Hiking the Yawzi Point Trail in Virgin Islands National Park
Distance: 0.7 miles / 1.1 km
The Yawzi Point Trail in Virgin Islands National Park is an easy out-and-back day hike on the south side of St. John that traverses the short peninsula between Great and Little Lameshur Bay, ultimately ending at a dramatic rocky outcrop that overlooks the Cabritte Horn Trail to the east and Europa Bay, off the Lameshur Bay Trail, to the west.
That said, what makes the Yawzi Point Trail better than just an easy, short hike is all the side trails that can be explored on either side of the point.
By this, I mean that visitors can find various beautiful viewpoints and places to swim at different points throughout the trail. However, if looking hidden places to swim is something you’re interested in, it’s important to be careful when trying to access the water, as almost all places to get in are much rockier than Little Lameshur Bay Beach just down the road.
Yawzi Point Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Yawzi Point Trail is located directly alongside Yawzi Point Road, as close to the trailhead as parking is available.
That said, the parking spaces suitable for keeping the narrow road open to other traffic are very limited, but Yawzi Point is not a very popular adventure in Virgin Islands National Park, which is why finding a close spot is typically never an issue.
Google Maps Directions: Yawzi Point 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 Yawzi Point Trail
The Yawzi Point Trail begins on the right-hand side of the road, just before the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station.
For the most part, the Yawzi Point Trail is very flat as it simply winds its way through the low-elevation brush on the way out to the end.
Great Lameshur Estate House
After just 0.1 miles (0.2 km), the Yawzi Point Trail passes the Great Lameshur Estate House, the only set of Danish colonial ruins on a short hike out to Yawzi Point.
The one thing that I hope is obvious from these photos is that there is essentially no shade on the short hike out to Yawzi Point, which is why I highly recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt—especially if you plan to hike multiple trails in the area, like the Ram Head Trail or Bordeaux Mountain down the road.
This is one of the many sections of coastline worth exploring off the Yawzi Point Trail, as it—along with many other side trails—lead to a beautiful stretches of shoreline on either side of the point.
This is where the Yawzi Point Trail reaches the southernmost sections at the end of the hike.
The final walk out to Yawzi Point is much more exposed than any other part of the trail up to this point, which is to say that the actual point is not a great place to explore with young kids.
Yawzi Point
This is Yawzi Point, which looks out over Great Lameshur Bay and the Tektite Trail to the east (left), and Little Lameshur Bay toward Europa Bay and Reef Bay to the west (right).
On a different note, I think it’s important to mention again that these photos don’t do a great job of showing just how exposed the final section of the trail is.
By this, I mean that hiking out to the farthest point shown here is not suitable for people of all abilities, as the drops are more dramatic than they may appear.
