The Ultimate Guide to Waterlemon Cay in Virgin Islands National Park, St. John
Looking for one of the best snorkel spots on St. John? Look no further than Waterlemon Cay in Virgin Islands National Park! This small island just offshore from a remote bay is surrounded by a healthy reef with tons of colorful coral, fish, and other marine life. To get here, you’ll take the beautiful Leinster Bay Trail, and have a chance to hike up to a set of historic ruins overlooking the entire area. In this guide, we’ll share everything you need to know to visit Waterlemon Cay on St. John!
One of the main reasons we were excited to go to Virgin Islands National Park on St. John was for the amazing snorkeling opportunities. Crystal clear blue water, colorful coral, tons of fish, and the chance to swim with sea turtles? Sign us up!
We snorkeled in a handful of places around St. John and loved every one of them, but we’d say our favorite place to snorkel in St. John was at Waterlemon Cay.
Waterlemon Cay is a small island off a remote beach (Waterlemon Bay) on the North Shore of St. John. Surrounding the Cay is a fringing reef filled with colorful coral and teeming with all kinds of fish, sea turtles, sting rays, and plenty of other sea critters.
Getting to Waterlemon Cay involves an easy hike on the beautiful Leinster Bay Trail and a brief swim across the bay, but trust us when we say it’s well worth the journey. Plus, while you’re out there, you’ll also have the chance to do a quick hike up to the top of Windy Hill to explore a set of historic ruins and get an incredible viewpoint over Waterlemon Bay and the surrounding British Virgin Islands.
Between the beautiful hike along Leinster Bay, the incredible snorkeling, and the amazing views from Windy Hill, our trip to Waterlemon Cay was one of our favorite things to do in Virgin Islands National Park! But there are some important things to know before you make the trek yourself…
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to visit Waterlemon Cay on St. John. We’ll share exactly how to get to Waterlemon Cay, when to go, what to bring, things to watch out for, and more so that you can have an amazing trip!
So, let’s get to it!
In this Waterlemon Cay, St. John guide:
Where is Waterlemon Cay?
Waterlemon Cay is found in Virgin Islands National Park on St. John, a small island in the Eastern Caribbean.
To get to Virgin Islands National Park, you’ll fly into St. Thomas and take a short ferry ride over to St. John.
For tons more information about getting to Virgin Islands National Park and how to get around once you’re there, be sure to read our massive Guide to Virgin Islands National Park! It goes over everything we would want to know before visiting St. John and more!
Waterlemon Cay is a small island in the middle of Waterlemon Bay- a large bay and beach found along the beautiful North Shore of St. John. Waterlemon Bay shares a shoreline with the more famous beaches of Trunk Bay, Maho Bay, and Cinnamon Bay, but it’s a bit more remote and secluded than these other more popular beaches.
That’s because getting to Waterlemon Bay requires a hike (or you can get there by boat with a tour or if you have your own), so it keeps the area a bit less crowded than other North Shore beaches.
The hike to Waterlemon Cay on St. John
Something we also really liked about Waterlemon Bay was how it had a more natural, authentic feel to it. From the beach, you don’t see any homes or developments or touristy food truck stands…just the gorgeous blue water and the beautifully green unspoiled hills that surround the bay.
Once on Waterlemon Bay, to get to Waterlemon Cay from the beach requires a short swim across the bay, which we’ll talk more about below. The Cay is surrounded by a beautiful reef filled with colorful coral and tons of colorful fish that make this place such an amazing place to snorkel.
Snorkeling around Waterlemon Cay on St. John
Map of Waterlemon Cay on St. John
Here’s a map from the National Park Service showing where Waterlemon Cay is on St. John and how to get there.
This map of Virgin Islands National Park on St. John is taken from the park brochure. We’ve labeled where Waterlemon Cay is in relation to Cruz Bay, North Shore Road, and the Leinster Bay Trailhead.
How to Get to Waterlemon Cay on St. John
Waterlemon Bay is on the eastern end of St. John’s North Shore.
To get to Waterlemon Cay, there are three steps:
Drive to the Annaberg Plantation parking lot in Virgin Islands National Park
Walk the Leinster Bay Trail to Waterlemon Bay
Swim from Waterlemon Bay to Waterlemon Cay to explore the reef
We’ll go over each of these steps now!
The Leinster Bay Trailhead
From Cruz Bay (the main hub of St. John), take North Shore Road until it ends at an intersection. Left goes to Francis Bay (another great snorkeling spot, especially for sea turtles!). You’ll want to turn right here instead.
