Trunk Bay is a body of water and a beach on St. John in the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

. Trunk Bay is part of the

Virgin Islands National Park The Virgin Islands National Park is an American national park preserving about 60% of the land area of Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands, as well as more than of adjacent ocean, and nearly all of Hassel Island, just off the Char ...

. Trunk Bay is named for the Leatherback turtle, which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the USVI and are locally known as ''trunks''. The beach area is divided into two halves, the main Trunk Bay beach and swim area and Burgesman Cove which is located on the west end of Trunk Bay near Jumby Bay. Its amenities include a snack bar, showers and restrooms, a lifeguard, and an underwater trail for snorkeling its

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...

. Trunk Bay has consistently been voted one of the top beaches in the world.

Trunk Cay

Trunk Cay is a small grass-covered islet that sits in Trunk Bay. The cay has an elevation of 48 feet and is situated only 200 feet from Trunk Bay Beach.Griffes, Peter L. (2004). ''2004 Atlantic Boating Almanac: Gulf of Mexico''. ProStar Publications. Page 536. . It is an islet of rocky cliffs, coral sandy beaches, and palm trees. The Virgin Islands National Park Service offers underwater snorkeling trails around the

cay A cay ( ), also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island on the surface of a coral reef. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, including in the Caribbean and on the Great ...

Gallery

File:St John Trunk Bay 3.jpg File:St John Trunk Bay 5.jpg File:St John Trunk Bay 7.jpg Image:Trunk bay.jpg File:TrunkOverlook.jpg

References

{{coord, 18, 21, 09, N, 64, 46, 11, W, display=title Beaches of the United States Virgin Islands Bays of the United States Virgin Islands Virgin Islands National Park Landforms of Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands