Hiking the Johnny Horn Trail in Virgin Islands National Park
Distance (RT via Private Road TH & Windy Hill): 3.2 miles / 5.1 km
The Johnny Horn Trail in Virgin Islands National Park is a beautiful out-and-back day hike that connects Coral Bay on the south side of St. John to Waterlemon Bay and the Leinster Bay Trail on the North Shore!
That said, I often think of the Johnny Horn Trail as one of the most underrated day hikes in Virgin Islands National Park, as it is often overshadowed by other, more popular trails, like the Ram Head Trail and the Reef Bay Trail down the road.
This is one of the reasons why I think the Johnny Horn Trail is one of the best hidden gems in Virgin Islands National Park, but even more so because of the stunning panoramic views above Waterlemon Cay from the top of Windy Hill near Leinster Point!
Beyond this, there are also beautiful views of Waterlemon Bay and the British Virgin Islands in the distance, all of which can be enjoyed before hiking down to the beach to swim in the turquoise-blue water where the hike meets the Leinster Bay Trail at the very end!
Johnny Horn Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Johnny Horn Trail is located in one of two places.
First, there is the option to park at the intersection of VI 109 and East End Road, adjacent to the Emmaus Moravian Church. This is the most popular option, as many hikers think this is where the hike begins.
However, I recommend against parking near the church because, with a Jeep or similar 4×4 vehicle, roughly 0.4 miles (0.6 km) and 300 ft. (91 m) of elevation gain can be cut out by driving up VI 109 to the start of the private road.
This is what I recommend, and it’s as easy as putting your car in 4WD and slowly climbing the steep hill until you reach the sign for the private road, where a few roadside parking spots can be found on the right-hand side.
Google Maps Directions: Lower Johnny Horn Trailhead / Upper Johnny Horn 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 Johnny Horn Trail
Lower Johnny Horn Trailhead
This is the Lower Johnny Horn Trailhead from the start of the private road.
That said, there is also an Upper Trailhead in the sense that the actual trail begins farther up the road.
However, the end of the pavement in the photo below is the closest visitors can legally park and start hiking, since everything after this point is private property along the public right-of-way.
This first part of the Johnny Horn Trail on the private road is the steepest part of the entire hike, and it’s why some hikers may want to bring trekking poles—especially those who plan to park at the church down in Coral Bay!
At the top of the first steep hill, go right to continue hiking toward the Upper Johnny Horn Trailhead.
At the next split immediately after the first, go left to continue toward the Upper Johnny Horn Trailhead, just around the corner.
Upper Johnny Horn Trailhead
This is the end of the private road, meaning that from this point to the Leinster Bay Trail and Waterlemon Bay, the Johnny Horn Trail follows an 'actual trail' for the rest of the hike!
All this to say, go left at this split, and the Johnny Horn Trail will begin descending toward a slight low point before heading back up to the Brown Bay Trail shortly thereafter.
This first downhill stretch from the Upper Trailhead will lose about 215 ft. (66 m) of elevation over the next 0.25 miles (0.4 km).
This is the low point mentioned previously, which marks the end of the steepest sections on the hike to Waterlemon Bay.
From this point, the Johnny Horn Trail begins a slow, very gradual climb up to the Brown Bay junction, a little less than 0.2 miles (0.3 km) away.
Johnny Horn-Brown Bay Junction
After roughly 0.6 miles (1.0 km) from the beginning of the private road, the Johnny Horn Trail passes the first of two junctions on the hike down to Waterlemon Bay.
The first is the Brown Bay Trail, a separate, lesser-known day hike that begins just to the east, heads past Brown Bay, and connects with the Johnny Horn Trail at this point.
That said, go left at this first split to continue on the Johnny Horn Trail toward Windy Hill and Waterlemon Bay shortly after.
Read My Separate Post: Brown Bay Trail
Other than the steep sections in the beginning of the Johnny Horn Trail to get to the upper trailhead, I believe the majority of the trail is one of the best trail-running hikes in Virgin Islands National Park!
I say this because the trail is neither too long nor too short, the elevation changes are fairly manageable, and the views above Waterlemon Cay at the end are second to none!
If trail running is something you’re considering, I recommend using the shoes I have linked below, as they work well for both hiking and trail running on all the best adventures across St. John.
Since the Johnny Horn Trail is such a low-elevation, mostly coastal hike, there isn’t a lot of shade throughout much of the day, especially after mid-morning.
This is why I highly recommend hiking in a hooded sun shirt—something that can certainly be useful for countless other day hikes across Virgin Islands National Park.
Johnny Horn-Windy Hill Junction
With about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) to go before the Johnny Horn Trail ends at Waterlemon Bay, the trail splits, with a short 0.1-mile (0.2 km) side trail that leads up to Windy Hill and the Windy Hill Great House Ruins at the top.
Once here, hikers either have the option to go left to continue on the Johnny Horn Trail, or go right to hike up the short Windy Hill Trail toward the ruins and the best viewpoint of Waterlemon Cay at the top!
To skip past the Windy Hill Ruins, click here.
Personally, I could not recommend hiking up the short Windy Hill Trail more, as the view from the top is truly one of the highlights of the full Johnny Horn Trail!
Windy Hill Great House Ruins
The end of the short 0.1-mile (0.2 km) side trail is the Windy Hill Great House Ruins and, arguably, the best view of Waterlemon Cay, which can be found by taking the path around the left side of the historic structure!
In my opinion, this is the best view of Waterlemon Cay just offshore—even better than the view from the Danish Guard House Ruins a short distance below.
Johnny Horn-Windy Hill Junction
Once back at the junction below Windy Hill, go right to continue on the Johnny Horn Trail to Waterlemon Bay below.
After the Windy Hill Trail, the rest of the Johnny Horn Trail to Waterlemon Bay is all downhill.
I mention this because, if you weren’t planning to swim at the bottom, the Windy Hill junction—or rather, the viewpoint at the top—is a great turnaround point to start hiking back.
Danish Guard House Ruins
At the switchback just above Waterlemon Bay, the Johnny Horn Trail splits one final time at the Danish Guard House Ruins, located just off the trail.
For those that are curious, there is one final view of Waterlemon Cay from above, but if you already hiked up to the top of Windy Hill as shown above, I personally think you’ve already seen the best view on the entire trail.
After the Danish Guard House Ruins, there is only 0.1 miles (0.2 km) left before the Johnny Horn Trail ends at Waterlemon Bay.
Johnny Horn-Leinster Bay Junction (Waterlemon Bay Beach)
After 1.6 miles (2.6 km), including the short out-and-back section up Windy Hill, the Johnny Horn Trail ends at Waterlemon Bay Beach.
At this point, there’s either the option to stay on the path in the trees to walk over to the Lower Leinster Bay Ruins, begin the Leinster Bay Trail by going left along the beach in the direction of the trailhead, or go right toward the Waterlemon Cay access—the closest point on St. John from which visitors can swim to reach the beautiful offshore island.
In either case, Waterlemon Bay is one of the best places to hike and swim in Virgin Islands National Park! I mention this because, if you weren’t planning on hiking the Leinster Bay Trail, I recommend bringing a good mask to enjoy the water at Waterlemon Beach before hiking back.
Read My Separate Post: Leinster Bay Trail