After about a quarter mile or so, a small parking lot will be on your right. This is the lot for the Annaberg Plantation Ruins, but you’ll also park here to hike to Waterlemon Bay. The drive from Cruz Bay to the Annaberg parking lot is about 25 minute (roughly 7 miles).
The parking lot for the Leinster Bay Trailhead on St. John
This lot is large as far as St. John parking lots go, but it can fill up quickly in peak season, so if you’re looking to spend a good chunk of the day here, try to get here on the earlier side (before 10 am). On the contrary, we visited Waterlemon Cay in the off season (June) and had no problem finding parking here midday.
Amazing views over Leinster Bay from the Annaberg Ruins. The Leinster Bay Trail follows the rocky shoreline seen here on the right.
Across the street from the parking lot, along the water, you’ll see an obvious signed trailhead. This is the start of the Leinster Bay Trail that goes to Waterlemon Bay.
The Leinster Bay Trailhead on St. John- found across the street from the parking lot
Don’t have a car on St. John? No problem! It’s easy to take a taxi on St. John to nearly anywhere you’d need go. These taxis are pick-up trucks with converted truck beds that can sit a dozen or more people and go to all the popular spots on the island. You can find one in Cruz Bay and then arrange a time to be picked up from the Leinster Bay trailhead ahead of time. Learn more about getting around St. John in our Virgin Islands National Park guide.
The Leinster Bay Trail to Waterlemon Bay
The Leinster Bay Trail is an easy and flat trail that runs along the shore of the beautiful Leinster Bay. Views the entire way are absolutely gorgeous, with brilliant blue water backdropped by the rolling green hills of St. John and the distant British Virgin Islands.
How long is the hike to Waterlemon Cay on St. John?
The Leinster Bay Trail to Waterlemon Bay is a flat .9 mile one- way hike that took us about 20 minutes.
To go further past the bay to get to a point from where you can swim out to Waterlemon Cay is about 5 to 10 minutes further along the shore.
You can also extend your hike up to the ruins on Windy Hill, which we talk about later. From the Bay up to the ruins is another approximately 0.4 miles one-way, with about a 200 foot climb.
Here is our elevation profile and trail profile of the hike to Waterlemon Bay, which includes our hike up to the Windy Hill Ruins.
This satellite view shows our hike to Waterlemon Bay on the Leinster Bay Trail, and then up to Windy Hill along the Johnny Horn Trail
Elevation profile of the Leinster Bay Trail and the Johnny Horn Trail to Windy Hill
The Leinster Bay Trail description
The entire Leinster Bay Trail is flat and easy along the shore of Leinster Bay, with gorgeous views the entire way. Though easy, it is rocky, so even though you are headed to a beach, we would definitely recommend wearing a good pair of walking or hiking shoes for the hike out, and then changing into your water or beach shoes once you get there.
Because it’s an easy walk, though, it’s easy to carry what you need in a backpack or tote. Really, the only thing that can make this walk challenging is the heat!
The start of the Leinster Bay Trail follows the rocky shoreline along the beautifully blue bay
Beautiful views from the Leinster Bay Trail on St. John!
Looking back towards Anna and Mary Point on the Leinster Bay Trail
Shortly after starting the Leinster Bay Trail, the trail ducks into a path through the trees for just a little bit (enjoy the shade!), and then emerges back out onto the shore for the rest of the hike. From here, there’s no more shade, so make sure you have lots of sun protection.
A view of Leinster Bay from the shaded part of the trail
As you follow the shore of Leinster Bay, enjoy the views, but also be sure to keep your eye out towards the water. Each time we walked this trail, we saw quite a few turtle heads popping up further out in the bay, and we even saw some smaller turtles swimming in the clear shallow water around the rocks just offshore! We stopped and watched several of them swimming just a few feet from us.
There are tons of turtles in Leinster Bay!
And really, you can get in to snorkel anywhere along the Leinster Bay Trail. Particularly, we saw several people getting in along the shore right at the trailhead. All along Leinster Bay, you’ll find a narrow strip of shallow reef with coral and fish that you can explore before it drops off into deeper waters. We’re kind of mad at ourselves for not doing this based on all the turtles we saw popping up everywhere!
Continuing the beautiful flat walk along the shore of Leinster Bay
In the distance, you can see Waterlemon Cay, the small island sitting in the middle of the bay
Approaching Waterlemon Bay!
