St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands – Maho Bay

Last updated: May 30, 2024

While researching for this blog post, I couldn’t find much information about Maho Bay, specifically the cute little Crossroads area, so I’m really excited to tell you all about the west side of Maho Bay.

First… the directional signs. If you read about when I visited the Florida Keys, you know what a sucker I am for these. I don’t know why they appeal to me so much, but Maho Crossroads has the best ones! They are everywhere! Vendors use them as a menu, or to list items they have for sale. There are some permanent ones established that are perfect photo ops, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start with where Maho Bay is located.

So if you’ve been following my journey, you know my mom and I decided to go to the Virgin Islands for our birthday this year, which is the first birthday trip that has required flights. We stayed on the island of St. Thomas, but dedicated a whole day to visiting St. John. This was a must do for me because St. John is where The Virgin Island National Park is located and we all know I couldn’t leave the Virgin Islands without getting my stamp!

The National Park covers almost 60% of St. John Island and Maho Bay is part of the National Park which made it extra special for me!

To get to St. John, we took a 6am car ferry and the last ferry left at 6pm, so we had the full day to explore the island, but also knew we better be back at that ferry or we were going to be stranded. We took our rental car which was an experience. I had to back the car onto the boat only inches away from other vehicles. When we got to St John an hour later, I was able to drive forward as normal. You could definitely feel the stress in the air of all the tourists backing their rental cars onto a boat, something most of us had never done before. I aced it like a pro while my mom closed her eyes and prayed. 😂

We learned about Maho Bay at the National Park Visitor Center and stopped to visit on our way back from Anaberg.

Maho Bay’s beach is narrow and small, meaning it gets crowded quickly, especially during peak tourist times and holidays. It’s mostly known for its grassy sea bottom which attracts all kinds of marine life, most famously sea turtles, making it an extremely popular snorkeling spot. We already had plans to swim with sea turtles at St. Thomas, so we skipped this activity and instead just explored the area, which is when we found the Maho Crossroads. Here’s a peek at the beach, which is nothing to to scoff at!

Maho Crossroads is across the road from Maho Beach where you can enjoy music, grab a bite to eat at food trucks, get souvenirs, and rent beach equipment. The vibe is on point and I enjoyed this cute little area immensely! Parking was just a few yards down the road and while tight, we managed to find a parking spot.

Enjoy these photos of Maho Crossroads!

Afterward, we headed to Cinnamon Bay and then back to the port so we could take the car ferry back to St. Thomas. If you are visiting the Virigin Islands, St. John is a MUST, if only for just one day!

Tell me, have you been to the Virgin Islands? If so, what was your favorite part?