Cinnamon Bay

Mrs. J
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
8
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8
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Editor Pick

Cinnamon Bay beaches

  • March 4, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by brianestadt from McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Cinnamon Bay beaches

Comprised of three beaches, Cinnamon Bay offers visitors a lot of elbow room. If you arrive via Cinnamon Bay campground (which is run by U.S. National Parks... http://www.virgin.islands.national-park.com/camping.htm#fac), the first beach you'll hit is Cinnamon Bay Beach. To your left (while facing the sea) is Little Cinnamon Bay; beyond Little Cinnamon is Peter Bay, an enclave of very expensive villas and homes. Peter Bay is a public beach, but word is that the rich people who live/vacation there like to pretend otherwise. As I understand it, Peter Bay beach access is only from sea, since none of the landowners grant land access.

Snorkelers might want to bring their mask and fins to check out a submerged Cessna airplane that is in the easternmost section of Little Cinnamon. We didn't snorkel here, so I can't say if it's worthwhile, but it sounds cool.

We stuck to Cinnamon Bay Beach, which is a large golden white beach that offers scenic views of several islands (then again, what beach in St. John doesn't?). Despite visiting here on a slightly overcast day, the view was beautiful.

From journal Villa Living in the Hills of St. John

Cinnamon Bay

  • November 10, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Maria P from Atlanta, Georgia
We visited Cinnamon Bay's Sugar Plantation ruins. Detailed signs explain the history of the sugar industry in the islands and how the native people were enslaved to work them. Three-fourths of St. John is national park donated by Laurence Rockefeller in 1956. Caneel Bay is the only resort on the island, but there are campsites at Cinnamon Bay that are inexpensive and quiet!

From journal St. John

Editor Pick

Hanging out in St. John

  • February 22, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by htrbaker from Caldwell, New Jersey
We went over to St. John from St. Thomas by ferry. When you pull into the harbor, you can see brightly painted beach bars and restaurants all along the beach. Once you get off the ferry, there are tons of little streets and plazas full of all kind of interesting stores. There are jewelry stores, surf shops, art stores, souvenir shops, little stands that have fresh fruit and smoothies, and even a Versace store. St. John is a bit more upper-class than St. Thomas but definitely not snobby. You can catch a taxi anywhere and visit the magnificent beaches.

We decided to go to a beach called Cinnamon Bay. It's a little bit farther than Trunk Bay, but we heard the snorkeling was better there and the beach was really nice. When we got to Cinnamon Bay, we started walking down trails to the beach and discovered that there was a huge campground where you can camp on the beach for $25 a day. Many people were doing this and I heard you have to reserve a spot 1 year in advance; if you’re into camping, this is a good spot. Cinnamon Bay has a little island in the ocean you can swim out to and snorkel all around the rocks. They also have a little snack bar and every water sport rental (non-motorized) that you can think of. They also have public showers and bathrooms there. We liked the beach so much, we went back twice. It's not as popular as Trunk Bay, so it was nice to be away from the crowds.

From journal Day trip in St. John

Editor Pick

Cinnamon Bay Trail

  • November 23, 2004
  • Rated 3 of 5 by pepperpot from Brooklyn, New York
Cinnamon Bay Trail

Nearly three-quarters of St. John is national park, and the dozens of hiking trails threading their way across the island are one of its main attractions. Some are easy, others are hard—but what they all have in common is the tropical environment, which adds a major dimension of challenge. I pooh-poohed this before I arrived in St. John, but once I was actually there in the heat and humidity, I found my lust for hiking quickly melting away.

However, most of the island’s more challenging trails can be hiked, even by an out-of-shape couch potato like me, using a simple ploy: skip the uphill part by driving to the uppermost point on the trail and hiking down from there. That’s the strategy my group and I used to take on the Cinnamon Bay Trail, accompanied by a knowledgeable young guide from A Walk in the Park Tours.

As we started down the trail, our guide mentioned that the forest surrounding us was very different from what it had been a few hundred years ago. In the colonial period, the entire island had been cleared of trees to make way for sugar plantations. So this forest was all new growth and still quite young, and it would be another 200 years before the forest would be back to its previous state. Too bad we wouldn’t live to see it!

Indeed, the marks of the plantations were still in evidence everywhere. We often passed low walls of rock, reminders that this hill had once been terraced, and the remains of the irrigation system could also be seen in places. The guide also noted that St. John’s forest was a very dry one, because the small trees didn’t produce the amount of evaporation needed to precipitate frequent bouts of rain.

Overall, the trail was very pretty, and there were a couple of spots with fantastic views down the hillside and across Cinnamon Bay. And if I could hike down it without a problem, just about anyone can. Do wear hiking boots, though, as it’s rough, rocky, and slippery in places! (One of my companions was wearing slip-on sandals, and he was definitely not a happy camper.) As for hiking it uphill—well, you can do it, but be prepared for a challenge!

If you hike it downhill as I did, there’s another nice bonus in store for you at the bottom: an interesting complex of colonial ruins. And right across the road is the Cinnamon Bay campground and beach, where you can relax with a refreshing drink and cool off with a swim in the ocean.

From journal St. John on Land

Snorkeling at Cinnamon Bay

  • May 8, 2003
  • Rated 3 of 5 by *cartgirl* from Vancouver, British Columbia
Snorkeling at Cinnamon Bay

There is a small island in the bay, around which there are some great coral formations, and a lot of fish and pelicans to look at. One of the people from our group was lucky enough to watch a sea turtle swim by.

There is a fairly strong current that you have to swim against to get out to the island. Also, there are a lot of boats that anchor in the bay, so be sure to stay within the marked boundaries of the swimming area.

From journal Living it up in St. John, USVI

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