; I got my toes in the sand."

Thanks to everyone who has provided suggestions and advice.

We'll be staying near Coral Bay, but we'll be going all over the island, so beach location is not an issue.

In addition to hikes to beaches, we'd like to take other hikes. On my first visit, we did the Reef Bay Trail with Ranger Don and had a great time. Probably won't need to repeat it, but would welcome suggestions for other hikes that'll allow us to enjoy the sub-tropical vegetation.

Tom

Did you hike to Ram's Head - past salt pond bay? A great hike.

A short flat hike (no beach) that I like is across form Cinnamon: ruins, bay trees, photo ops, exploring.

Great tips everyone, thanks. Just curious since we will have a car--where do you park for the walk to Waterlemon Cay? Or for that matter, what's the etiquette in general for parking to access some of the more remote beach areas, is it OK to park along the side of the road?

As I recall there are some ruins (with a parking lot) at the beginning of the hike to Water Lemon. In general parking is not an issue - Just pull off the edge of the road and park on the shoulder. The area by Salt Pond (Ram's head hike) has a small parking area as well. We never found parking to be an issue (except in Cruz Bay!!)