Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
218km²
Area
133km
Coastline
354m
Highest point
Mount Eagle
41,004
People
29°C
Warmest sea
September
775km
To the mainland
When to go to Saint Croix
Best for the beach from December to April.
The sea is warmest in September (29 °C) and coolest in February (26 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
One of the main islands of the Virgin Islands of the United States
Saint Croix is an island in United States. It belongs to Lesser Antilles. It covers 218 km², with 133 km of coastline. Its highest point, Mount Eagle, rises to 354 m. About 41,004 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 775 km away.
Getting there
- Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at STX airport (Christiansted)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesCharlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas - Gallows Bay, Saint Croix
- 775 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From December to Aprilbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Saint Croix.
- 73beachesAltona Lagoon Beach, Buccaneer Beach, Cormorant Beach and 70 more
- 1viewpoints
- 1lighthousesHams Bluff Light
- 1ferry terminalsGallows Bay Ferry Dock
- 2marinasSalt River Marina, Green Cay Marina
- 39named peaksMount Eagle, Blue Mountain, Bodkin Hill and 36 more
- 2castles and fortsFort Frederik, Fort Christiansværn
- 37ruins and archaeological sitesRustoptwist Sugar Mill, Cotton Valley Windmill, Estate Little Princess and 34 more
- 1dive centresNep2une Scuba Diving
- 1campsitesCruise Ship
- 12hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 34restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Saint Croix in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Saint Croix, each with its own numbers.
26beaches and covesCoastya
1lakeLakeyas
Largest lake
0.48km²
Westend Saltpond
according to Lakeyas
Warmest lake
28.9°C
Westend Saltpond
surface water, warmest month · according to Lakeyas
Beach with the warmest sea
29.0°C
Carlton Beach
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
26 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Cathys Fancy Beach28.9°C
- Pelican Cove Beach28.9°C
- Tamarind Reef Beach28.9°C
- Cormorant Beach28.9°C
- Sonofa Beach29.0°C
- Buccaneer Beach28.9°C
- Cay Beach29.0°C
- Shoys Beach28.9°C
18 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
1 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- Westend Saltpond0.48km²
Lakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 63 m above the sea. 96 % of it is below 200 m.
- 56 %0–50 m
- 41 %50–200 m
- 4 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Saint Croix50,601 people
- Christiansted1,866 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
| Night low (°C) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 |
| Sea (°C) | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 35 | 24 | 32 | 46 | 83 | 65 | 72 | 96 | 115 | 121 | 105 | 52 |
| Wet days | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 15 |
| Sun h/day | 8.3 | 9.1 | 9.3 | 9.4 | 8.8 | 8.9 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 8.4 | 7.8 | 7.5 | 7.8 |
| Wind (km/h) | 24 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 25 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.3 |
| 2021 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | −0.1 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| 2022 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.1 | −0.2 | −0.1 |
| 2023 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +0.8 | +0.6 |
| 2024 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +1.6 | +1.6 | +1.4 | +1.0 | +1.2 | +1.6 | +1.1 | +1.0 |
| 2025 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.5 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Saint Thomas
United States72 km²473 m69 km away
Saint JohnUnited States50 km²121 m68 km away
Tortola
United Kingdom57 km²523 m78 km away
Vieques
Puerto Rico133 km²37 m85 km away
CulebraUnited States27 km²3 m86 km away
Virgin GordaUnited Kingdom22 km²117 m90 km away
Jost Van DykeUnited Kingdom8.5 km²321 m80 km away
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico9,100 km²1,338 m182 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q642481) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Lakeyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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