Hiking the Drunk Bay Trail in Virgin Islands National Park
Distance: 1.2 miles / 1.9 km
The Drunk Bay Trail in Virgin Islands National Park is a short and easy out-and-back trail on the south side of St. John that leads out to a beautiful yet rugged stretch of coastline, unlike most that visitors typically picture when thinking of beaches across the National Park!
By this, I mean that Virgin Islands National Park is renowned for its stunning, calm, white-sand beaches with turquoise-blue water that can be found on all sides of the island—especially the North Shore!
However, there are a few stretches of coastline within the park that are rough and undeveloped, which is exactly what Drunk Bay is all about!
That said, Drunk Bay is quite literally the opposite of Salt Pond Bay, the beach on the other side of the peninsula where the trail begins, as the coastline at the end of the trail receives a direct open-ocean swell. What this is all really means is that Drunk Bay is not for swimming, like most beaches within Virgin Islands National Park are. Rather, the end of the Drunk Bay Trail is a great place to walk around and explore before hiking farther on the Ram Head Trail or heading back to Salt Pond Beach to go for a swim!
Drunk Bay Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Drunk Bay Trail is located at Salt Pond Bay on the south side of St. John in Virgin Islands National Park.
That said, Salt Pond is the shared parking area for both the Drunk Bay Trail, the Ram Head Trail, and Salt Pond Beach, meaning it is without a doubt the busiest place to visit in Virgin Islands National Park south of Coral Bay.
This is why visiting first thing in the morning or later in the evening before hiking the Ram Head Trail for sunset can be a great option, as the beach is best avoided during the busiest and hottest midday hours.
Google Maps Directions: Drunk Bay Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Virgin Islands
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Virgin Islands National Park.
Hiking the Drunk Bay Trail
The Drunk Bay Trail begins on a short 0.2-mile (0.3 km) service road that leads down to Salt Pond Bay.
Since the vast majority of visitors come to Salt Pond Bay for the beach, this first stretch between the trailhead and the water is the busiest section of the entire Drunk Bay Trail.
Salt Pond Bay
After hiking 0.2 miles (0.3 km) down the service road, the Drunk Bay Trail reaches Salt Pond Beach, one of the most beautiful, kid-friendly beaches on the south side of Virgin Islands National Park!
Once here, walk straight across the beautiful beach to the far south side to find where the Drunk Bay Trail splits from the Ram Head Trail.
Drunk Bay-Ram Head Junction
On the far south side of Salt Pond Beach, the Drunk Bay Trail and the Ram Head Trail split and head in different directions.
That said, go left at this junction to continue on the Drunk Bay Trail toward Salt Pond, followed Drunk Bay shortly thereafter.
Read My Separate Post: Ram Head Trail (Coming Soon)
Salt Pond
Just a few steps after leaving Salt Pond Bay, the Drunk Bay Trail reaches Salt Pond on the far side of the bushes.
Once again, go left to continue hiking the Drunk Bay Trail along the north side of Salt Pond to the other side of the peninsula.
This is one of many native plants in Virgin Islands National Park that is also native to Hawaiʻi!
Locally, it is known as Shoreline Purslane, but at home in Hawaiʻi on the far side of the planet, we call this plant ʻĀkulikuli!
The one thing that should stand out more than anything else is just how little shade there is on the Drunk Bay Trail and, truly, every coastal day hike in Virgin Islands National Park!
This is why I recommend hiking in a hooded sun shirt to stay safe, especially when combining both the Drunk Bay Trail and the Ram Head Trail to make one long adventure.
Drunk Bay
After just 0.6 miles (1.0 km), the Drunk Bay Trail reaches Drunk Bay and the end of the maintained trail.
As previously mentioned, Drunk Bay is not a place to go swimming, as the rough, rugged coastline receives a direct open-ocean swell, unlike many of the North Shore beaches, which are protected by the British Virgin Islands.
All this to say, the rocky shoreline at the end of the hike is really what you make of it—meaning that you can explore as far north or south as it is safe to do so!
