At the eastern tip of St. Croix, a narrow road winds through dry scrub and salt pond landscape to a rugged coastal promontory. There is a concrete monument here, erected in the year 2000, and a view east over the open Caribbean Sea. There is nothing between you and Africa but water — roughly 3,600 miles of it.
This is Point Udall, widely cited as the easternmost point of the United States among permanently inhabited territory. When the year 2000 arrived, Point Udall was the first place in the US to see the new millennium's sunrise — a fact that prompted local celebration and the construction of the monument that still stands on the cliff.
The Location
The point sits on a low sea cliff above the Atlantic, with the sea stretching to the horizon in every direction east and south. The landscape approaching it is open and spare — dry scrub, cacti, and salt-bleached vegetation characteristic of St. Croix's east end, which receives less rainfall than the rest of the island. The road out is narrow and the parking area small, but the walk from the car to the monument is only a few minutes.
The views are genuinely dramatic. The cliff drops to rocks and surf below, and on clear days you can see the faint outline of islands in the eastern Caribbean on the horizon. The trade winds are strong at the point — a steady 15 to 20 mph that makes standing at the edge feel genuinely exposed. Bring layers if you're sensitive to wind.
The Name
The point was named for Stewart L. Udall, US Secretary of the Interior from 1961 to 1969. Udall was one of the most significant conservation figures in American government history — he expanded the national park system substantially, supported the passage of the Wilderness Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, and was deeply involved in the development of the Virgin Islands National Park, which was established just five years before he took office. The naming honored that connection.
Getting There
From Christiansted, take Route 82 (also called East End Road) about 12 miles to the point — roughly 25 to 30 minutes by car. The road follows the island's north-facing east end and passes through a landscape that feels distinctly different from the resort areas on the north shore: sparse, wind-scoured, and almost completely undeveloped. The approach itself is worth the drive. There are no facilities at the point — bring water, especially in warm weather.