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Trunk Bay Overlook in Virgin Islands National Park

#7 of 38 sights in Virgin Islands

Sight · Virgin Islands National Park

Trunk Bay Overlook

A quick roadside stop for Trunk Bay’s classic beach-and-cay view.

Type
Sight
Nearest trail
0.3 mi
Audio stories
15 nearby
  • Pullout
  • Scenic viewpoint
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Trunk Bay Beach and Overlook

Overview

About Trunk Bay Overlook

Why stop

  • A classic bay view without a hike

Map

Where it is

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Full map
SightTrunk Bay Overlook18.35131, -64.77260
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your stop

Before you go

3 active Virgin Islands alerts

  • ClosureCaneel Bay: designated areas only; pier closedAt Caneel Bay, stay in designated public areas; other areas remain closed because of present safety risks, and the pier remains closed because it has been deemed unsafe.Official details
  • CautionModerate rip-current risk at U.S. Virgin Islands beachesThe National Weather Service reports a moderate rip-current risk for the U.S. Virgin Islands. - Choose a guarded or more protected beach and swim near a lifeguard.Official details
See all 3 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Virgin Islands Tour Guide

Your drive to Trunk Bay Overlook, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Virgin Islands National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

Recorded for this place

Trunk Bay Beach and Overlook
0:00 / 0:28
“You're coming up on Trunk Bay, a sweep of pale sand with a marked underwater snorkel trail just offshore. Choose this one if you want a beach day with a closer look at reef life.”

Plays as you drive up to Trunk Bay Overlook in the Parkwolf Virgin Islands Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Jumbie Beach
  • Peace Hill Windmill and Views
  • Hawksnest Bay and Oppenheimer Beach
  • Water Catchment Trail and the Old Basin
  • 26 audio storiesacross Virgin Islands’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor White-tailed Deer, Green Iguana, Brown Pelican, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 22 trails, 42 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
JMJamesApp Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Trunk Bay Overlook

The viewTrunk Bay Overlook is a roadside viewpoint above Trunk Bay on Route 20, between Jumbie Beach…

Trunk Bay Overlook is a roadside viewpoint above Trunk Bay on Route 20, between Jumbie Beach and the beach access. It looks down over white sand and turquoise water, with rocky Trunk Cay just offshore and wooded hills behind it. It’s one of St. John’s classic views, reached without a hike.

Making the stopFrom Cruz Bay, follow Route 20 toward Trunk Bay.

From Cruz Bay, follow Route 20 toward Trunk Bay. The overlook comes before the road drops downhill to the beach. If you’re headed to shore, continue to the beach parking and facilities below. Trunk Bay Beach has restrooms, potable water and food service; those belong to the beach complex, not the roadside viewpoint.

What to frameKeep the curve of the beach and Trunk Cay in the same view to show the shape of the bay.

Keep the curve of the beach and Trunk Cay in the same view to show the shape of the bay. Whistling Cay and the western end of Mary Point sit farther out and add another layer behind the beach.

Changing lightEarly or late light can soften the scene and bring color into the sky; stronger midday sun…

Early or late light can soften the scene and bring color into the sky; stronger midday sun tends to bring out the water’s blue. Treat those as different looks, not a guarantee: cloud cover and conditions change.

viewpointcoastalphotography

Wildlife

Wildlife in Virgin Islands

All Virgin Islands wildlife maps
White-tailed Deer150 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapGreen Iguana114 sightingsGreen IguanaMost seen around 9 AMSighting mapBrown Pelican62 sightingsBrown PelicanMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapGreen Sea Turtle35 sightingsGreen Sea TurtleMost seen around noonSighting mapAmerican Flamingo32 sightingsAmerican FlamingoMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapNurse Shark26 sightingsNurse SharkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Virgin Islands. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Trunk Bay Overlook

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

EasyPeace Hill Trail0.2 mi · 15 min · 0.3 mi awayA windmill ruin and wide bay views from a fifteen-minute climb.ModerateWater Catchment Trail0.7 mi · 30 min · 0.9 mi awayA steep one-way drop to Caneel Bay’s old water basinModerateL'Esperance Trail5.2 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.1 mi awayA rugged old road through estate ruins down to the south shore.ModerateAmerica Hill Trail1.2 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.3 mi awayShort climb to a ruined Great House and east-facing island views.ChallengingCinnamon Bay Trail2 mi · 1.8 hr · 1.3 mi awayA steep old road, shaded forest, and a single bay lookoutChallengingCaneel Hill Trail4.3 mi · 3.2 hr · 1.8 mi awayTwo steep hills trade a hard climb for views across both coasts.ChallengingPetroglyph Trail3.4 mi · 3 hr · 2 mi awayA shaded descent to ancient carvings, with a steep climb back out.ModerateMaria Hope Trail0.8 mi · 45 min · 2 mi awayA shaded historic road drops through forest to a Maho Bay overlook.

More stops nearby

Beach · 0.1 mi awayJumbie BeachA quiet cove for a swim when the north-shore surf settles.Beach · 0.2 mi awayTrunk Bay BeachA beach day with a short snorkel trail built in.Beach · 0.2 mi awayDenis Bay BeachA quieter north-shore beach with a worthwhile wooded approach.Sight · 0.3 mi awayPeace Hill Windmill RuinsA short climb to the stone sugar mill and north-shore views.Beach · 0.4 mi awayGibney and Oppenheimer BeachA quieter Hawksnest shore for shade, swimming and reef-edge snorkeling.Beach · 0.5 mi awayHawksnest BeachTree shade and three Elkhorn reef fingers make this a worthwhile stop.Sight · 0.9 mi awayCatherineberg Plantation RuinsAn intact sugar mill tied to St. John's 1733 rebellion.Restaurant · 1.2 mi awayRain Tree CafeAn open-air cafe with themed dinners and island talks

Parkwolf’s Virgin Islands ranking

Top sights in Virgin Islands

All 42 places
  1. 1Trunk Bay BeachBeach
  2. 2Maho Bay BeachBeach
  3. 3Annaberg Sugar PlantationSight
  4. 4Cinnamon Bay BeachBeach
  5. 5Waterlemon CaySight
  6. 6Reef Bay PetroglyphsSight

Take Parkwolf to Virgin Islands.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

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