About
One of the great things about staying in a St. Croix vacation rental is the access to world-class beaches. This is certainly the case with West Beach, which I was soon to discover. West Beach instantly became my favorite beach near Frederiksted. It’s completely breathtaking. The sand is that sugary, soft sand that I imagined when I first started thinking about vacationing on St. Croix. The water is the perfect temperature; not too warm and not too cold. When you consider how hot it gets, that’s pretty amazing. I was glad to have my water shoes, though. Sandals are great, but with my water shoes I could walk in the surf, come back onto the sand, etc. it can be a little windy, which gets the surf up, so I recommend coming with a friend. I mean, you should always do that if you plan on swimming, but here it’s even more important, in my opinion.
Also, there’s no place to buy water or food, so bring a cooler for yourself or at least several bottles of water to stay hydrated. Pretty standard beach advice I know, but on St. Croix you can almost always rely on some kind of shack selling water at the very least. Not here, though. I also recommend bringing a chair with an umbrella or some kind of shade or canopy or something. The only trees for shade are up near the grassy parking lot. If you want to be on the sand, you won’t be able to rely on natural shade.
Getting There & Parking
West Beach is on a long peninsula for lack of a better word. It’s just over two kilometers from Frederiksted, which translates to about a five minute drive. You could easily bicycle it if you wanted to. The interesting thing about West Beach is that the narrow strip is surrounded by water on both sides. So you have the Atlantic side and the Westend Saltpond on the other side. The Saltpond is connected to the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, so you shouldn’t really venture into that area. Or if you do, then tread lightly because you don’t want to disturb the wildlife or the marine life. So just drive south down Veterans Shore Drive from Frederiksted and West Beach will be on your right.
The parking situation is just a grassy/sandy lot near the tree line. Just pull off and find your spot. There are plenty of them. Unfortunately, some people have reported smash and grabs, so don’t leave any valuables in plain sight inside your vehicle. If you can, park your vehicle close to where you park yourself on the beach so you can keep an eye on it. Also, watch where you drive in the parking lot so you don’t drive over broken glass. Unfortunately, I’ve found that in today’s world this is just a reality whenever you go to a remote beach, wherever it is in the world.
Activities
West Beach is a “make your own fun” kind of place. That’s the way I like to put it. You won’t find any kind of watersports rental shack here, restaurants or bars. I feel that’s a nice change. I’m guessing that’s due in part to the beach’s proximity to the wildlife refuge. The government doesn’t want a lot of loud sounds that may disturb nesting turtles or other sea creatures. With that said, there’s no reason you can’t bring your own gear. West Beach is too beautiful not to enjoy the crystal clear water. You can see all the way to the bottom and it would be a shame to miss a great snorkeling opportunity.
So bring your snorkeling gear, your paddle board, your kayak or whatever else you’re into, because this is a great place to play. And if you’re new to any of those sports, this is a great place to practice without a big audience. It’s so quiet and serene here, and often there are very few people on the beach. In the day I went, I counted just nine people, and that included me and my two friends. Just so you know, there are no lifeguards at the beach either, so, again, swim with a buddy for safety.
Beach Rules & Info
There are no specific rules in force on West Beach. However, because of the wildlife refuge, it’s expected that you would respect nature by not being too loud and raucous. You also can’t have any bonfires on this beach. Individual water sports and water play is fine, but please don’t set up a volleyball net for yourself and 25 of your closest friends. Finally, a friendly reminder that the beaches and waters of St. Croix are pristine because people keep them that way. Avoid using bug sprays and other chemicals at the beach, and carry out all your waste.