Welcome to Day 4 of our trip to St. Croix – east end of St Croix.
Our custom itinerary (see how we designed it here)DAY1 – Fly to St. Croix, p/u rental car, stop at Captain Morgan Distillery, check in at Airbnb, free evening
DAY2 – Cane Bay and The Wall
DAY3 – Protestant Cay, downtown Christiansted/boardwalk
****DAY4 – Sunrise @ Point Udall, Hike Jack & Isaac Bay (snorkeling)****
DAY5 – Tide Pools @ Annaly Bay
DAY6 – Northwest/West end of the island: Ham’s Bluff Light, Rainbow Beach, Frederiksted, sunset
DAY7 – Buck Island (TBD)
DAY8 – Cruzan Rum Distillery, d/o rental car, fly home
Point Udall
Early start today as we make our way to the east end of St Croix, also the eastern most point of the United States. Our motivation? To be the first people in America to see the sunrise! We aim to arrive there with about 15 minutes to spare so that we can coordinate ourselves with some prime seating. Our drive this morning will also take us the furthest east we have been on the island to date.
As we roll up to Point Udall and the Millennium Monument, we realize we are not alone on our mission to see America’s first light today. There is another young couple, sitting on the rock wall overlooking the sea, and a middle-aged woman sitting in her vehicle, angled due east. In anticipation of comfortably welcoming the new day, we brought along our TAG inflatable chairs for the morning.
We arrive with just enough time to set them up and get ourselves perfectly situated to take it all in. Coffee in hand, we proceed to enjoy. And it is dazzling! There is the perfect amount of cloud cover to accentuate the rising sun, adding an orange glow for miles around. There are sparsely scattered white caps and a slight breeze up here atop Point Udall. It is a magnificent 78 degrees Fahrenheit. We watch as the local fishermen head out to sea, in their skiffs, for their daily catch.
Fun Fact: The Millennium Monument was erected in 2000 to welcome the first sunrise of the new millennium. It is a giant sun dial, whose design was inspired by the double “M” that represents the roman numeral for 2000.
And What a Sunrise!
The view is gorgeous and definitely one of those ‘take it and put it in my pocket for later’ moments, as we like to call them. We remain seated as other observers continue on with their day. We notice a woman walking her two dogs around the monument. She walks up to greet us and takes a break from her morning stroll to sit with us. Her name is Wendy and in our conversation, we come to find she is the woman behind gotostcroix.com!
If you are planning a trip to the island, this website is definitely your best resource. It covers everything from places to stay, things to do, where to eat and shop, and even tips on how to plan your trip. One of the pages main features is the ‘100 Things to Do on St. Croix’ feature which we used as our own trip inspiration 🙂 Wendy is a wealth of knowledge and takes her job as the island’s virtual ambassador seriously (with a side of fun!).
She shares lots of intel with us about St. Croix, how it’s changed over the year she’s lived here, her experiences with hurricanes and her hopes for the island’s future. When we mention we are heading down to Jack and Isaac’s Bay for the day, she seems thrilled to hear it! She mentions the recent wrap up in the sea turtle nesting season and that we should be able to see lots of nest remnants, eggshells and tracks along our way. We thank her for all that she has shared with us here this morning and she returns to her walk.
The sun is fully risen now but we stay sitting for a little while longer before setting off on the day’s adventure.
Jack & Isaac Bay
Finally, we exchange glances and decide it’s time to move on with our day. We jump back in the car and head a few hundred meters down the road to the nearby trail head. There are several entry points to get down to these remote, east end beaches. This one is closest to Isaac Bay. The entrance to the trail is marked by a small parking lot and permanent signage erected by The Nature Conservancy (our Amazon Smile charity of choice). We park the Jeep, grab our snorkel gear and packs, and make our start.
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The trail is a narrow dirt path along the hillside overlooking East End Bay. There are tall grasses and cacti, which are a surprise given the fact we are on an island. As we wind along the trail, we come to an outcropping called Point Cudejarre. This spot provides a highly scenic outlook over East End Bay, Isaac Bay and the Caribbean Sea. We pause to look for turtle tracks along the East End Bay beach, and they are very evident from where we are standing. We take a few photos and continue to make our way along the trail to Isaac Bay.
There’s another placard as we pause once more to take in the exquisite view of Isaac Bay. This sign describes the barrier/fringing reef that protects the bay, as well as some of the animals that inhabit the bay. The sign also serves as a reminder to visitors of how to behave while enjoying everything the bay has to offer.
