Want A St. John Beach All To Yourself?

Shhhhhh, don’t tell everyone.

They say the best things in life take a little effort. That same idea holds true for beaches. If a beach takes a little work to get to, chance are you’ll have it nearly all to yourself. A secluded beach paradise fantasy come true.

That’s what Castaway Crystal and I were in search of during our first full day on St. John in the USVI. A beach that was untouched by big crowds and could also take your breath away. Well, that’s just what we found when we emerged from the trail and found ourselves on Denis Beach.

I hesitate writing about places like this because I want them to stay the way they are. Being that Denis Beach isn’t exactly a complete secret, I think the impact from a short story by a simple Caribbean blogger can do no harm. That being said, let me introduce you to one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve sunk my toes into on St. John…meet Denis Beach

The only way to get to this living postcard is by boat or hiking down a 20-minute trail. This keeps the beach off most people’s radar, even though it’s located on St. John’s famed North Shore.

To get there, park in the Peace Hill parking lot on North Shore Road, just past Hawksnest Bay. We parked, then first took the short hike up the Peace Hill trail and took in the stunning views and an old sugar mill ruin. After that, we took the Denis beach spur trail that lead off of the Peace Hill trail. The trail isn’t super strenuous, just a couple zig zags and steep areas. But it’s enough to keep most people from hauling all their beach gear down to the sand.

We emerged from the trees and stepped out on the soft white sand. My jaw fell open. It was one of the most beautiful beaches I’d ever seen and there wasn’t another soul in site. We had it all to ourselves.

Denis Beach is maybe 300-400 yards long and curls at the end of the bay. There are some interesting black rocks on the end where you emerge from the trees. On the other end there is what look like some concrete pilings from an old dock.

On the far end is a private residence. I’ve heard people say the guy who owns the home isn’t very friendly at times. We did see him, but he didn’t say anything to us.

We explored the beach, trying to capture the scene via photo and video the best we could. As beautiful as these photos are, they don’t do this place justice.

Castaway Crystal made a cool discovery of some ruins in the trees of what looks like an old home. You just never know what you’re going to find when exploring this magical island.

If you’ve made your way to Denis Beach, I’d love to hear what your experience was like. Or do I? Maybe we should just keep this treasure quiet.

Cheers!
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