Francis Bay Beach

Beautiful place to watch a sunset... Bring bug spray!

This beach is a little further from the main areas. However, it was some great snorkeling. we saw a few Stingrays, Spotted Eagle Rays, a nurse shark and a lemon shark and a few parrot fish. You can easily see depths of 20 to 30 feet if you're venturing out that far. Parking is a little challenging but people leave often so you might have to circle the driveway a couple times. It is a little Rocky and pebbley to the left of the main entrance. However the further right you go, You will encounter softer sand as you enter the sea.

One of our top 3 beaches on St John! We got there at 8:30 so parking wasn’t a problem. It has great views, wasn’t crowded and has pretty good snorkeling on the east end.

West facing bay is very calm. If snorkel, go to the south end of the beach, there’s a pretty nice coral there.

One of my top 5 favorite beaches in the USVI. It is rocky, so not the best for swimming. Great snorkeling for those with experience; tons of fish near the reef (watch out for the stone fish!) as well as occasional tutles and dolphins in the area. Be sure to walk the trail to see some neat ruins

Hidden Gem. we took a walking trail to reach the beach, it's like .25 miles of walk. Nice trail. You can also drive to get to the beach. But most probably you will not find nearby parking and might end up taking 5 min walk. Plenty of trees offers natural shades. Not much crowded either since most of visitors don't go beyond Maho Bay Beach. Snorkeling should be easy as well since water is petty much calm. You can spot coupl of fishes or Turtles may be.

Arrived a little after 9 am and there was only one other person there- by noon it was packed/parking unavailable. Lots of shaded spots and plenty of room to spread out. Didn’t feel crowded for the amount of people there. Water was a little hazy when snorkeling (windy today so may have impacted water?) saw a giant sea turtle and sting ray. We felt like we saw more coral/ tropical fish to the left vs. right of beach. Also saw jellyfish.

Great beach to get away from some of the more crowded spots. Sheltered in the winter more, from the wind, than the North facing beaches. There are no food trucks or stands, so pack a cooler. You can drop off your stuff very close to the beach and then go find parking. It also made it nice for someone in our party who had a bum ankle. Restroom is a porta-jon type building, and there is only one. Rough road to get back to parking, bu it seemed like enough spots for the number of people that come there.

The beach was beautiful -- soft and clean sands perfect to spend the day. Clear and calm blue water with fish swimming around my feet. A few picnic benches and a porta potty. What else can you need when enjoying the magic of St John? Ok. I'm not going to lie. I would have loved a flushable toilet and sink. But, not enough to knock off a star

Calm, beautiful blue water. Nice snorkeling at the rocks to the right. Lots of boats anchor here and some catamarans drop off loads of snorkelers. Fairly quiet, maybe because it's one of the furthest beaches. Food and paddle board, kayak rentals are available.

First time hitting this beach in all my years visiting STJ and this one could be the best. Very calm waters so perfect for families. Great for paddle boarding. Worth the drive out, plus you you can visit the Annaberg Ruins. They do have some picnic tables but get there early if you want one. If you want a break from the Maho chaos, just keep driving past and check out this gem.

Amazing beach (with a little history lesson on the side regarding the contribution of Rockefeller to the area as part of the national park building/preserving efforts), and a perfect snorkeling spot. Wonderful views of the bay, perfectly soft white sand and unbelievably blue water. Amazing!!!