A Beach to Ourselves
It becomes clear why the early start was worth it. We appear to have this stunning beach all to ourselves! We file along through the overgrown grass as we come onto a set of wooden steps, headed by some more signage. As a protected marine park, fishing (line or spear) and collection of animals is prohibited. There are also reminders to PLEASE TAKE YOUR TRASH WITH YOU. Always funny to us that these types of reminders need to be posted…
We make our way down the stairs and there is another sign describing the beach as an ‘ACTIVE SEA TURTLE NESTING BEACH’ with a list of rules relating to preserving the habitat. We continue down to the beach and start debating where to set up. Did we mention it is BEAUTIFUL here on the east end of St Croix?
There are a handful of sea turtle nests on this beach as well, though most of them appear to be hatched and expired. We find a sandy spot at the eastern most point on the beach and set up our beach chairs. As previously mentioned, Isaac Bay is sheltered by a barrier reef (you can see it clearly on Google Maps) as are several bays on the east side of the island. After a bit of a lay out in the sun to get our sweat on, we gear up and wade into the water.
Slightly Turbid
We start to make our way west along the shoreline, moving with the current. The visibility here today is only about 10-15 feet as the sun pops in and out from behind the clouds, but it’s enough to see the species of reef fish that call Isaac Bay home. As we near the far end of the beach, we visualize our exit point, which turns out to be a little rockier than we’d prefer. We are extra cautious with our exit as there are several small sea urchins tucked into the nooks and crannies of the rocks.
We make it out, but unfortunately not unscathed, as Kat took five spines to her left hand. She isn’t phased but Phil insists we make our way back to town to have someone look at it. Though disappointing, heading back to the car at this point in the day isn’t the worst idea; we realize we forgot to pack our snacks. As we make our way along the trail, we encounter a couple hikers heading toward the beach we were just on.
Once we get back to the car, we decide to set our sights on lunch. We wind west along East End Road, and Buck Island serves as the primary backdrop to our drive. There are several, splendid turquoise pockets of ocean along the drive back towards the heart of the island. We make a stop on the east end of St Croix at Cheeseburgers in America’s Paradise for some ‘Food, Drink, Fun’. Locally referred to as…
Cheeseburgers!
…this little, sheltered, outdoor eating establishment is on one of the sharp corners along East End Road. You can’t miss it! We pull in as they have just opened their doors for lunch and have free range of selecting our seat. We are greeted by Brenda, the waitress on duty and she is as pleasant as can be! The menu is delectable. Phil selects a beverage “From the Blender” called ‘Lime in Da Coconut’. This cocktail is a combination of Cruzan Rum, Limeade and cream of coconut. Kat orders a black cherry martini on the waitress’ recommendation. Both beverages are delicious! We decide to split a mahi burger, California style with a side of slaw.
As we await our meal, we chat with Brenda, looking for local suggestions on places to snorkel and things to do. She gives us several good recommendations for Frederiksted as well as a beach near the restaurant.
We also discuss Kat’s run in with a sea urchin to find out if there is need for concern. She promises us it isn’t a big deal. “You just go soak that in the sea” she kept saying. “That salt water is more beneficial than we’ll ever know!” She continues on to say that once soaked, we need to use a safety pin to dig the spines out, and re-soak. We realize we don’t have a safety pin (or thread needle for that matter!) Note to self: add a pin to the first aid kit! Moments later, Brenda returns with a vodka sanitized pin and hands it to Kat to take with her to remove the spines. We finish up with a slice of key lime pie!
Chenay Bay
Next, we head across the street to explore one of Brenda’s beach recommendations for the east end of St Croix, Chenay Bay. We make our way down a nearby dirt road which leads right up onto a beach. There are several other folks here, but it is still pretty quiet as far as beaches go. This beach faces north and is boasts sea grape trees which provide pockets of privacy on the waterfront. We find a spot, gear up and head back into the water.
Unfortunately, we don’t get far before we realize the visibility is TERRIBLE on the north side! As we make our way back to the beach, we chat up one of the locals. He mentions the water’s been really cloudy lately with the Northern winds that have been blowing. He suggests we’d have much better luck along the west or south side beaches. We thank him and decide to set ourselves up in our TAG chairs to sunbathe the afternoon away instead. Kat works on prying out the urchin spines and manages to get 4 of the 5 out. (Update: the spine worked its way out about 3 weeks later!)
Note: we were able to borrow a cooler from our AirBnB host, useful on an afternoon such as this.
