Granite boulders up to 40 feet across, piled on white sand at the south-west tip of Virgin Gorda, with sea pools and grottos between them and a trail through the rocks to Devil's Bay. A national park since 1990, a short taxi ride from the Spanish Town ferry dock, and a stop for day boats, charter yachts and cruise excursions.
Skip today Rough — 2.8 ft SSW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast. If you go, the least bad stretch left is 3 pm–6 pm.
| Day | The call | Why | Best time | Cruise guests here | Sea at the beach | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Skip today | Rough — 2.8 ft SSW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast | 3 pm–6 pm | None | Rough · 3 ft | Thunder |
| Tomorrow | Skip today | Rough — 3.4 ft SW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast | 2 pm–5 pm | None | Rough · 3.5 ft | Thunder |
| Sun, Nov 8 | Good | No cruise crowd today · Choppy — SW swell into the bay | 3 pm–6 pm | None | Some chop · 2.3 ft | 47% |
| Mon, Nov 9 | Go | Glassy, snorkel-clear water · No cruise crowd today | 8 am–11 am | None | Calm · 0.2 ft | 27% |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Go | Glassy, snorkel-clear water · No cruise crowd today | 8 am–11 am | None | Calm · 0.2 ft | 22% |
The call is the same one our beach report makes, refreshed every half hour: the swell reaching the beach (Open-Meteo's marine forecast off the island), the cruise passengers our crowd model puts on the sand, NOAA's sargassum satellite and the rain forecast. It is a model, not the park's word — the flag flying at the park has the last word. The bars under each call are the hours from 8 am to 5 pm. Today's beach report
The ferry and the taxi fare from the dock, the ships that fill the park, the moorings, today's beach and weather reads and the island around it — each one opens the full page.
The south-west tip of Virgin Gorda from OpenStreetMap: the sand of The Baths, Devil's Bay and Spring Bay, the road's end at the top of the park, and the trails down — each pin where OpenStreetMap's mappers put it. The car park, the ticket booth and the moorings are not on OpenStreetMap, so they have no pin. Tap a pin for its section.
The Baths is at the south-west tip of Virgin Gorda, where Tower Road ends in a turning circle above the sea. Almost everyone comes from the ferry dock in Spanish Town, a short ride up the road: open-air taxis meet the ferries and charge the official BVI fare in the table — per person, and less each as the party grows. From the car park at the top, trails go down to the beach and to Devil's Bay.
Ferries cross to Spanish Town from Road Town and from Trellis Bay, by Tortola's airport; from St. Thomas and St. John there are direct international boats on some days of the week, and you clear BVI customs at the dock. By sea, the National Parks Trust's day moorings lie off the beach, and dinghies come in to the dinghy line.
| From | 1 passenger | 3+ (each) | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish Town | $10 | $5 | 9 min · 3 km |
One way, per person by the size of the party: fares set by the BVI Road Traffic (Passenger Fares) Regulations (rates revised December 2022). Drive times are Google's for an ordinary day. Fare calculator for any two stops
Every ferry today · Do you need a passport? · The Virgin Gorda guide
By private boat: The Baths by day charter on BoatCharterBid, with what captains bid to go there.
The Baths and Devil's Bay are national parks, run by the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands. Visitors pay at the park or buy the Trust's one-day pass online, which covers The Baths, Devil's Bay, Stoney Bay and Spring Bay for the day. Virgin Islanders, Belongers and residents go in free with a valid government ID. The fee for visitors rises on November 1, 2026 — the first rise since 1990.
| Adult visitor, to October 31, 2026 | $3 |
| Child visitor, to October 31, 2026 | $2 |
| Adult visitor, from November 1, 2026 | $10 |
| Child visitor (under 18), from November 1, 2026 | $5 |
| Virgin Islanders, Belongers and residents, with ID | Free |
On October 14, 2026 the Trust's park pages and its online pass (plus a few cents' booking fee) still showed $3 and $2; its October 8 announcement sets $10 and $5 from November 1 and calls them the first phase. An August report of the Trust's request also named a step to $20 on April 1, 2027, which the October announcement does not mention. Accepted ID: a Virgin Islands passport, Belonger card, driver's licence, voter ID card, work permit card or NHI card. Entering without paying is an offence under the Trust's 2008 regulations.
