--- title: "Waterlemon Cay, St. John: Getting There Without a Ferry · Virgin Islands Villas" url: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/waterlemon description: "Waterlemon Cay, St. John: park at Annaberg, walk the Leinster Bay Trail 20 minutes by the park's count, then swim. No fee, where the current runs, villas near." updated: 2026-10-16 source: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/waterlemon --- [St. John](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john) · [Beaches](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches) · Leinster Bay · Virgin Islands National Park # Waterlemon Cay Waterlemon Cay is the small island off Leinster Bay on the North Shore of St. John, inside Virgin Islands National Park. No ferry and no fee: park at Annaberg, walk the Leinster Bay Trail, 10 minutes to the first sand and 10 more to the main beach per the National Park Service, checked October 2026, then swim. **Conditions:** The National Park Service says a strong current runs on the Tortola (north) side of the cay and tells snorkelers to stay on the southern side. The park warns of long-spine urchins and rocks at the entry; stand only in sand. *A freediver in fins swimming along an underwater rock wall, light coming through the surface, U.S. Virgin Islands.* Freediver along a rock wall, U.S. Virgin Islands ## Waterlemon Cay at a glance | | | | --- | --- | | Entry | Free | | Hours | The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round (NPS) | | Parking | The Annaberg parking lot at the end of the Leinster Bay spur road, shared with the sugar plantation ruins (NPS); no source publishes a space count | | Restrooms | None | | Shade | Sparse | | Snorkeling | 4 of 5, Very good | | Crowds | Moderate | | Getting there | about 27 minutes by car from Cruz Bay, then 20 minutes on foot | | Lifeguard | No | Verified Oct 9, 2026. ## Conditions today at Waterlemon Cay 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 4 seconds; Waterlemon Cay 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 Waterlemon Cay; 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 27 minutes by car from Cruz Bay, then 20 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 Waterlemon Cay By boat - Charter By boat: anchor or moor in Leinster Bay and swim to the cay The way to arrive if you are already on the water. There is no dock on the cay; you swim from the boat. Ask the charter where it leaves from and when. 1. Day charter or private boat into Leinster Bay Charters price by the boat; overnight moorings are $26 a night, $13 with a senior or access pass, up to 7 nights in one bay (NPS) From Cruz Bay - Car Drive to Annaberg, then walk the Leinster Bay trail The way most people go. There is no ferry, no dock and no fee: you park at Annaberg, walk the shore trail, and swim about ten minutes out to the cay. 1. Drive to the Annaberg parking lot 27 min 2. Walk the Leinster Bay trail to the main beach 20 min 47 min - Taxi Taxi to Annaberg, then walk the Leinster Bay trail For a car-free stay in Cruz Bay. Book the return before you get out; there is no taxi stand at the lot. 1. Taxi to the Annaberg parking lot 27 min 2. Walk the Leinster Bay trail to the main beach 20 min 47 min Taxi to Annaberg $20 for one rider, $14 each for two or more 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 2026-09-17. ### How to get to Waterlemon Cay 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 Waterlemon Cay, 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 Waterlemon Cay: trail, then swim There is no ferry to Waterlemon Cay and no dock on it. You drive or take a taxi to the Annaberg parking lot at the end of the Leinster Bay spur off North Shore Road, the same lot the sugar plantation ruins use. From the lot the Leinster Bay Trail follows the shore east. The National Park Service puts it at 10 minutes to a narrow strip of sand and 10 more to the main beach; on our walking map the shore nearest the cay is 841 m from the lot, about half a mile, and the path is flat the whole way. The cay is then a swim, covered below. From St. Thomas, the day starts on the Red Hook passenger ferry to Cruz Bay, then a rented jeep or a taxi; arrange the taxi's return before you get out, because there is no taxi stand at the lot. The Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission's tariff prices Annaberg at $20 for one person or $14 each for two or more from Cruz Bay, and $12 or $9 from Coral Bay, on its 2022 schedule. ## What to expect at Leinster Bay Expect a walk-in beach with nothing on it. The National Park Service lists no facilities for Leinster Bay: no toilets, no food, no rentals, no drinking water. Carry water and your own gear, and use a toilet before you leave Cruz Bay. The shore path is open to the sun and the beach is narrow, so by our read there is little shade on either; pack a hat. The shore is not the draw. The park calls the first stop a narrow stretch of sand and the second the main beach of Leinster Bay, which its Johnny Horn Trail page calls the Waterlemon Bay beach; that trail, 1.8 miles and strenuous by the park's