St Croix's East End

Point Udall on the east end of St Croix is the easternmost point of the United States, marked by a sundial monument on a headland where the land runs out into the Caribbean, and standing there at dawn means seeing the sun before anyone else in the country. The peninsula behind it is dry and scrubby, covered in cactus and thorn rather than palms, with rolling hills that look more like Baja than the tropics, and it is protected as the East End Marine Park, the first territorial marine park in the region. Below the headland lie Isaac Bay and Jack Bay, reached only on foot down a rough track, empty beaches where turtles nest and where you will very likely be alone.

What you actually see

• Point Udall - the sundial monument at the easternmost point of the country.
• Isaac and Jack Bays - empty beaches reached on foot down a rough track.
• The dry peninsula - cactus and thorn scrub, unlike the rest of the island.
• The marine park - protected reef offshore, snorkelled from the bays.

When to go

December to April is the dry season; the east end is the driest part of the island year-round and offers almost no shade at any time. Dawn at Point Udall is the point of coming, and turtles nest on the bays in the warmer months.

Honest expectations

There is no shade, no facilities and no water anywhere out here, and the walk down to the bays is steep, rough and hot. A hire car is essential, and the track to the trailhead is rutted. Turtle nesting means the beaches are sensitive, so stay off marked nests and take everything out with you.

Nearby

Christiansted and Buck Island are half an hour west; the rainforest end of the island is beyond.