How long is the Reef Bay Trail on St. John?

The Reef Bay Trail is approximately 2.3 miles one-way from the trailhead on Centerline Road to the beach at Reef Bay. The elevation drop is around 900 feet — it's mostly downhill going in. The petroglyph side trail adds roughly 0.3 miles round-trip. If you hike in and out, plan for about 3.5 to 4.5 hours depending on pace. The NPS ranger-led program includes a boat return from the beach, cutting out the uphill return.

Who made the Reef Bay petroglyphs?

The petroglyphs at Reef Bay are believed to have been carved by pre-Columbian indigenous people — widely attributed to the Taino or earlier Arawak cultures who inhabited the islands before European contact in the late 15th century. The carvings include faces, figures, and abstract symbols on rock surfaces beside a freshwater pool. The exact age is difficult to determine, but they predate European settlement of St. John in the 1700s.

Is the Reef Bay Trail hard?

The trail is rated moderate. The descent on the way in is manageable, but the return hike uphill is strenuous in tropical heat. Bring at least 2 liters of water per person, wear trail shoes (the path is rocky and rooted), and start early to avoid hiking in peak midday heat. The NPS ranger-led program, which provides a boat return, removes the hardest part — check the VINP visitor center schedule.

Can you swim at Reef Bay beach?

Yes. Reef Bay is a quiet beach on St. John's south shore with calm water in most conditions. There are no facilities — no restrooms, no food, no lifeguards — but the beach is beautiful and almost always uncrowded. The calm water and lack of crowds make it a pleasant reward at the end of the hike.

Reef Bay Trail & Petroglyphs, St. John: Hiker's Guide (2026)

The Reef Bay Trail begins on Centerline Road in the middle of St. John and descends through the island's interior to the south shore. The trailhead is easy to miss — a wooden sign off a road with no shoulder — and then the forest closes in almost immediately. Within a few hundred yards of the parking area, you are in a silence that feels genuinely remote, despite being half a mile from the main road.

The trail covers 2.3 miles one-way, dropping roughly 900 feet to Reef Bay beach. Almost everyone who does the full experience takes the NPS boat back out, which means the hike is almost entirely downhill.

The Trail

The trail passes through three distinct vegetation zones as it descends from the ridge to sea level. The upper section crosses dry forest — low scrub, century plants, and bare limestone outcroppings. The middle zone transitions into moist subtropical forest, where tree ferns appear and the canopy fills in. The lower section near the stream is seasonal moist forest, with larger trees, bromeliads, and occasional mongoose darting across the path.

Along the way, the trail passes the ruins of several 18th-century sugar and rum estates. Stone walls, cisterns, and the foundations of processing buildings appear among the roots. The jungle has absorbed most of them — walls lean at impossible angles, trees grow through floors — but the scale of what the Danish colonists attempted to build in this terrain becomes clear.

The Petroglyphs

About 0.1 miles before the beach, a short side trail leads to a freshwater pool fed by a cascade. The rock faces above the pool are carved with petroglyphs — figures, faces, and abstract markings attributed to pre-Columbian indigenous people, likely Taino or an earlier Arawak-related culture. The carvings were made before European arrival and were here when Danish colonists cleared the estate above in the 1700s. The freshwater source was probably why this particular spot was significant.

The carvings are clearly visible, even vivid in places — the moisture of the pool environment has preserved the rock face. A small viewing platform has been built to let visitors see the main panel without stepping into the pool. Rangers are sometimes present on the ranger-led trips to provide context.

The Beach

Reef Bay itself is one of St. John's quietest beaches — accessible only by this trail or by private boat. The water is calm, clear, and almost always uncrowded. There are no facilities. The NPS boat pickup runs on scheduled ranger-led program days; if you hike in independently, you hike back up or arrange water transport separately.

Local tip: Book the NPS ranger-led Reef Bay program early. Spots fill weeks in advance during peak season. The boat pickup from the beach makes the experience dramatically more comfortable — the return hike uphill in midday heat discourages many independent hikers.

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Reef Bay Trail & Petroglyphs, St. John

The Trail

The Petroglyphs

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