This may be the understatement of the day, but we have major parking issues at the beaches. And it is costing a lot of people a lot of money when they do not follow the rules.
Beach Basics
St. John’s North Shore is where the majority of the island’s most popular beaches are located. This area is also largely National Park. Beaches on the North Shore include Caneel, Hawksnest, Oppenheimer/Gibney, Denis, Jumbie, Trunk Bay, Cinnamon, Maho and Francis. There is limited parking at all of those beaches except Caneel, which has several parking lots within the Caneel Bay property. If you plan to visit any of these beaches (with the exception of Caneel), you either have to get there very early – at or before 9 a.m. is recommended – or you should take a taxi. Taxis here are plentiful and are the easiest and best way to ensure that you visit whichever beach you’d like on any given day.
Quick Rules to Follow
- Park in a designated parking spot.
- If parking along the roadway all tires and mirrors need to be completely off the road and behind the white line (when there is a white line).
- If there is a no parking or tow away sign, they mean it. You will get ticketed and/or towed.
- Do not push back any trees or break any branches when trying to find a parking spot.
- Never push a stone with your vehicle that is being used to make a boundary.
- Do not park on or too close to the sand, because these are sea turtle nesting beaches.
- Never park in front of a gate or an entrance.
Tickets
Parking tickets start at $125. They can be higher depending on the violation, a ranger told me last year. The ranger also stated that some car rental companies often charge the renter double the fine, especially when a vehicle is towed. I believe tow fees are around $250, and I am pretty certain this is cash only.
Tips for Specific Beaches
Soloman/Honeymoon
There is no parking at either of the beaches. You can either walk in via the Lind Point Trail, or take the $6 shuttle provided by the Caneel Bay Beach Club. If you park behind the National Park Visitor Center, you need to get a handwritten pass from the Visitor Center (if they are open). They will ask that you back into the designated spot for permit holders and display your parking permit on your dashboard. You can also park at the top of the hill near the Virgin Islands National Park sign and walk down the Lind Point Trail. You do not need a permit to park there. If you opt to take the shuttle, you can park on the grounds of the former Caneel Bay Resort.
Hawksnest
There is a decent amount of parking at Hawksnest. You can park before and after the parking area on the beach side, as long as your tires and mirrors are completely off the road. It is not suggested that you park anywhere across the street as you may damage the trees, a ranger told me earlier this year.
FYI: This is a hotspot for towing.
Oppenheimer/Gibney
There are only three parking spots, so this is a beach to get to early. Park on the left side when facing the gate.
Denis Bay
You can park in the small lot for Peace Hill to access Denis Bay. If you try to park near the road (Route 20), do not park on the pavement.
Jumbie
There is a small parking area across the street from the trailhead. It is not recommended that you park on the beach side, as there is a driveway there and you can also damage trees, a ranger told me.
Trunk Bay
This is definitely one of the busier beaches, so you want to get to Trunk Bay early. When parking in the main lot, be sure not to take a spot designated for the taxis. They park along the back of the lot, beside the entry booth, facing the street. There is a small patch of grass to the right of where the taxis park (if your back is to the road.) Do not park on this grassy patch unless you’d like to leave with a ticket or possibly get towed.
You are allowed to park across the street near the plantation building as long as your tires and mirrors are off the road. You will see there are no parking and no parking beyond this point signs in that area. I have seen numerous vehicles ticketed here for ignoring those signs, so keep an eye out and look for arrows.
Also, there isn’t any parking along the roadway on the beach side before of after the Trunk Bay parking lot. I see people create spots, and those vehicles routinely get ticketed and towed too. There are a few no parking signs up the switchbacks too. Trunk is pretty well marked when it comes to where you can and where you cannot park. If you do not want to deal with Trunk’s notorious parking issues, you can always take a taxi. That is my recommendation when visiting Trunk Bay. The taxis are plentiful and reliable.
Cinnamon Bay
There are two large parking lots, so this is an easier place to find a spot. You can also park along the roadway a bit, but again, all tires and mirrors off the road, and please do not park in a way that you can damage a tree. There are a handful of spots where you can park along the road inside of Cinnamon Bay (near the parking areas) too.
Maho Bay
Maho is also busy, and parking is tricky. On the Maho Crossroads side of the beach (closer to Cruz Bay), there are several designated parking spots along the beach. Once you pass the final shade structure, you can no longer park on the beach side. This is a sea turtle nesting beach, and there are also small plantings along the beach that cannot be harmed.
There are also some parking spots across the street in between large boulders along the roadway. Then there is a decent-sized lot at the turtle side of the beach (the opposite side from where the tiki bar is). You can also park along the roadway near the parking lot as long as your tires and mirrors are off the road. This is tricky because there isn’t a ton of space, so there is only room for a handful of cars to do this. There is also a sign that indicates you can no longer park on the side of the road, so please be mindful to that.
Francis Bay
Francis Bay has a small parking lot at the beach that can fit about a dozen or so cars. You can also park along the left side of the road when you are driving toward the beach. Within that area, there is a no parking area that is clearly marked. I saw a ranger out there ticket a vehicle last week that was parked in that no parking area.
Annaberg
Annaberg also has a decent size parking lot. There are a few spaces that you can park off of the road too. I have seen several cars ticketed here lately. These are cars that are parking on the pavement near the stone wall and also across from the bathrooms. You, under no circumstance, can park on the road at Annaberg.
I understand that it’s frustrating that there are more people visiting the island than there are parking spots at the beach. Luckily we have an abundance of taxis who drive between Cruz Bay and Maho, and everywhere in between, all day, every day. Take a taxi if you can. It’s a lot less stressful in my opinion. If you are concerned about where to leave your rental Jeep, you can always park for free at Caneel Bay and hop in a taxi from there.