St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands – Crown Mountain: USVI’s Highest Point

Last updated: May 30, 2024

I cannot believe I’m writing about the time I went to the U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (USVI)! Never ever would I have thought that would be something attainable for me, but I did it, and while I was there, guess what?! I WENT TO THE HIGHEST POINT (I’m sure you guessed it, given the title of this post😊). L

I’m actually making this sound way more exciting than it is, but let me back up.

My mom and I decided to go to the USVI for our birthdays this year and planned to stay on St. Thomas. This upcoming trip got me overly obsessed with U.S. Territories, which involved going down rabbit holes for WEEKS reading so many articles and all the Wikipedia pages on the topic. It got me thinking; these territories were technically part of the United States, so their high points should count toward the U.S. high points list. After further research, I discovered that only five of them were inhibited, so I’ve expanded my list of America’s high points to include 50 state high points + DC and now the five major U.S. Territories for a total of 56 peaks!

Imagine my excitement when I discovered the highest point of the USVI was on St. Thomas, the island where we were staying! The USVI’s highest point immediately went on my must-do list, along with the Virgin Islands National Park and the British Virgin Islands.

You would not believe the lack of information about this high point online. All I could find was information regarding the elevation and what mountain it was on. Look at the Wikipedia page that hasn’t been updated in 7 years:

I was left with so many questions! Can I hike to it? Does it have a geological marker? How do I get to it? I finally discovered ONE place that actually had good information and answered all of my questions: the Rooftops of America YouTube channel! This YouTube channel has become a source of truth for me regarding all the U.S. high points, and the only reason I created a YouTube account. Without this, there is no way I would have found the highest point in the USVI. Thanks, Skye!

On my first full day in the USVI, I took the rental car and made my way up Crown Mountain. Thanks to Rooftops of America, I knew this was a drive-up. While a geological marker did exist, the area was restricted, preventing me from getting to the high point or locating the geological benchmark. However, I could get as close as legally possible and check this off the list (which counts in the world of high pointing!). ✅ Its elevation is 1,555, making it the 4th highest point of major territories and #43 on the list of U.S. high points.

First off, the locals don’t know about high-pointing. If you ask them where the highest point in St. Thomas is located, they will point you to Mountain Top, which is actually the second highest point in the Virgin Islands, despite the false advertisement on their website!

There are zero signs to assist in finding the high point. You will want to use the following coordinates to guide you: 18.356947, -64.97107.

The very steep and winding roads are truly a nightmare. There’s nowhere to turn around, and the road is incredibly narrow. I was using a photo from Rooftops of America as my guide on where to turn, but because the photo showed a white electrical box on the telephone pole that has since been removed, it threw me off, and I didn’t correlate the turn with the photo. Looking for the turn added approximately 45 more minutes than it should have to find the place, BUT… I found it (it’s a LEFT turn!). You’ll see two gates when you pull in, one on the left and one on the right, with a prominent tower behind the right gate. The high point is under the tower! Note: there are like 4 towers on Crown Mountain, so this is really confusing if you go to others like I did thinking it could be it.

I can see why they don’t advertise this place. It is UGLY, and there are ZERO VIEWS of the water or islands, a genuinely stark difference from Mountain Top (which we visited, and it is jaw-dropping beautiful). I get that the USVI are known for their stunning aesthetics. Still, I think they are missing a tremendous opportunity here. The high point is only 15 feet behind the fence, so if they would open it up, put a small parking lot, and throw up a cute sign, this would be a THING for all us high pointers! I know they are not lacking visitors; they literally have to do nothing and millions of people each year will visit because the island’s beauty alone attracts the tourists, but still… open up the high point! I was truly beyond disappointed in St. Thomas for the silliness of restricting its high point. Now that I’m typing this, I realize I don’t know who owns the highpoint… the U.S. or an individual. Regardless, whoever you are, let us high-pointers IN!

With all that said, here I am at the USVI high point!

And here’s a better photo of the tower:

Overall, this is the most disappointing U.S. high point to date, but regardless of whether they are disappointing or thrilling, I plan to visit them ALL because how can I check them off if I don’t go?

If you are looking for more information regarding the U.S. Virgin Islands highpoint, feel free to contact me via the comments section at the very bottom of this page or through the contact me form found in the footer of all pages on this website.

Best of luck with all of your adventures, regardless of whether they involve high-pointing or not (although they totally should!).