Wildlife· St Croix· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)

Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge

17° 41.1′ N · 64° 53.6′ W

Two miles of wide white beach at the island's southwest tip, the largest leatherback sea turtle nesting site in the US, also used by hawksbills and greens. The final scene of The Shawshank Redemption was filmed here.

British Virgin IslandsUS Virgin IslandsSpanish Virgins

Practical

Coordinate from GoToStCroix's beach listing (Wikipedia gives 17.6778 N, 64.9 W). Open to the public only on Saturdays and Sundays (holidays included), 10 am to 4 pm, and closed for nesting from roughly mid-April through August (USFWS; GoToStCroix gives April 1 to August 31). No pets; nothing staked into the sand (umbrellas, chairs, pop-ups); no shade or facilities. Deep water close to the beach and no fringing reef, so snorkeling is limited, but turtles and rays pass by. Guided turtle-watching: contact the St Croix Sea Turtle Project (stxturtles@gmail.com). Visit by car. From seaward, the Coast Pilot warns that low Southwest Cape and its shoals are easy to misjudge at night: stay a mile or more off.

Best for

A weekend beach day and turtle conservation

Season

Weekends only; closed about mid-April to August for nesting

Nearby