description, climbs away from its east end. People come for the water, and by our read the bay is moderately busy: snorkelers off the trail and off boats on the park's moorings, with the walk keeping the narrow sand from filling. Annaberg is the other reason to drive this far. The sugar plantation ruins at the end of the same spur road are a visit the park puts at one to two hours, with docents on hand Monday to Friday from 10 am to 2 pm, November to April, as the park states it in October 2026. The Leinster Bay waterfront is part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom: the park records that many people enslaved on St. John left from this shore for Tortola. The tradeoff is the effort: the drive, a 20 minute walk each way and a swim before you reach the cay. Trunk Bay and Maho Bay put you in the water minutes after you park; here the trail is the price of the drop-off and the cay. ## Snorkeling Waterlemon Cay: stay on the south side Snorkel the southern side of the cay: the National Park Service says a strong current runs on the north side, the one facing Tortola, and tells snorkelers to stay south. The local guides place the same current on the western, outer edge, so treat the far side of the cay as the side to avoid. The park describes two places to get in. Ten minutes from the lot, the narrow strip of sand gives onto a shallow reef of coral heads on a sandy bottom, and a little farther out is a steep drop-off where it lists blue chromis, sea turtles and gorgonians. Ten minutes on, from the main beach, you can snorkel over the seagrass bed or hug the eastern shore out to the cay, which the park says is encircled by fish, corals and gorgonians. We score the snorkeling 4 of 5: the park describes the reef without ranking it, more than one local guide ranks it at the top of the island, and the cay takes a swim to reach. Mind the entry. The park warns of long-spine urchins and rocks as you go in and asks that you stand only in sand. As of October 2026 no source names a lifeguard at Leinster Bay. ## Can you swim to Waterlemon Cay? Yes, and from shore it is the only way to reach it. The National Park Service's route is from the main beach along the eastern shore, and it publishes no distance or time. The shorter crossing starts where the path along the shore ends, at the rocky point nearest the cay; the local guides put that at about ten minutes in the water, and the crossing from the beach is longer. The short crossing has a cost. The entry at the point is from rock onto a rocky bottom, with coral and urchins underfoot. It is open water either way, with the current on the far side. If you would rather not cross, the reef off the first strip of sand has the coral heads and the drop-off without it. ## By boat instead of the trail Boats come into Leinster Bay on National Park moorings. Overnight moorings are $26 a night, $13 with a Senior or Access pass, as of October 2026, and Leinster Bay has one of the park's pay stations. The park marks a dinghy tether at Waterlemon Cay with two orange moorings and a float line, for vessels of 16 feet or less, per its mooring page. There is no dock on the cay, so you still swim from the boat. Suits strong swimmers, second and third trips, and anyone who has done Trunk Bay and wants a reef that takes some reaching; not small children or a short afternoon. ## Questions people ask about Waterlemon Cay **Where is Waterlemon Cay?** Waterlemon Cay is a small cay in Leinster Bay, on the North Shore of St. John, USVI, inside Virgin Islands National Park. It lies off the beach at the end of the Leinster Bay Trail, which starts at the Annaberg parking lot. There is no ferry and no road to the beach. **How do you get to Waterlemon Cay?** Drive 27 minutes from Cruz Bay to the Annaberg parking lot, by our measurement, then walk the Leinster Bay Trail about 20 minutes east to the main beach, by the National Park Service's count, and swim out to the cay. No ferry or dock serves it. **How far is the swim to Waterlemon Cay?** The National Park Service publishes no figure. The shorter crossing is from the rocky point at the end of the shore path, about ten minutes in the water by the local guides' count; from the main beach it is longer. Stay on the southern side of the cay, because the park warns of a strong current on the north side, facing Tortola. **Is there a fee for Waterlemon Cay?** No. Leinster Bay and Waterlemon Cay cost nothing to walk to, and the park needs no entrance pass; Trunk Bay is the only beach on St. John with an amenity fee, per the National Park Service as of October 2026. 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/viis/planyourvisit/snorkeling.htm). Checked October 2026. ## Nearby beaches - [Francis Bay North Shore · 2.2 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/francis-bay) - [Maho Bay North Shore · 2.9 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/maho-bay) - [Cinnamon Bay North Shore · 3.4 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches/cinnamon-bay) [Every beach on St. John, compared](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-john/beaches)