--- title: "Salt Pond Bay, St. John: 41 Minutes by Car, 10 on Foot · Virgin Islands Villas" url: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/salt-pond description: "Salt Pond Bay, St. John: free, 41 minutes by car from Cruz Bay and a 10 minute walk in. Restrooms, no drinking water listed, turtles in the seagrass, Ram Head." updated: 2026-10-16 source: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/salt-pond --- [St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john) · [Beaches](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches) · South shore · Virgin Islands National Park # Salt Pond Bay Salt Pond Bay is a National Park beach on the south shore of St. John, 41 minutes by car from Cruz Bay and a 10 minute walk from the lot on Route 107. Entry is free, no pass needed, per the National Park Service as of October 2026. Below: the drive, the trail, drinking water, snorkeling and Ram Head. **Conditions:** Usually calm at the beach: the bay sits between two points and faces southwest, and the local guides we read agree there is little surf most days. The reef in the middle of the bay is a long swim out. No source we opened describes a current here. The National Park Service lists no drinking water; carry your own. *Aerial view of Salt Pond Bay, St. John: boats on moorings in a narrow turquoise bay, the salt pond at left.* ## Salt Pond Bay at a glance | | | | --- | --- | | Entry | Free | | Hours | The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round (NPS) | | Parking | Small lot at the trailhead on Route 107; the park calls it limited, and no source publishes a count (NPS) | | Restrooms | Yes | | Shade | Sparse | | Snorkeling | 4 of 5, Very good | | Crowds | Moderate | | Getting there | about 41 minutes by car from Cruz Bay, then 10 minutes on foot | | Lifeguard | No | Verified Oct 9, 2026. ## Conditions today at Salt Pond Bay 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 southwest, by our read from the map. **Sea state** **Sheltered.** The swell is from the east at 0.9 m, period 5 seconds; Salt Pond Bay opens southwest, 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 Salt Pond Bay; 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 41 minutes by car from Cruz Bay, then 10 minutes on foot. 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). ### From Cruz Bay to Salt Pond Bay From Cruz Bay - Car Drive to the Salt Pond Bay lot, then walk the trail The drive crosses the island through Coral Bay; the beach is a walk from the lot, not beside it. The park gives the trail as a quarter mile on two pages and about half a mile on a third. 1. Drive to the Salt Pond Bay parking lot 41 min 2. Walk the trail to the beach 10 min 51 min Road legs measured on island roads. Checked 2026-10-05. ### How to get to Salt Pond Bay 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). About 56 minutes from Cyril E. King airport to Salt Pond Bay, 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. ## How to get to Salt Pond Bay from Cruz Bay Salt Pond Bay is 41 minutes by car from Cruz Bay, 19.1 km across the island and through Coral Bay to the parking lot on Route 107. The lot is the trailhead, with a bus stop and the park's sign; from St. Thomas, the passenger ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay is the first leg and a jeep rented in Cruz Bay the second. There is a bus. The Department of Public Works' VITRAN Route 109 leaves the Cruz Bay dock at 6:25, 8:25 and 10:25 am and 2:25, 4:25 and 6:25 pm, each reaching Salt Pond about 45 minutes later, per the department's table dated July 2024; the 12:25 and 8:25 pm runs go back to the depot instead. The return times are on the department's Route 108 pages; ask the driver on the way out which bus comes back. The beach is not at the lot. Plan on 10 minutes on foot each way: we measured the trail at 0.86 km, about half a mile. The National Park Service's pages disagree, a quarter mile on two and about half a mile on a third, the grade slight on one and moderate on another. The trail runs downhill to the sand. The climb is on the way back, with the cooler. ## What is at Salt Pond beach: restrooms, tables, no tap Salt Pond Bay has restrooms, and no drinking water on the National Park Service's list of what is there. The list has restrooms, including accessible and family rooms, a vault toilet, picnic tables, benches, trash cans and a kayak launch. Drinking water, showers, food and rentals are not on it, so whatever you will drink, eat and snorkel with comes in on the trail with you. The park calls that trail an old dirt road, uneven and rocky, that can be washed out at times. The beach itself the park describes as long and curved, with a gentle slope into the water, and it recommends it for swimming and snorkeling for the whole family. The park is open 24 hours a day, per the National Park Service as of October 2026. Shade is thin. The park lists none, and the local guides we read agree: low scrub behind the sand and full sun on it, with the picnic tables the one place to sit out of it. Bring an umbrella or a hat. Parking is the limit on the day. As of October 2026 the park calls the lot limited, says every beach and trailhead lot fills quickly, and advises arriving early; no source publishes a count. The tradeoff is distance. 