After about 20 minutes of walking on the Leinster Bay Trail, you’ll come to an inlet where the water from the bay cuts across the rocky path towards the trees. If it’s low tide, it’s pretty easy to jump across, but if it’s high tide, you’ll have to cut through the trees to find a narrow enough spot to cross if you don’t want to get your feet wet just yet.
The small water crossing just before the beach at Waterlemon Bay
We’d consider this small inlet to be the start of Waterlemon Bay, which stretches out in front of you now as a large U-shaped beach area.
At the center, there is small semi-sandy area, and a few people were setting up here for swimming and snorkeling.
Offshore, a narrow rock shelf quickly gives way to a deeper grass bed in the center of Waterlemon Bay (we read it gets to be about 20 feet deep or so), and apparently this is the place to be for sea turtles.
As we walked around to the other side of the bay, we noticed several turtle heads popping up out in the middle, and we heard a few swimmers shouting that they were finding them. We even saw a couple of smaller, more skittish ones swimming right along the beach! We never actually swam or snorkeled in this part of Waterlemon Bay, though, as our sights were set on the cay, but we’re kind of regretful that we didn’t…it looked like there were so many turtles, and we also read it’s a great place to see those big orange starfish, conch shells, and sting rays.
The small sandy beach area at Waterlemon Bay
Can you see the two turtle heads poking up from the water in the bay?
This is a quick glimpse we got of a small turtle swimming near the shore of Waterlemon Bay. You can see here that there is a narrow shallow rock shelf, which drops quickly into the bay.
Waterlemon Bay is also a great spot to see pelicans diving into the water and egrets walking along the shore.
Waterlemon Bay is a great place to birdwatch!
Swimming to Waterlemon Cay on St. John
From the beach on Waterlemon Bay, you can see Waterlemon Cay in the distance, and it’s possible to swim to it from here, but it would be quite a long swim through deep water. Instead, it’s recommended to continue walking up the other side of the bay along the rocky shore, which will get you closer to the cay itself.
At high tide, the rocky beach enroute can become pretty narrow, so there might not be a ton of space between the water and the trees to walk along. But it widens back out the further up you walk.
Navigating the narrow shoreline near Waterlemon Bay at high tide
Walking along the far side of Waterlemon Bay
Views back over the beautiful Waterlemon Bay and beach area
We’d say we walked about ten minutes around the bay and up the other side before we found a spot that seemed pretty well-adjacent to the cay, and we got ready to head into the water. So, all-in-all, it was roughly a 30- minute hike down the Leinster Bay Trail (at a leisurely pace enjoying the views!) to get to a good access point to Waterlemon Cay.
Here’s the view of Waterlemon Cay from the point along the shore where we started our swim
Once you reach a good place along the shore that seems close to the cay, it’s time to hop in and swim out to the island! To learn more about what the swim to Waterlemon Cay is like and more about the amazing snorkeling, keep reading! Because we go over all of that next…
Things to Do at Waterlemon Cay on St. John
Now that you’ve made the journey out here, what is there to do at Waterlemon Cay on St. John?
Well, the main reason for coming out here is to snorkel! Waterlemon Cay has some of the best snorkeling on St. John, with beautiful coral reef and tons of fish and marine life.
For those looking for something else to do, take a short hike up Windy Hill to the Murphy Great House Ruins for an awesome view over Waterlemon Bay and the surrounding islands!
Here, we go over both of these Waterlemon Cay activities in more detail.
Snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay on St. John
As we already talked about, getting to the fringing reef requires a brief swim out to Waterlemon Cay. We walked around to the far side of the bay until we found a good spot along the shore that was closest to the island.
The entry into the water from this side of the bay starts off shallow, but it does get deep quickly. Immediately you might start to see some fish here, and not too long after we started swimming, we spotted the first (of many!) southern stingrays gliding along the ocean floor…it was super cool to see for the first time!
We spotted tons of stingrays on our swim to Waterlemon Cay on St. John!
We observed a couple of them for a bit, and as we started heading out towards the cay, it kind of snuck up on me how deep the water was actually getting. We later read it gets about 20-25 feet deep out here, and I won’t lie- it was enough to make me a little uneasy, and I was a bit hesitant to keep going. The water was still clear enough to see right to the bottom though, which helped. I had thoughts of turning around, but we kept going and before I knew it, the sea floor started quickly rising back up again as the cay got closer, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
How long does it take to swim to Waterlemon Cay? The swim to Waterlemon Cay felt kind of long on the way out, probably because I just wasn’t expecting how deep it would be and I was a bit hesitant and slower. On the way back though, after we were done snorkeling, we made quick work of the swim since I knew what to expect, and it actually didn’t take long at all (maybe about ten minutes?) from the cay back to the beach.