| The Baths and Devil's Bay | 8:30 am – 4:30 pm |
| The caves (the sign on the beach) | Not after 4:30 pm |
| The Trust's moorings | Day use · 90 min |
| Top of the Baths (its website) | 8 am – 6 pm |
Every day. The park hours are the Trust's; the sign at the start of the Caves trail says not to enter the caves after 4:30 pm. The moorings are first come, first served, and using them overnight is illegal. Top of the Baths' hours are as its own website lists them in October 2026; call it on +1 284 495 5497.
Checked October 14, 2026 against the National Parks Trust's page for The Baths, its Devil's Bay page, its one-day pass, its mooring rules, its film permit, the November 2026 fees (Virgin Islands News Online), the 2021 entry notice (BVI News) and Top of the Baths. The fee changes on November 1, 2026, and the booth at the park is the final word. The Trust answers on +1 284 541 2420 at The Baths and +1 284 393 9284 in Road Town.
The park runs from the car park at the end of Tower Road down to two beaches — The Baths and Devil's Bay — joined through the boulders by the Caves trail. Everything below is from the National Parks Trust or the business itself, as listed in October 2026.
Tower Road ends in a turning circle at the top of the park, with the car park, the park sign, Top of the Baths and Mad Dog around it. Two trails go down from there through dry scrub and boulders: one to the beach at The Baths, about half a kilometre on OpenStreetMap's map, ending by Poor Man's Bar; and one to Devil's Bay, a 15-minute walk, the Trust says. Wear shoes you can walk on rock in — and keep in mind the walk back up.
Photo: User:Mattes, CC BY 2.0 deA small beach of white sand hemmed in by granite boulders — some as big as 40 ft across, the Trust says — with sea pools and grottos where the boulders lean together and the sea runs in under them. The water off the beach is a daytime anchorage, which the Trust calls ideal for swimming and snorkelling. The sign to the caves and Devil's Bay stands at the south end of the sand.
Photo: User:Mattes, CC BY 2.0 deBetween The Baths and Devil's Bay the trail goes through the boulders, not round them: steps, wooden ladders and rope handrails, low gaps to crawl through and pools to wade. The Trust's word is caution — the rock is slippery. The sign at its start calls it short but challenging, about twenty minutes, marked with small piles of stones rather than signs, and asks parents to keep a close eye on small children. Do not go into the caves after 4:30 pm.
A horseshoe-shaped bay at the other end of the Caves trail, its own national park since 1963 (58 acres). The Trust calls it a tranquil place to swim and snorkel, with shade umbrellas on the sand. It is also the end of the direct trail from the car park, about 15 minutes down through the scrub, past a viewpoint OpenStreetMap marks on the way. From its southern end a trail goes on to Stoney Bay.
The bar on the sand at the foot of the trail from the car park, by the boulders. USA Today's 10Best list put it fourth among the Caribbean's beach bars for 2026, for its painkillers, frozen margaritas and piña coladas with fresh fruit.
Photo: User:Mattes, CC BY 2.0 deThe Trust lists bathrooms and lockers among the park's facilities, by the beach. The bar, the ticket area and the restrooms were renovated under a 2019 rebuilding contract, and new rest stops and gazebos were in place by May 2020. The Trust lists no lifeguards.
Photo: User:Mattes, CC BY 2.0 deStrong ocean swells can come in the winter months, the Trust says: then the moorings cannot be used, the beach cannot be reached from the sea, and swimming is discouraged because of strong currents. On rough days a red flag flies at the top of the park, as in the photo, and a warning sign at the beach lists of high surf, a dangerous shorebreak, slippery rocks and strong currents. The call at the top of this page reads the swell every half hour.
Photo: Jim Sorbie, CC BY 2.0The Trust keeps mooring buoys off The Baths and outside Devil's Bay so that boats do not anchor on the coral. They are day use only, 90 minutes, first come, first served, and need a National Parks mooring permit — sold by charter companies and dive shops, at the Trust's offices, and at Customs for foreign yachts arriving in the BVI. Dinghies follow the swim-line markers in at no more than 5 mph and tie to the dinghy line off the beach; from there you swim the last stretch, so bring a dry bag.
By the car park, Top of the Baths has a restaurant, a bar, a pool and a row of gift shops, with views across the Sir Francis Drake Channel — every day from 8 am to 6 pm, its website says, with a coffee bar Tuesday to Sunday. Mad Dog, a small bar and café, is across the turning circle.
Photo: Daniel Lobo, CC BY 2.0On a calm day the water off the beach is clear and sheltered among the rocks, and the Trust calls it ideal for swimming and snorkelling. Snorkel along the boulders at either end; in a winter ground swell the surge between the rocks is strong, and the Trust discourages swimming.
Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0The walk the boulders are known for: through grottos lit from above, up ladders and along rope handrails, wading pools of sea water between the boulders, to come out at Devil's Bay. Go early, before the day boats; keep the phone in a dry bag and wear shoes that can get wet.
From the southern end of Devil's Bay a trail goes on to Stoney Bay, where — in the Trust's words — the Atlantic swells pummel the coastline and seabirds soar overhead. It is covered by the same day pass. Go for the view rather than a swim, and carry water.
Photo: User:Mattes, CC BY 2.0 deJust north, more boulders and more sand: Spring Bay, a national park since 1964, reached by road along a palm-lined avenue, with a lawn, picnic tables and a grill. Within it is The Crawl, a small bay ringed by boulders that was once used to hold turtles and fish and is now a natural swimming pool. The Baths' day pass covers it.
Photo: Legis, Public domainThe stone chimney and ruined buildings of the old copper mine on the cliffs at the island's south-east tip, another National Parks Trust site, among granite outcrops. A short taxi ride from Spanish Town; combine it with The Baths in a morning.
The moorings off The Baths are a day stop on BVI charter routes — our 7-day planner puts it on day three. Come early, take a ball for your 90 minutes, and move on before the day boats fill the field. In a north swell, skip it — the Trust says the moorings cannot be used.
Photo: Gruepig, CC BY-SA 4.0For a long, empty beach after the crowds at The Baths: Savannah Bay, a few minutes north of Spanish Town where the island narrows, a curve of sand with no facilities and a reef to snorkel off its rocky end.
Three places in the park: Poor Man's Bar on the sand at the foot of the trail, and at the top, by the car park, Top of the Baths — a restaurant and bar with a pool and gift shops — and Mad Dog, a small bar and café across the turning circle.
For a proper choice, Spanish Town is a short taxi ride back up the road: the bars and restaurants round the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour, by the ferry dock.
Warm all year: highs in the mid-80s °F, a steady easterly trade wind and short tropical showers rather than all-day rain. December to April is the dry season and the busy one, for charter boats and cruise ships alike. June to November is hurricane season.
The Baths faces west across the Sir Francis Drake Channel, so the island itself shelters it from the easterly trade-wind sea, and on most days the water among the boulders is calm. Its trouble is the winter ground swell: swells from storms far out in the North Atlantic wrap round the island and surge between the rocks, and on those days the Trust says the moorings cannot be used, the beach cannot be reached from the sea, and swimming is discouraged. The call at the top of the page reads the swell every half hour.
| Day | Sky | High / low | Rain | Wind | Seas offshore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Thunderstorms | 85° / 81°F | 100% | SW 19 mph, gusts 29 | 2.8 ft |
| Tomorrow | Thunderstorms | 83° / 79°F | 87% | WSW 22 mph, gusts 30 | 3.3 ft |
| Sun, Nov 8 | Drizzle | 84° / 81°F | 47% | W 14 mph | 2.9 ft |
| Mon, Nov 9 | Partly cloudy | 83° / 82°F | 27% | WNW 5 mph | 2.1 ft |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Drizzle | 83° / 80°F | 24% | NE 11 mph | 2 ft |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Overcast | 84° / 83°F | 25% | E 13 mph | 2 ft |
| Thu, Nov 12 | Drizzle | 85° / 84°F | 20% | ESE 13 mph | 2 ft |
Open-Meteo forecast for Virgin Gorda, refreshed every half hour. The seas are offshore; how much of it reaches the sand is the call above. BVI weather & sailing week · North swell season
Daily-mean sea-surface temperature off Virgin Gorda, averaged 2021–2024 (Open-Meteo marine reanalysis): warmest in Sep (86.3°F), coolest in Feb (79.5°F).
Cruise excursions come to The Baths three ways: across from the big ships in Road Town on Tortola; the small ships that anchor off Spanish Town or in North Sound send their guests by taxi; and a few day charters come from St. Thomas. The territory had 493,397 cruise passengers in the first three months of 2026, the Trust said in August. On a ship day, come when the park opens at 8:30 or late in the afternoon.
30 of the next 31 days have a ship in Road Town or off Virgin Gorda. The busiest at The Baths, by our model:
Our crowd model, not a head count: it puts about 55% of the passengers of the small ships at Virgin Gorda (off Spanish Town and in North Sound) on The Baths, and about 15% of the big ships' in Road Town, whose excursions cross by boat; past 600 on the sand we call it packed. Day charters from St. Thomas are too few to count. The same model makes the call at the top of the page.
No — there is no public live webcam at The Baths. Virgin Gorda's one live camera is at Saba Rock in North Sound, at the other end of the island: it shows the boats in the sound, not the boulders. We would rather say so than show a still photo dressed up as live.
Molten rock rises into the volcanic rock of the island arc but never reaches the surface: it cools slowly, 5 to 10 km down, into the granodiorite of the Virgin Islands batholith. The softer volcanic rock above erodes away, the granite cracks into blocks, and weathering rounds them into the boulders of The Baths.
The bay at the other end of the boulders becomes a national park: 58 acres, by the Trust's figures.
Spring Bay and The Crawl, just to the north, are declared a national park (5.5 acres).
The Baths is acquired by compulsory acquisition, by order of the House of Assembly.
The Baths becomes a national park: 6.91 acres of beaches and rocky shore at the island's south-west tip.
The National Parks Trust starts putting mooring buoys at the territory's dive and snorkel sites, pinned into the bedrock, to keep anchors off the coral.
The two hurricanes severely damage the trail. The Trust closes the beach for repairs; ten weeks later, on November 19, it is still closed.
The Recovery and Development Agency signs a $150,068 contract to renovate the bar and ticket area, upgrade the restrooms and build a new rest area.
Cabinet approves buying Toad Hall, a 5.5-acre estate inside the Greater Baths National Park, for a Trust headquarters and visitor centre.
The Baths and Devil's Bay are the only beaches not reopened on May 10; on May 17 the minister tours the new and wider trails, rest stops and gazebos.
The Trust starts asking residents for a BVI driver's licence or NHI card for free entry, under its 2008 regulations; everyone else pays the $3 fee.
A Trust advisory closing the park to residents and other non-cruise visitors from 9 am to 2 pm on ship days is retracted at the ministry's request.
The Trust confirms talks to reserve The Baths and Devil's Bay for a cruise operator on nine peak-season mornings. After a public outcry the Deputy Premier tells the Trust, on August 19, not to sign any such agreement, and the talks are paused.
The Trust announces new fees from November 1: $10 for adult visitors and $5 for children at The Baths and Devil's Bay, still free for residents with ID.
Sources: National Parks Trust: the Greater Baths · NPT: The Baths · NPT: Devil's Bay · NPT: Spring Bay · NPT: moorings · Virgin Islands News Online, 2017 · VINO, July 2019 · VINO, November 2019 · VINO, 2020 · BVI News, 2021 · VINO, July 2021 · VINO, August 2026 · BVI Platinum, August 2026 · VINO, September 2026 · VINO, October 2026
The park opens at 8:30. Day boats and ship excursions arrive through the morning; the call at the top of the page shows today's ship crowd hour by hour.
The Caves trail means wading, crawling and ladders on wet granite. Wear water shoes or strapped sandals and carry the phone in a dry bag — or leave it in a locker.
In the winter months a ground swell can put up the red flag: swimming discouraged, no landing from the sea. The walk through the boulders is still worth it from the land side.
Visitors pay $3 (children $2) until October 31, 2026 and $10 (children under 18, $5) from November 1. Residents with ID are free either way.
A National Parks mooring permit is required by law to use the Trust's balls. Charter bases sell it; foreign-flagged yachts buy it at Customs on arrival.
The sign at the start of the Caves trail says not to go into the caves after 4:30 pm, when the park closes.
Skip today todayVirgin GordaSpring BayRough — 2.8 ft SSW swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecastSkip today todayVirgin GordaSavannah BayRough — 3.7 ft N swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast
Skip today todayVirgin GordaMahoe BayRough — 3.7 ft N swell, shore break · Thunderstorms in the forecast
The island guideVirgin GordaThe Baths, Spring Bay, Savannah Bay and North Sound on a true map, with the next ferry from Road Town, the official taxi fares and today's weather.Until October 31, 2026, visitors pay $3 an adult and $2 a child. From November 1, 2026 the National Parks Trust's new fees are $10 for adult visitors and $5 for children under 18. Virgin Islanders, Belongers and residents go in free with a valid government ID. The Trust's one-day pass also covers Devil's Bay, Stoney Bay and Spring Bay that day.
The National Parks Trust opens The Baths and Devil's Bay from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm every day, and the sign at the start of the Caves trail says not to go into the caves after 4:30 pm. The Trust's moorings off the beach are day use only, with a 90-minute limit.
Take a taxi from the ferry dock in Spanish Town: about 9 minutes (3 km) by road to the car park at the top of the park. The official fare is $10 for one rider, $5 each for three or more. From the car park, trails go down to the beach and to Devil's Bay. Ferries reach Spanish Town from Road Town and Trellis Bay on Tortola, and direct from St. Thomas and St. John on some days.
Virgin Gorda's taxis charge the official BVI fares, per person and less each as the party grows. From the Spanish Town ferry dock to The Baths it is $10 for one rider, $5 each for three or more. Agree the fare and a pick-up time before you set off.
Allow two to three hours: the walk down from the car park, time on the beach and in the grottos, the Caves trail through the boulders to Devil's Bay — about twenty minutes, the sign says — and the trail between Devil's Bay and the car park, about 15 minutes, the Trust says.
It is short but challenging. The trail between The Baths and Devil's Bay goes through the boulders, with steps, wooden ladders and rope handrails; you crawl through low gaps and wade through pools, and the rock is slippery. Wear shoes that can get wet, keep small children close, and do not go into the caves after 4:30 pm.
Yes, most of the year: the Trust calls the water ideal for swimming and snorkelling. In winter, strong ground swells can surge between the boulders; then a red flag flies, the Trust discourages swimming because of strong currents, and boats cannot use the moorings or land on the beach. The Trust lists no lifeguards.
Yes. The National Parks Trust has day-use mooring buoys off The Baths and outside Devil's Bay: 90 minutes, first come, first served, no overnight use, and a National Parks mooring permit is required by law. Boats must use the buoys rather than anchor, to spare the coral. Dinghies follow the swim-line markers at no more than 5 mph and tie to the dinghy line, and you swim the last stretch.
Yes. Poor Man's Bar is on the beach at the foot of the trail; at the top, by the car park, are Top of the Baths, a restaurant and bar with a pool and gift shops, and Mad Dog, a small bar and café. Spanish Town's restaurants are a short taxi ride away.
Early: the park opens at 8:30, before most day boats and cruise excursions arrive, or late in the afternoon. December to April is the dry season but also the busy one; in winter a ground swell can close the water. The call at the top of this page reads the swell and the ship crowd every day.
Yes. The National Parks Trust lists bathrooms and lockers among the park's facilities, by the beach; the restrooms were upgraded after the 2017 hurricanes. The Trust lists no lifeguards.
They are granite — granodiorite — that formed from molten rock cooling slowly 5 to 10 km underground in the Eocene. When the softer volcanic rock above wore away, the granite cracked into blocks, and weathering rounded them into the boulders, some as big as 40 ft across, that lie on the beach today.
No public live camera. Virgin Gorda's only live webcam is at Saba Rock in North Sound, at the other end of the island, and it shows the boats in the sound, not The Baths.