41 minutes from Cruz Bay, then the trail, and everything you carried down goes back up the same way. From a villa in Cruz Bay this is a full day out; the villas it is close to are the ones in Coral Bay and on the east end. ## Snorkeling Salt Pond Bay, St. John: rocky edges and seagrass The snorkeling is along the rocky shorelines, by the National Park Service's account, and the larger animals are over the grass: green sea turtles and southern stingrays live in the seagrass beds below the mooring field. The park's questions page names Salt Pond with Trunk Bay, Maho and Waterlemon Cay as its popular snorkel spots, and its snorkeling page lists it among ten beaches worth the mask. The local guides we read add a third place to look. In the middle of the bay two sets of rocks break the surface, and the reef around them is where the guides send stronger swimmers. It is a long swim from the sand, with open water on the way; weaker swimmers have the seagrass and the edges. At the beach the water is usually calm. The bay sits between two points and faces southwest, and most days there is little surf and a shallow entry. No source we opened describes a current in this bay, and as of October 2026 none publishes a lifeguard; reckon on looking after yourselves. The park's rules hold here as everywhere: stand only on sand, and read the sunscreen label for oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene, which the park lists as reef-damaging. The mooring field means boats share the bay. ## The salt pond, Drunk Bay and Ram Head The pond the bay is named for lies behind the southeastern end of the beach, reached by a trail; the park says that at some times of year sea salt forms on its edges. Two more trails start at the beach. The Drunk Bay Trail is a quarter mile and easy, on the park's beach page. The Ram Head Trail is 0.9 mile one way, steep and strenuous in the park's words, a narrow path that takes 30 to 50 minutes from the beach to the head. Add the park's time to the walk in and Ram Head is 40 minutes to an hour each way from the parking lot. Suits a stay in Coral Bay or on the east end, a walker who wants a hike and a swim in one day, and a second or third trip to St. John; not a short afternoon from Cruz Bay, and not anyone unwilling to carry the day's water. ## Questions people ask about Salt Pond Bay **How do I get to Salt Pond beach on St. John?** Drive from Cruz Bay through Coral Bay to the Salt Pond Bay parking lot on Route 107, 41 minutes measured on island roads, then walk about 10 minutes downhill on the trail to the sand. Without a car, the Department of Public Works' VITRAN Route 109 runs from the Cruz Bay dock to Salt Pond six times a day, per its table dated July 2024. A taxi is $30 for one person or $21 each for two or more from Cruz Bay, or $11 or $9 from Coral Bay, by the Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission's current tariff, dated October 2022. **Is there drinking water at Salt Pond Bay, St. John?** The National Park Service lists no drinking water at Salt Pond Bay. Its list of what is there has restrooms, a vault toilet and picnic tables, and no showers or food, and it makes no other statement about water at the beach. Carry all you need for the beach, the walk and the Ram Head trail. **Is there a fee at Salt Pond Bay?** No. The National Park Service requires no entrance pass, as of October 2026, and Trunk Bay is the only St. John beach that charges, so Salt Pond Bay and its lot on Route 107 cost nothing. The price is the time: 41 minutes from Cruz Bay and a 10 minute walk each way. 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/salt-pond-bay.htm) and [the Department of Public Works](https://dpw.vi.gov/stj-route-109-outbound/). Checked October 2026. ## Nearby beaches - [Lameshur Bay Bordeaux Mountain · 2.6 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/lameshur) - [Hansen Bay Hansen Bay · 5.0 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/hansen-bay) - [Haulover Bay Hansen Bay · 5.2 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/haulover) [Every beach on St. John, compared](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches)