--- title: "Hawksnest Beach, St. John, USVI: 8 Minutes from Cruz Bay · Virgin Islands Villas" url: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/hawksnest description: "Hawksnest Beach, St. John, USVI: free, 8 minutes by car from Cruz Bay, tall trees for shade, three elkhorn reefs off the sand and a lot full by mid-morning." updated: 2026-10-16 source: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/hawksnest --- [St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john) · [Beaches](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches) · Hawksnest Bay · Virgin Islands National Park # Hawksnest Hawksnest Beach, St. John, USVI, is a National Park beach on the North Shore, 8 minutes by car from Cruz Bay. Three elkhorn reefs run out from a short, shaded beach; entry is free and the lot is limited and often full by mid-morning, by the National Park Service's account in October 2026. Below: parking, the reef rule and Gibney. **Conditions:** The National Park Service says not to snorkel directly over the three reefs: the water above them is shallow and the elkhorn coral is federally protected and fragile. Stay on the perimeter of each reef. The bay faces north, and the park warns that winter cold fronts bring large waves onto the North Shore beaches; use extreme caution entering the water then and heed posted warnings. *Hawksnest Beach, St. John: shaded sand, sea grape and palm, green hills across the bay.* ## Hawksnest Beach at a glance | | | | --- | --- | | Entry | Free | | Hours | Any hour of the day or night; Virgin Islands National Park sets no closing time (National Park Service, October 2026) | | Parking | One lot beside the road, no count published; limited and often full by mid-morning (NPS, October 2026) | | Restrooms | Yes | | Shade | Plenty | | Snorkeling | 4 of 5, Very good | | Crowds | Moderate | | Drive from Cruz Bay | about 8 minutes by car | | Lifeguard | No | Verified Oct 9, 2026. ## Conditions today at Hawksnest Beach As of 7:00 AM on Oct 16, 2026, island time. Read each morning from the National Weather Service, DPNR, the National Park Service and Open-Meteo; the bay opens north, by our read from the map. **Sea state** **Sheltered.** The swell is from the east at 0.9 m, period 5 seconds; Hawksnest Beach opens north, so the bay sits in the lee. Open-Meteo wave model at the nearest ocean cell; the bay's opening is our read from the map. **Rip current risk** Low. Surf around 3 feet, east winds around 15 mph. National Weather Service San Juan, surf zone forecast for St Thomas, St John and adjacent islands, issued 3:51 AM. **Water test** Not a site in DPNR's weekly programme, which samples St. John only some weeks. Department of Planning and Natural Resources, Beach Water Quality Monitoring Program. **Park alerts** No alert names Hawksnest Beach; the park posts 1 alert today. National Park Service, Virgin Islands National Park alerts. **Rain** Dry through the day; the chance of rain peaks at 21%. Open-Meteo hourly forecast at the pin. **The day** UV index up to 8; sunset 5:55 pm; sea 30 °C, 85 °F. Open-Meteo. ## Getting there About 8 minutes by car from Cruz Bay. How to reach St. John: [Airfare to St. John means a flight to St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/getting-there), [Car ferry from St. Thomas to St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/car-barge), [How to get around St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/getting-around), [St. John map](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/map), [St. John weather by month](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/weather), [St. Thomas to St. John ferry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/ferry), [Things to do in St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/things-to-do). ### How to get to Hawksnest Beach from St. Thomas The usual way: a taxi to the Red Hook ferry terminal (36 min), then the ferry to Cruz Bay (20 min, $8.15 a person), then 8 minutes by road from Cruz Bay to Hawksnest Beach. About 64 minutes from Cyril E. King airport to Hawksnest Beach, more on cruise-ship days. Six other ways across are below, with times and fares.Every route From Charlotte Amalie waterfront - Ferry [The Charlotte Amalie ferry](https://transportationservicesusvi.com/schedule) The boat if you are stepping off a cruise ship or staying downtown: it leaves from the waterfront terminal, twice a day each way. 1. Ferry, Charlotte Amalie to Cruz Bay 45 min Plus $4 a bag; $3.50 child; $6 for residents 60 and over with the elderly ID · Two a day each way: 8:45 and 11:15 am from Cruz Bay, 10 am and 12:30 pm from Charlotte Amalie (Transportation Services of St. John) · Varlack Ventures lists its own Charlotte Amalie run as suspended for the off-season, as of October 2026; check its page before you plan on that boat · No reservation · [Times (Transportation Services of St. John and Varlack Ventures)](https://transportationservicesusvi.com/schedule) 45 min $13 a person $12 resident From Cyril E. King airport - Ferry [Taxi to Crown Bay, then the Inter Island boat](https://www.interislandboatservices.com/ferry-trips/crown-bay-to-cruz-bay/) The