We had our rental car reserved until Friday at 1:15 pm and took full advantage of it ~ returning it ONE MINUTE before it was to turn into a pumpkin & cost us an extra day. Breakfast Buffet was included in our room rate and we ate like kings every morning. My favorite being the green tea with infused pineapple and the freshly sliced mango. After a good morning nourishing, we headed to Trunk Bay which is located within the National Park. It’s the only beach on St. John you have to pay to enter but it’s only $4.00 per person and well worth it. The park service maintains the beach area and there are showers, changing areas, information desk and lifeguards.
I hate to even use the word gorgeous because all the beaches on St. John fit that description but Trunk Bay is a stand-out among them:
View of Trunk Bay from roadside:
We arrived by 8:30 am and, other than one other family, we had the beach to ourselves. We enjoyed about an hour on the beach and then went snorkeling along the underwater snorkel trail which has plaques, generally located 5 to 15 feet beneath you, that give you interesting facts about the coral and fish you may see while snorkeling. There were plenty of fish to see and the swim was an easy one ~ it’s geared toward beginners and I didn’t bother with the fins. FM and FG did the trail first while I watched our stuff on the beach and then we switched. I went out with FG while FM stayed ashore. The snorkel trail takes about 15-20 minutes.
Whenever I snorkel, I get mesmerized by the fish and feel like I’m in a whole other world. I was more than a little shocked when I completed the trail, popped my head up, looked toward the beach and saw this:
and this:
and this:
Hoards of people had invaded Trunk Bay! FM said he was peacefully enjoying the tranquility when he heard an announcement over a bull horn calling out to a group of cruise ship people to head to the beach. FM heard them coming first and then he saw them pouring onto the beach. Turns out, everyday, the day trippers from the cruise trips docked in St. Thomas, arrive around 10 -10:30 and then leave around 3-3:30. Needless to say, if you find yourself on St. John and want to enjoy Trunk Bay ~ go EARLY or LATE but not during the middle of the day. At first, we thought it might be entertaining to “observe” the cruise people but then the family who plopped themselves next to us started creeping me out. The husband (I’m guessing to be about 35 years old) kept calling his wife “Mommy.” She was in the water and he’d yell “Mommy, look at my mask ~ don’t I look good?”
It was definitely time to pull up the beach towel and head to another beautiful beach: Cinnamon Bay
Sarah
Hope you have a great return trip to St. John. I’m ready to go back and it’s only been a month 😉
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Hi, my husband and I honeymooned on St. John and next month are going back with our 3 year old and 10 month old. seeing your gorgeous pictures is getting me quite excited (I was also dithering about that 8am flight, 5:30 water taxi)!! When we were there last we had the same reaction to the cruise ship folks at Trunk Bay.
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nice pics!
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Hi Keri
I love getting your comments so keep them coming anytime 😉 It sounds like both of our trips were very similar. Where did you stay? We’re thinking of renting a villa or house next time.
I wasn’t too careful about getting the sand out of things before we left ~ I’m enjoying finding it as I unpack. Good memories.
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Patti – I hope you dont mind me commenting each day – Your trip is so familiar to me based on the trip we took in May. We also went to Skinny Legs – LOVED the atmosphere.
Also, We ended up going to trunk bay twice and I believe its the most photographed beach in the world. Absolutely gorgeous.
my oldest loved the snorkeling trail too – I loved being able to just relax in the shallow water and see the rays swimming so close
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