St. Croix is the largest of the US Virgin Islands, and a stay there suits travellers who want more than a beach and a pool. Some of the island’s best-known sights are run by the National Park Service, which means the practical details, from fees to boat access, are published. This guide draws on those official pages to show what is worth leaving the resort for and what to check before you go.

Buck Island Reef National Monument

Buck Island is the headline excursion. According to the National Park Service, you need a boat to reach the island or the reef. Six NPS concessionaires run trips from the St. Croix mainland, and private vessels need a mooring permit. The park describes the sail from Christiansted as about 5.5 miles, or 8.8 kilometres.

On the island, the monument lists trails through tropical dry forest and manchineel beach forest, plus beaches and rocky shores. Wildlife includes sea turtles and least terns, and elkhorn coral surrounds two-thirds of the island. The monument is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and closes at night to protect nesting sea turtles. The park lists no entrance fee, and camping is not allowed.

The park’s own pages show inconsistent dates for some details, so confirm hours and conditions with the monument or your tour operator before you book. A tour operator will usually handle the boat, the snorkelling gear and the timing. Because it is a day on open water, check the sea conditions and our guide to snorkelling safety and reef etiquette first.

Christiansted National Historic Site

Christiansted is the island’s historic harbour town, and its centrepiece is the Danish Fort Christiansvaern. The fort houses the visitor booth where passes are sold. The entrance fee is $10 for adults 16 and older, with children under 16 free, and it covers three days of entry to the fort. Holders of valid federal passes are admitted free under the rules for those passes.

Secure two-hour parking is available at the fort until 4:30 p.m. The site is at 2100 Church Street in Christiansted. Because the park measures the sail to Buck Island from Christiansted, the town works well as a half-day on either side of a boat trip. Cellular service is widespread on St. Croix, but there is no public Wi-Fi in the park, so download directions and tickets before you arrive.

Salt River Bay

Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve is a quieter option. The park describes itself as documenting the human and natural Caribbean world from early indigenous settlements through clashes between seven European colonial powers. It contains what the park calls one of the most important archaeological sites in the Virgin Islands, along with a brick and coral block tower from the 1790s that used wind power to move water to plantation estates.

Visitors can snorkel, scuba dive, kayak and take hiking tours. The park says kayaking is a great way to see its mangroves and beaches, and divers visit the canyon walls at Salt River. The park’s pages do not list specific hours or fee amounts, so check them directly.

Planning the days

  1. Arrange Buck Island ahead of time, since it needs a boat, and ask the operator about the conditions on your date.
  2. Pair Christiansted with the boat trip, so you see the fort and the waterfront before or after the sail.
  3. Keep Salt River Bay for a calmer day, ideally with a guided kayak.
  4. Bring cash and a printed or downloaded confirmation, because mobile data and Wi-Fi can be patchy at park sites.
  5. Check weather first. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. See how hurricane season affects a resort trip.

What this guide does not cover

We are not recommending specific tour operators or quoting excursion prices, which vary by company and season. We have also not covered beaches, restaurants or the island’s other towns, because we have not sourced them for this guide. Everything above comes from National Park Service pages, and some of those pages were last updated before the most recent season, so confirm current details before you commit to a date.

Related reading

A new all-inclusive is planned for the island’s northwest coast, covered in our post on Club Med St. Croix. For flights, see United’s Newark to St. Croix nonstop. For a comparable island guide, see things to do in Curacao beyond the resort.

Sources: National Park Service pages for Buck Island Reef National Monument, Christiansted National Historic Site and Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve.