Beaches · Far Eastern Tip

Isaac's Bay & Jack's Bay Beach

Isaac's Bay and Jack's Bay sit inside a roughly 300-acre Nature Conservancy preserve on St. Croix's easternmost tip, near Point Udall, and reaching them requires committing to a hike — there's no drive-up option. The out-and-back trail runs about 3.5 miles total through dry, cactus-lined terrain with real elevation change and little shade, and multiple guides recommend starting early both for parking (the small lot fills fast) and to avoid the exposed midday heat. The payoff is snorkeling that reviewers repeatedly compare favorably to Buck Island: reef systems of elkhorn, staghorn, and brain coral host an estimated 400-plus fish species, and Isaac's Bay in particular — deeper, with less seaweed than Jack's — is the more popular of the two for that reason. Both beaches are also among the most significant green and hawksbill sea turtle nesting sites on St. Croix, actively monitored by the Nature Conservancy, with access sometimes restricted during nesting season and visitors asked to keep their distance from any nests they encounter. There are no facilities, no shade to speak of at Isaac's Bay, and only covered picnic tables at Jack's Bay for those who push on the extra twenty minutes — this is a bring-everything, plan-around-daylight kind of trip, but consistently described as one of the most rewarding hikes on the island.