Beaches · Caneel Bay / North Shore

Turtle Bay Beach (Caneel Bay)

Turtle Bay sits at the far end of what was Caneel Bay Resort, the historic Laurance Rockefeller property that has remained closed since Hurricane Irma in 2017, and that closure is the single fact that governs a visit here. Land access runs through the former resort grounds, so National Park Service updates and local beach guides describe reaching Turtle Bay today as effectively boat-only — kayak, sail, or swim around from a neighboring beach — with no facilities of any kind once you arrive. Visitors who make the trip describe it as one of the more strikingly beautiful, uncrowded beaches on the island: a small stretch nestled between rocky points with reliable snorkeling on both sides, sea turtle sightings that gave the bay its name, and views across the channel to Henley Cay and Lovango. It was even used as a location for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit shoot in 2015. The trade-off for that seclusion is total self-sufficiency — no rentals, no food, no restrooms — and no certainty about when, or whether, easier land access will return, since redevelopment of the resort property remains unannounced years after the storm.

Caneel Bay area, Caneel Bay / North Shore, St. John