St. Croix has tons to offer for tourists and travelers alike (See: St. Croix Bucket List). A mere 22 miles in length and 7 miles in width, the island contains many resorts and stunning beaches. Along the northern coast of the island from Christiansted towards the west, the geography is quite hilly. Hidden within the hills lies my favorite place on St. Croix; the Annaly Bay Tide Pools.
The tide pools, also known as the Carambola Tide Pools, are situated on the western end of Annaly Bay. The beach within the bay is all rocks and the surf was quite rough when I visited so I don’t recommend making the trek for anything else but to visit the pools. The water enters the pools either by crashing over the barrier rocks or through a hole connecting to the sea at one end. This hole allows water to constantly flush in and out of the pool and prevents it from becoming too warm and algae infested.
How To Get There
There are two ways to arrive at Annaly bay; a hiking trail or an ATV/4WD vehicle. There are several companies that offer ATV or 4WD vehicles and tours. However, the road was quite washed out near the beach so you may not be able to drive all the way to the bay. The second option is to hike the 2.5 mile trail which is how I recommend to get to the pools. Accessing the pools from the bay requires visitors to climb over and around rocks so it’s not accessible to people with physical limitations.
If you do decide to hike, start at the Polynesian Resort in Carambola. Ask the guard at the gate where to park if you have a car and for directions to the trailhead, if needed, which you’ll be able to find up the hill to the right. The trailhead can be a bit difficult to find, but it’s just up the hill to, keep to the right and it will be on the right hand side. A small wood sign marks the trailhead but can be hidden by foliage so keep an observant eye.
It takes approximately 45 minutes to hike the length of the trail down to the bay. The trail is narrow most of the way but not dangerous if you are careful. Once you reach the end of the trail, it’ll run into the road that the ATV’s use to reach the beach; at that point it’s only another 2 minutes to the beach. While the beach is not even remotely nice enough for swimming nor laying out, it is nice to sit for a minute and listen to the noise of the waves crashing over the large pebbles and the resulting noise.
To reach the tide pools from the beach, head towards the west end, or the left when facing the water. You’ll have to climb over and around the rocks to reach the tide pool. Make sure you have good shoes for both the hike and reaching the pool. There are plenty of handholds but take your time and be careful; attempt to reach the tide pools at your own risk. Once you finally reach the pool, climb on in and enjoy; the water is nice and refreshing.
You can see my adventures at the tide pools in the video below
