Cinnamon Bay — Virgin Islands National Park

Cinnamon Bay was definitely one of my favorite beaches in the Virgin Islands. I went with my family and wife on a trip here, where we spent 2 weeks enjoying the Virgin Islands and all the beaches. Cinnamon Bay was very busy, because it is one of the most popular places to come. We did some early morning hiking, and spent the afternoon at this beach. Some of the best snorkeling was here! We saw so many beautiful fish, turtles and colorful plants. We did a ton of snorkeling here, and enjoyed every bit of it. The beach was clean, but again it was busy. Go early to claim a spot!

I camped in March 2016 prior to Hurricane Irma.

The campsites are approximately 5 minute walk to beach, camp store, dining, and bus stop.

Beautiful scenery - absolutely paradise.

The campsites are sandy with soft ground and have a picnic table.

You can walk to several attractions from the campground.

NOTE: Currently the campground is closed due to Hurricane Irma. The Hurricane destroyed many historic buildings in and around the campground.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Virgin Islands I would highly recommend it. This place is magical. The water is crystal blue clear and the hiking here is amazing!! I would say half of the island is National Park which is super cool. I would recommend coming in the summer months because during the fall and winter is their hurricane seasons and it is crazy how impactful the hurricanes are. It’s super sad. We went in June and the weather was perfect. It is a little muggy here, so do your hiking early in the morning. Cinnamon Bay was one of my favorite beaches. We did tons of snorkeling and also did a scuba dive here (but farther off the beach). The waterlife is incredible, and of course the water is magical. We saw turtles, tons of beautiful fish and coral. No sharks, which I was glad. This beach was pretty busy, so I’m glad we got here early to get a good spot. Bring lots of snacks and water because there really isn’t a food place on the beach. We brought sandwiches from our rental house and tons of water and Gatorade. There are also a lot of chickens!! So many chickens walking everywhere. They weren’t really on the beach area, but definitely on the boardwalk areas. They were cute at first, but then just got annoying because they were everywhere. If you also have the chance, I’d recommend going over to the British Virgin Islands. It’s onky a boat ride away and it’s amazing!!!

The Virgin Islands are my favorite place on earth. The water is crystal clear and the water life is amazing. Cinnamon Bay was hands down my favorite beach to visit. The snorkeling was incredible here. We brought our own snorkels and goggles, and we were out on the water for hours on end. We got to the beach around 9am and claimed our spot. We found a great spot with some trees, and hung our hammocks up and put our beach towels down with chairs. We immediately went out on the water to snorkel. We saw so many different kinds of fish, all beautiful colors. We also saw some turtles which was my top goal. The turtles were amazing, and they were fun to swim by. There was really pretty coral too. We saw some squid which was really cool. The next day we came back to this beach, but did a hike nearby first. I would recommend hiking early in the morning before the sun starts shinning and it gets miserably hot. We saw Cinnamon Bay from the top of the hike we went on. I seriously cant get over how incredible the water color here is!!

The Virgin Islands was one of my favorite trips my family and I took. I love that most of the island is National Park. So many great hikes. Cinnamon Bay didn’t disappoint! The water is crystal clear, gorgeous blue color. We did so much snorkeling, which I highly recommend. We brought our own snorkel gear but you can definitely purchase gear nearby. They sell snorkel gear throughout the whole island. The underwater life is incredible!!! There are also some really awesome hikes nearby as well. I’d recommend starting early if you plan to hike because the weather gets hot and muggy! This beach was one of my favorites!!

For a national park paradise experience, it doesn’t really get better than camping at Cinnamon Bay in Virgin Islands National Park.

If you are visiting the park and plan to stay there too, there are really only two options: Caneel Bay Resort (expensive) and Cinnamon Bay (much more affordable). Cinnamon Bay has options for a variety of visitors: eco tents, wood cottages, canvas platform tents, and bare tent sites.

We chose a canvas platform tent ($68/night in December 2015) because it provided everything we would need for our time here: cots, linens, towels, gas stove, cooking utensils and dishes, a cooler, and a lantern. Plus, they had a bathroom with an outdoor shower, so we could clean up for going in to town for $1 happy hours :)

Our tent was literally steps from a gorgeous Caribbean-perfection white sand beach. It is paradise.

In Virgin Islands, we stayed busy visiting trails, beaches, and historic sites. Our highlights included: hiking to the Reef Bay Sugar Mill ruins, hiking up Ram Head, snorkeling the Trunk Bay underwater trail, snorkeling with giant sea turtles in Maho Bay, and of course, camping at Cinnamon Bay.

You can read much more about our two days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Virgin Islands)

wonder view, can't ask for a better view

great view of the island, not far from a drive many beautiful sights