During the swim out and back we saw a handful of stingrays and got to swim by larger schools of fish, which was pretty cool and a good distraction from any nervousness I was feeling.
Swimming through a school of fish on the swim to Waterlemon Cay
Once we got close enough to Waterlemon Cay, the water was shallow again and we found ourselves at the start of the reef. Suddenly, I realized I was surrounded by tons of fish, both big and small, darting around us, and I didn’t know where to look! As soon as one fish caught my eye and I’d start following it, another would dart out from nowhere, and then another, and another.
There were tons of colorful fish in the reef surrounding Waterlemon Cay on St. John
More fish!
Cool coral formations near Waterlemon Cay
Before we continue on about our experience, there are two things about snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay that I want to note here:
Currents: Currents have been known to be a bit stronger around Waterlemon Cay than some other more protected snorkeling spots on St. John. The Cay sits right along the channel between Waterlemon Bay and Tortola (a British Virgin Island). The side that sits closer to Tortola, especially, can have stronger currents, and is in deeper water, than the side that faces Waterlemon Bay, and the Park Service recommends staying on the western (bay-side) end of the island to avoid any strong currents.
But, depending on weather and conditions, a strong current can be felt anywhere around the cay or even on the swim out to it. We’ve read a few forums where even experienced swimmers and snorkelers had issues and challenges with the currents out here, while others have said there were no issues and the swimming was easy. Fortunately, we belong to the latter camp. For us, the swimming was easy and we felt no currents at all. Just use caution and don’t try to swim too far out if you’re feeling uncomfortable with any current you’re experiencing, and check with the Park Service if you have any reservations.
Jellyfish: As soon as we arrived at the Waterlemon Cay reef and were admiring all the fish, I suddenly noticed a small-ish translucent jellyfish floating right towards my face, and I quickly turned away. Then I saw another, and another…until I realized we were literally swimming through swarms of them. It was actually quite scary at first and I wanted to swim back to shore. But I wasn’t feeling any stings, and I didn’t want to miss out on exploring the reef…we had just gotten there after all!
Seeing a few other snorkelers out here swimming away with seemingly no care (or maybe they hadn’t noticed yet?) kept me there a little bit longer, but I was still uncomfortable about it. At this point, we were swimming more counterclockwise towards the eastern side of the cay, so I suggested we turn around and start heading around the other side (for the reasons talked about above regarding the currents).
Once we got to the western side of the island, the jellyfish completely, and thankfully, disappeared and we didn’t see a single one. Later, I read that these are Moon Jellies…pretty harmless, but they can be common in the summer. This was the only snorkeling spot on St. John that we ran into these guys, so just a heads up.
We highly recommend wearing a set of rash guards when snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay, and really anywhere in Virgin Islands National Park. They can protect you from potentially minor stings from jellies like these, and also provide an extra source of UV protection.
Two Moon Jellies I inadvertently got on camera as I was swimming around Waterlemon Cay
A better view of the jellyfish…you can see how barely visible they are!
Okay, now with that out of the way, let’s get back to it!
Once at Waterlemon Cay, we had started drifting in the counterclockwise direction around to the eastern side of the island, but knowing that currents could be stronger over there, I suggested we head in the other direction. Just as we started to turn around, a southern stingray came out of nowhere and swam right up underneath my feet! It was startling to say the least, but pretty amazing.
A stingray near Waterlemon Cay!
With that, we continued around to the western side of Waterlemon Cay. Along the way, we saw tons of fish in every direction, and once we got to the other side of the island is when the colorful corals really started to appear.
Overall, we really loved snorkeling here. There was so much to look at, including what was probably some of the most colorful coral we’d ever seen. There were reds, greens, oranges, purples… there were schools of parrotfish, colorful shelves of fan corals, brain coral formations, and just fish of every size and color darting every which way.
Here are just a few of the things we saw while snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay:
Colorful fish and coral (and some big urchins!) at Waterlemon Cay
We saw lots of schools of fish!
There were lots of parrotfish around Waterlemon Cay
Can you spot all the different fish here?
Purples, yellows, greens…and more fish!
And the coolest thing we saw? A peacock flounder! We watched it swim from rock to rock, changing colors to blend in with its surroundings.
A peacock flounder!
Compared to all the places we snorkeled in St. John, none of the others had quite the same amount of coral and fish as Waterlemon Cay, and we felt like we were the only ones out here for most of the time!
One thing we didn’t see around the cay were turtles, which we were expecting see given all the turtle heads we saw poking up in the bay. We were probably just unlucky, but the bay seems to be the place to go for them, so make sure to take a swim through there as well!
We ended up snorkeling around Waterlemon Cay for about an hour and half or more. Despite the brief and minor uneasiness I felt initially from the deep water swim and then the jellyfish swarm, once I got over these, the snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay ended up being one of our favorite experiences in Virgin Islands National Park.
Hiking to the Murphy Great House Ruins on Windy Hill
Aside from the beautiful hike along Leinster Bay, and the amazing snorkeling around Waterlemon Cay, this area offers one more experience that we highly recommend…hiking up Windy Hill to the Murphy Great House Ruins (also called the Windy Hill Ruins).
Windy Hill is the small hill above the far side of the bay. It’s a quick climb (about .8 miles roundtrip with 200 feet of elevation gain), and has amazing views over Waterlemon Bay and the surrounding British Virgin Islands. Because it’s a bit remote compared to other more easily accessible ruins on St. John, you won’t find too many people up here…in fact, we had the entire place to ourselves!
To hike up Windy Hill, you’ll take the Johnny Horn Trail from Waterlemon Bay. At the center of the bay (more or less at the tip of the U), you should spot two openings through the trees that line the beach. The one on the right goes to a small set of ruins. Take the opening on the left to start the Johnny Horn Trail. You should see a trail sign towards the right once through the opening (it’s kind of tucked away and hidden), while the trail heads to the left.
This is the first path off of Waterlemon Bay which goes to a small set of ruins
If you see these ruins, turn back and look for the other path off of Waterlemon Bay
This is the more obvious looking path off of Waterlemon Bay. The Johnny Horn Trailhead sign will be on the right, but the path up to the Windy Hill Ruins heads to the left.
The trail from Waterlemon Bay to the Murphy Great House Ruins takes just about 15 minutes. It’s all uphill, but it’s pretty gradual. The only real challenge to this hike is the heat, as the entire trail is mostly unshaded.
Because of this, we’d highly recommend doing this hike in the morning. Make it the first thing you do after your hike to Waterlemon Bay. Then, after you complete this hike, you can spend the rest of your time cooling off and swimming in the bay. We did this hike midday and I don’t recommend.
The steady climb up the Johnny Horn Trail from Waterlemon Bay
Don’t forget to look behind you as you climb, as views over Waterlemon Bay start opening up as a preview of what’s to come at the top!
Looking back over Waterlemon Bay from the Johnny Horn Trail
About halfway up, the trail switchbacks to the right. However, to the left is a small clearing with a set of old ruins and a nice view over Waterlemon Bay and Waterlemon Cay.
A set of ruins found halfway up the Johnny Horn Trail
As you continue up the Johnny Horn Trail from here, the trail gets a little bit more overgrown. Watch out for thorns, as many of the plants growing into the trail have them.
A bit of overgrowth along the Johnny Horn Trail on the hike up Windy Hill
Shortly, you’ll reach a signed junction (about 0.3 miles into the hike). The Johnny Horn Trail continues straight, but you’ll take a left here to go to the Windy Hill Ruins, which are just a few minutes away.
Along this part of the trail, views open up to Tortola and the beautiful blue channel on the other side of the bay. You’ll also see some large cacti, which are common on the drier, more desert-like landscape of the eastern side of the island. And, funny enough, we heard the frequent calls of goats coming from the hills! We never saw them here, but they do roam the island (we saw a bunch near Coral Bay)!
Take a left at this trail junction to head to the Murphy Great House Ruins
Cactus along the Johnny Horn Trail to Windy Hill
The trail ends at a staircase that brings you up on top of the Windy Hill Ruins, which are now generally filled with overgrowth (and a lot of goat droppings!). But from here, you get amazing panoramic views, particularly over Waterlemon Bay and the British Virgin Islands. It’s beautiful up here.
Arriving at the Windy Hill Ruins above Waterlemon Cay
Views over Waterlemon Bay and the distant British Virgin Islands from the Windy Hill Ruins
But another reason to do this hike in the morning? The afternoon light is pretty harsh on the water in the bay, and it was hard to see the brilliant blue colors that we knew were there. In the morning, the lighting would be much better. Regardless, it was beautiful nonetheless.
From this high vantage point, we looked down at the beach, and even from all the way up here, we could see turtle heads popping up in the center of the bay.
Looking out over Waterlemon Bay from the Windy Hill Ruins
A view of Waterlemon Cay and the distant British Virgin Islands from Windy Hill
Waterlemon Bay
The ruins on Windy Hill
There’s also a small picnic table, but it’s kind of overgrown, and it was hard for us to linger too long up here because of the heat and midday sun. It took us about 15 minutes to head back down to the beach.
How Much Time Do You Need at Waterlemon Cay?
Waterlemon Cay makes a good half day excursion in Virgin Islands National Park.
Here’s how we would plan our time:
In the morning, hike the Leinster Bay Trail to Waterlemon Bay (~1/2 hour)
Head up to Windy Hill to see the ruins and get good views over the bay (~ 45 minutes)
Spend some time swimming in the bay and snorkeling around Waterlemon Cay (~ 2 hours)
Hike back out and make a quick visit to the Annerberg Plantation Ruins near the parking lot (~ 1 hour)
In total, we’d recommend dedicating about 4 hours or so for a trip out to Waterlemon Cay.
Best Time to Visit Waterlemon Cay on St. John
The crystal clear water near Waterlemon Cay
If you’re looking for the best time to visit the park, check out our comprehensive Guide to Virgin Islands National Park where we give a full breakdown.
In general, winter months between December and April tend to be the busiest, so expect crowded parking lots and the need to get to popular places early to guarantee parking. Things like accommodations and plane tickets tend to be more expensive during these months. Also, more northerly winter storms can produce swells and rough conditions along the North Shore of St. John, sometimes making it too dangerous to snorkel, or at the very least, producing less than ideal conditions. Though we don’t think this happens too often, it’s something to keep in mind.
July through October is the height of the hurricane season, so visiting then can be risky.
We particularly liked visiting St. John in the spring, when the weather was still good, but crowds were much lower. We had great conditions for snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay, other than the jellyfish we encountered (which didn’t really affect us at all…it was just more eerie than anything).
Tips for Visiting Waterlemon Cay in Virgin Islands National Park
Here are some final tips for visiting Waterlemon Cay on St. John to help you plan your trip.
Bring everything you need
There are no amenities or facilities at Waterlemon Bay, including bathrooms, so plan on carrying a backpack or beach bag with you along the Leinster Bay Trail with everything you need.
What to pack for Waterlemon Cay:
Food and water for the day
Swim and snorkel gear- Wear your swim suit (there are no changing areas at Waterlemon Bay), watershoes, towels, snorkel gear and underwater camera. If needed, you can rent snorkel gear for the day from places in Coral Bay and Cruz Bay.
Sun protection- Reef-safe sunscreen, hat, and sunglasses
We’d recommend packing all your things in something you can carry rather than something you push, as the trail is rocky the entire way.
Wear a rash guard
We highly recommend wearing rash guards when snorkeling in Virgin Islands National Park. It not only helps give more sun protection while being out in the water for hours, but it helps protect your skin from things like jellyfish.
Wear good walking shoes
We recommend wearing a good pair of walking shoes on the hike to Waterlemon Bay, as the Leinster Bay Trail is all rocky, and packing your beach shoes with you.
The rocky Leinster Bay Trail
Waterlemon Cay Tours
Want to skip the hike to Waterlemon Cay altogether? If you don’t have your own boat, you can take a tour to Waterlemon Cay that brings you there on a catamaran for a few hours of snorkeling.
Or, if you don’t want to skip the hike but want your transportation and day planned for you, you can take a guided hike to Waterlemon Cay as well.
More Virgin Islands National Park Guides
Heading to Virgin Islands National Park? Let us help you plan! Check out our other guides to learn about all the awesome things to do in the park and how to plan your trip.
VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK GUIDES
Virgin Islands National Park Itinerary: One to Five Days on St. John
The Best Snorkeling Spots on St. John (and where to swim with turtles!)
How to Hike the Ram Head Trail in Virgin Islands National Park (plus snorkel in Salt Pond Bay!)
The Ultimate Guide to Virgin Islands National Park- Tips for Planning Your Trip!
Are you planning a visit to Waterlemon Cay on St. John soon? Let us know your questions in the comments below, and happy travels!