And so it Begins…
After a couple hours of staring out over the bay and Green Cay National Wildlife Refuge, we notice the sky starting to turn grey. Luckily, we manage to get the Jeep roof on in the nick of time as the rain starts to fall. We jump in the car and head west. As we near our AirBnB, we realize we are starving(!) after hours of lying on the beach (it’s hard work you know!). So, tonight we decide to check out Blues Backyard BBQ & Grill. This roadside joint is one we’ve passed multiple times over the last couple days and is beyond busy.
We are barely able to find a parking spot in the lot but get lucky as we spot someone leaving. Come to find it’s live music night and there is a Grateful Dead tribute band playing (Bear Tread). We place an order for BBQ nachos (delish!) and the blue house cocktail. Before long, we are setting up under the tent and taking in the live music. As we indulge, we start up a conversation with a couple from Massachusetts that recently moved here. They survived Maria and claim to be loving life, a common theme we’ve come to hear on St. Croix.
The waitress comes around with jello shots and we chat the night away. The music is great and the atmosphere, Caribbean!
St. Croix Fun Fact: The average temperature here is 82F, year-round!
We bid our new friends farewell and make the short drive back to our AirBnB. Exhausted by another amazing day on St. Croix, on the east end of St Croix. We fall asleep to the sound of more rain, and thus begins the rainy portion of our vacation. Stay tuned for Day 5!
Until then,
Planning a trip to St Croix? Check out these super affordable and beautiful accommodations.
This looks so beautiful! I’ve never been to St. Croix, but after this it’s definitely going on the list!
We definitely can’t say enough good things about it Liz! Happy travelling!
Seems like a perfect day of relaxing, exploring and eating yummy food! Lovely pictures
Thanks Chloe! Have you ever travelled to the Caribbean?
Hello! Love this post, this makes me want to go to St. Croix! We’ve been to St. John but now adding this to the list, along with being the first Americans to see sunrise! I’ll be following along with your adventures going forward!
#1
-Meredith
http://www.thelongestweekend.co
Hi Meredith! We’ve been to St. John as well and it’s a very similar, laid back, eco-traveler vibe. We actually liked St. Croix better. Where did you stay on St. John? We hit some really great snorkeling spots if you’re into that. We have a map of the best spots, laid out by local divers on our Day 2 page. Happy travelling!
I’m sure that you had so much fun! Those photos are so lovely and amazing. I would love to visit there soon with my family.
Thanks Surekha! We highly recommend it. We’ve been to a couple Caribbean islands and this was our favourite by far! Be sure to check out the itinerary to help out with planning your vacation. Happy traveling!
Wow love all the details! This sounds wonderful!
Thanks Emily! Can’t say enough good things about it.
That place is so gorgeous! The place is so perfect for a person who wants to reconnect with the nature and wants to have a relaxing time in the beach.
Hi Gervin, we couldn’t agree more! It’s really a naturalists paradise! We didn’t do quite as much relaxing as we would have liked, but it’s on the itinerary for our next visit 😉
Wow – what a fantastic time! It’s funny that when reading the sunrise part I had an idea you weren’t alone in wanting to catch the sunrise!
Hi Erin! We had an absolute blast! Maybe you’ll get a chance to visit some day 🙂 Happy travels!
It’s my first time hearing this place… St. Croix… thank you for sharing
I might visit the place someday
Hi there Happy and Busy Travels! We are always happy to inspire. Be sure to check back for the rest of our story! Happy travels 🙂
Those skies look gorgeous! Hope you had an amazing time
Don’t they Cristina?!?! We can’t say enough about how much of a blast we had! Hopefully you get a chance to check it out some day 🙂
Looks amazing! Definitely adding it to my list!
Hi Candace, that sounds great! We are always happy to inspire. Be sure to check back for the rest of our story! Happy travels 🙂
You are definitely having a good time. I love the pictures. Thanks for sharing.
I have never visited St. Croix but I heard of it! I now know what to do there. Thanks!
Your post made me miss the beach. I badly need to take a vacation and a stay beside the beach + cheeseburgers would be awesome. Thank you for sharing this. You just made inspired me on how to spend the rest of the holiday vacation here in the Philippines.
Hi Clarice, I bet there are all sorts of beach options there in the Philippines. We are equally as jealous of your whereabouts 😉 Happy travels!
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I absolutely love the USVI. What a wonderful post. More people should visit.
Thank you, Terri! I’ve made it to St. John as well but not yet to St. Thomas. What island is your favourite?
Seriously, the sunrise looks gorgeous. What a beautiful start to the morning.
Truly Anukrati! And being able to say you were one of the first to take it in is also its own treat 🙂
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