Trunk Bay

Trunk Bay at a glance

Verified Oct 9, 2026.

Conditions today at Trunk 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 northwest, by our read from the map.

Sea state

Sheltered. The swell is from the east at 0.9 m, period 5 seconds; Trunk Bay opens northwest, 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 Trunk 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 13 minutes by car from Cruz Bay. How to reach St. John: Airfare to St. John means a flight to St. Thomas, Car ferry from St. Thomas to St. John, How to get around St. John, St. John map, St. John weather by month, St. Thomas to St. John ferry, Things to do in St. John.

Getting to Trunk Bay from Cruz Bay and St. Thomas

From Cruz Bay, North Shore Road climbs past Hawksnest and drops to the Trunk Bay lot in 13 minutes.

Parking is one lot at the entrance, and no source publishes how many cars it holds. The local guides call it small, with some roadside space on North Shore Road, and the earlier you arrive the better your odds. Do not plan on the roadside. In May 2025 the park's chief ranger told a public meeting, reported by the St. John Source, that the park intends to stop cars driving over the curb to park along the road at Trunk Bay, and its administrative officer said limited space makes the lot hard to enlarge. The fallback is a taxi.

From St. Thomas, the passenger ferry from Red Hook lands in Cruz Bay in 20 minutes, and the jeep rentals are a short walk from the dock. Taxis wait at the dock, and drivers are posted at Trunk Bay through the day for the ride back. The ride from Cruz Bay costs $12 for one, or $9 apiece for two or more, under the tariff the Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission has kept since October 2022.

What the $5 fee buys, and the hours it runs

The $5 is a National Park expanded amenity fee, charged per person aged 16 and over from sunrise to sunset and not waived on the park's fee-free days, per the National Park Service's fees page as of October 2026. Since Oct 1, 2026 the park takes no cash for it: card and mobile payments only, at the fee booth or in the Recreation.gov app, which the park says to download before you arrive because cell service can be missing. Senior and Access pass holders pay $2.50, in person.

The fee pays for the 27 amenities on the park's list for Trunk Bay: restrooms, showers, a foot rinse, drinking water, first aid, a ranger or staff member on site, picnic tables and a pavilion, beach wheelchairs, and rentals of snorkel gear, chairs and lifejackets. The Snack Shack and Bar sells snacks, coffee, ice cream and drinks from 10 am to 4 pm on the park's hours page as of October 2026; the facilities open at 8 and close at 4.

Two things the fee does not buy. As of October 2026 there is no lifeguard, whatever older guides print: the park's hours page and its Recreation.gov listing both say none is on duty. And there is no quiet, because this is where the day trips from St. Thomas stop. Hawksnest, five minutes back toward town, and Cinnamon Bay, four minutes on, are free.

When Trunk Bay is crowded, and where the shade is

Trunk Bay is at its most crowded on days when cruise ships are in port on St. Thomas, and the fix is to come early or late. The local guides agree that the numbers follow the count of ships in Charlotte Amalie, and that Trunk Bay is the usual stop for the organized day trips from St. Thomas and the ships, so check the cruise ship schedule for your dates before you pick a morning.

Where you sit matters as much as when. The crowd gathers nearest the entrance and the snorkel trail, and fewer people walk west, which is left as you face the water. On 0.3 mile of sand the far end is a real walk from the gate, and that is the point.

For shade, two guides describe sea grape trees and coconut palms behind the sand. No source says how much of the beach they cover, so count on some shade at the tree line and none at the water.

Snorkeling the underwater trail off Trunk Cay

The underwater trail follows the west side of Trunk Cay, the small island off the beach, for about 300 feet and then makes a U-turn back to the sand. The park's Recreation.gov listing calls it a 225-yard trail, which we read as the whole loop, out and back. The National Park Service calls it a great place for beginners, with plaques along the trail naming the marine life under you, and says the coral and fish are well represented.

Past the trail the reef runs on to the cay's northern tip, and the park warns that the farther out you go, the rougher the water tends to be. In winter the park says the north shore takes stronger winds and swell and tells swimmers to heed posted warnings and park staff. The trail is where to stay if this is your first reef.

Rent gear at the beach or bring your own; rentals close with the facilities at 4. The tradeoff: this is the one reef on St. John with a fee booth in front of it, and on a ship day you will share the trail.

Is Trunk Bay beach worth the fee?

Yes for the trail, the showers and the snack bar, and no if what you want is the North Shore without a crowd. The trade is $5 a head against Hawksnest at 8 minutes from town, Cinnamon Bay at 17 and Maho Bay at 18, all free, all with restrooms, none with a marked underwater trail.

Suits a first morning on St. John and a family with first-time snorkelers, who get the most from a trail the park built for beginners. Anyone who has snorkeled before may prefer the seagrass at Maho Bay, which the park names for sea turtles, or the reef around Waterlemon Cay.