closest boat to the airport and the fastest door to dock, but two sailings a day, four Friday to Sunday. It lands at Cruz Bay Creek, not the main ferry dock. 1. Taxi to Crown Bay Marina 8 min 2. Boat to Cruz Bay Creek 35 min Boat only; $15 senior, $10 child 3 to 11. The taxi to Crown Bay is $8 for one rider, $6 each for two or more. · 3:30 and 5:30 pm daily; 9:45 am and 2:15 pm Friday to Sunday · Check in 30 minutes before departure · [Times (Inter Island Boat Services)](https://www.interislandboatservices.com/ferry-trips/crown-bay-to-cruz-bay/) 43 min $20 a person - Ferry [Taxi to Red Hook, then the ferry](https://dpw.vi.gov/ferries/) The route most guests take. The taxi is the long part; allow extra on cruise-ship days and at school-run time. 1. Taxi to the Red Hook ferry terminal 36 min 2. Ferry to Cruz Bay 20 min Ferry only, plus $4 a bag. The taxi to Red Hook is $23 for one rider, $17 each for two or more. · Ferry hourly, 5:30 am to 10 pm · No reservation · [Times (VITRAN, run by Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures)](https://dpw.vi.gov/ferries/) 56 min $8.15 a person $6 resident - Ferry [Taxi to Charlotte Amalie, then the ferry](https://transportationservicesusvi.com/schedule) Rarely the best choice from the airport: the terminal is closer than Red Hook, but the crossing is twice as long and only two boats a day leave Charlotte Amalie. 1. Taxi to the Charlotte Amalie ferry terminal 12 min 2. Ferry to Cruz Bay 45 min Ferry only, plus $4 a bag. The taxi to the terminal is $11 for one rider, $9 each for two or more. · Two a day from Charlotte Amalie, 10 am and 12:30 pm (Transportation Services of St. John) · Varlack Ventures' Charlotte Amalie run was suspended for the off-season in October 2026; it usually sails again from about November, so check its page first · [Times (Transportation Services of St. John and Varlack Ventures)](https://transportationservicesusvi.com/schedule) 57 min $13 a person $12 resident - Water taxi [Taxi to Crown Bay, then a private water taxi](https://stthomaswatertaxi.com/) Your own boat on your own schedule, any hour with notice. Priced by the boat, from $695, so it makes sense for a full house arriving together. The operator does not publish the crossing time, so no total is shown. 1. Taxi to Crown Bay Marina 8 min 2. Water taxi to Cruz Bay The boat, not the seat; the operator quotes from $695 from Crown Bay and from $495 from Compass Point Marina. The land taxi to Crown Bay is $8 for one rider, $6 each for two or more. · By reservation; 24-hour service with notice from $695 a boat From Red Hook, St. Thomas - Ferry [The Red Hook ferry](https://dpw.vi.gov/ferries/) The default way over: hourly until 10 pm, no booking, and it lands at the main dock in the middle of Cruz Bay. 1. Ferry, Red Hook to Cruz Bay 20 min Plus $4 a bag. Varlack adds a fuel surcharge from June 12, 2026. · Hourly, 5:30 am to 10 pm from Red Hook, 6 am to 10 pm from Cruz Bay; an off-season timetable runs from late July, usually to the end of October, so check the operator's current schedule · No reservation; buy at the window · [Times (VITRAN, run by Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures)](https://dpw.vi.gov/ferries/) 20 min $8.15 a person $6 resident - Car barge [The car barge](https://www.viport.com/schedules-ferrycargoschedules) Only with your own car, or a rental whose company allows the crossing: National and Discount Car Rental say theirs may go (their own pages, 2026-10-09), so ask yours first. Most people rent on St. John. The crossing time is not published, so no total is shown. 1. Car barge to the Theovald Moorehead terminal at Enighed Pond [Times (Big Red Barge, Love City Car Ferries and Global Marine)](https://www.viport.com/schedules-ferrycargoschedules) $65 a car one way, $80 round trip, on the Big Red Barge and Love City Car Ferries rates pages (checked 2026-10-09). Each company sells its own tickets. Fares change; the operator's page has today's. Road legs measured on island roads. Taxi fares are the Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission's tariff, in force since October 2022: per person, less each for two or more traveling together, plus $3 a bag. Checked 2026-10-09. ## Eight minutes east on North Shore Road Hawksnest Beach is an 8-minute drive east of Cruz Bay along North Shore Road (Route 20), with Trunk Bay five minutes further on. The road climbs out of Cruz Bay and drops to the bay, so it is a drive even at that distance, and the lot sits beside the road at the bottom. From a hotel on St. Thomas, ride the Red Hook boat to Cruz Bay, then take a taxi from the dock or a jeep rented in town. From the dock the taxi is $9 if you ride alone, or $8 each for two or more, by the Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission's rate card of October 2022, the latest in October 2026; arrange the pickup time with the driver before you get out. ## A short beach whose lot fills by mid-morning The tradeoff for 8 minutes from town is the lot. The National Park Service's word on parking, as of October 2026, is limited and often full by mid-morning, and it publishes no count of how many cars the lot holds. Local guides are kinder and call the parking plenty, so the difference is the hour: early is safe, late is a gamble. The lot is not about to grow. The park's administrative officer, Janice Williams, told a public meeting in May 2025 that limited space at Hawksnest and Trunk Bay makes expansion difficult, as the St. John Source reported. The beach is short, the park's own word, with tall trees along the back that the park credits with good shade. Sea grapes line the sand, and at high tide the beach narrows to a strip, by the local accounts we read. Behind the trees are a pavilion, picnic tables, grills and an information board. The park's list has accessible and family restrooms and a vault toilet; its accessibility page, updated January 2026, adds changing rooms, accessible parking and paths to the water, and warns that the beach ramps wash out in storms and high swell. Not on either list: showers, gear rental, food. Bring your own snorkels and your own lunch. Gibney Beach shares Hawksnest Bay but is not Hawksnest. It is the western end of the next stretch of sand, the end nearest Hawksnest, with Oppenheimer Beach at the eastern end of the same stretch. From the east end of Hawksnest it is about a five minute swim, by the count of Nathan, who owns a house on St. John. Our Oppenheimer (Gibney) Beach page has the two names, the gate on the road and the house. ## Snorkeling Hawksnest Beach: around the reefs, never over Three fingers of elkhorn reef run straight out from the shoreline, which is what sets Hawksnest apart from the sand-and-cay beaches further east. The National Park Service is direct about how to use them: snorkel the perimeter of each reef and never swim over the top. The shallow water directly above the reef is dangerous for snorkelers, in the park's words, and elkhorn, the coral that dominates these reefs, is federally protected and extremely fragile. The park calls the snorkeling great, with lots of small fish around the three reefs. It is a reef for someone who can hold position in shallow water without standing up. The bay faces north. The park's conditions page says winter cold fronts bring the Christmas winds down from the north and large waves onto the North Shore beaches, and asks you to use extreme caution entering the water then and to heed posted warnings. The park's amenity list for Hawksnest has no lifeguard on it as of October 2026, so swim with a partner. On a rough day the park says Maho Bay and Francis Bay are less affected by winter swells than the rest of the North Shore; they are 18 and 25 minutes from Cruz Bay. ## Hawksnest or Trunk Bay, five minutes apart Hawksnest for a free morning with shade and your own gear; Trunk Bay for the underwater snorkel trail and the Snack Shack at $5 a head for ages 16 and over, card or phone only since Oct 1, 2026, per the National Park Service as of October 2026. They sit five minutes apart on the same road, and when the Hawksnest lot is full, Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay are the next stops along it. Suits an early start, a family that brings its own snorkels and a picnic, and anyone staying in Cruz Bay who wants a park beach without giving up the morning to the road. ## Questions people ask about Hawksnest Beach **Where is Hawksnest Beach?** Hawksnest Beach faces Hawksnest Bay on St. John's North Shore, 8 minutes east of Cruz Bay on North Shore Road, with Caneel Bay a minute back toward town. It is inside Virgin Islands National Park, in the US Virgin Islands. **Is there a fee at Hawksnest Beach?** No. Hawksnest is free, and Virgin Islands National Park has no entrance pass. Trunk Bay, five minutes further east, is the only St. John beach with a fee, $5 for ages 16 and over as of October 2026, by the National Park Service's fees page. **How do you get to Hawksnest Beach from St. Thomas?** Take the Red Hook passenger ferry over to Cruz Bay, then drive or ride a taxi east on North Shore Road: the Hawksnest lot is 8 minutes from town by our measurement. Aim to be there early, because the National Park Service warns, as of October 2026, that the lot often fills by mid-morning. Written by Virgin Islands Villas. Facts verified Oct 9, 2026. Updated Oct 16, 2026. Facts checked against [the National Park Service](https://www.nps.gov/places/hawksnest-beach.htm). Checked October 2026. ## Villas near Hawksnest Beach [All villas on St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/vacation-rentals) Within about ten minutes by car, listed by their owners. See rates and dates, then write to the owner. [Indo House Great Cruz Bay, St. John · 4 bedrooms About 10 min drive From $4,000 / night](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/villas/indo-house) Featured Drive times are estimates for island roads. ## Nearby beaches - [Oppenheimer (Gibney) Beach Cruz Bay · 0.3 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/oppenheimer) - [Caneel Bay North Shore · 0.8 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/caneel) - [Denis Bay Hawksnest · 0.8 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/denis-bay) [Every beach on St. John, compared](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches)