One the best beaches on St. John is Hawksnest. It is not too long of a drive from Cruz Bay (little under 2 miles from Mongoose Junction), parking is close to the beach and the palm trees and watercolor is just amazing.

How to get to Hawksnest Beach – St. John

Take North Shore Road from Mongoose Junction up the hill, passing Caneel.
After about 2 miles, you will see a parking right next to the street to the left.

Hawksnest Beach – St. John Tips

If you want sun especially during the winter months, opt for the Eastern end of the beach (park at the end of the parking lot) and go to the beach early. In winter month, the last end of the beach gets sun until around 3:30 or 4:00pm, the western end already is in shade much earlier

Hawksnest Beach – St. John Facilities:

Pit toilet
Changing rooms
Grill & picnic tables
No shower or running water
No food or drink for sale, no smoking or glass bottles allowed on beach

Hawksnest Beach Activities

Ball Sports

The beach itself is pretty narrow, but there is a long stretch of narrow water in which you can stand playing frisbee, beach tennis or throw a ball, that will be much cooler than playing on land 🙂

Snorkeling Hawksnest Beach – St. John

Go for a snorkel over the reef (watch water level and make sure it is calm enough). It is amazing, the water is very clear, there is orange elkhorn coral and an abundance of fish.

Paddleboarding

Go for a paddle at Hawksnest Beach. Hawksnest is a great beach for paddleboarding. You can park close to the beach, so you don’t have to carry the board very far. Beginners choose a calm day with little wind/swell and stay clear of the reef. They can paddle over to the right to Gibney Beach and Oppenheimer Beach.

Advanced paddlers can surf the little wave over reef (watch the tide level, it is shallow at low tide) and can head out of the bay to the right to Cinnamon or Trunk Bay.

Why is it named “Hawksnest”?

it is believed that the name either comes from the hawks inhabiting the island or from the hawksbill turtles which is nesting nearby. Personally, the rocks at the point on the Western end of the bay somehow remind me of hawks.