The easternmost point of the United States isn't in Maine. It's a headland on the tropical island of St. Croix, where a giant stone sundial marks the spot that catches the country's first sunrise each day. Point Udall sits at the eastern tip of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and it has quietly become one of the island's most-loved attractions — a windswept overlook with panoramic views over the Caribbean and, on clear days, Buck Island offshore.
The United States bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917, which is what put this stretch of Caribbean green hills inside U.S. borders — and means Americans can visit without a passport. The point itself was named in 1968 for Stewart Udall, the Secretary of the Interior under Kennedy and Johnson who pushed to protect St. Croix's environment. In 2000, the 18-foot Millennium Monument was installed there: a sundial whose shadow pole and marker pin align with the sun's position on January 1, 2000, and which marks local noon daily. St. Croix sits on Atlantic Standard Time year-round, with no daylight saving, so the timing never shifts. On New Year's Eve 1999, Point Udall hosted a big celebration as the first U.S. soil to greet the new millennium.
Tripadvisor currently ranks it among St. Croix's top three attractions, and reviewers consistently mention one surprising thing: it's rarely crowded. Sunrise is the signature experience — standing at the nation's eastern edge as light spills over the horizon — but the overlook works all day. Late afternoon thins the crowds further, sunset colours are good, and locals rate it as a stargazing spot too. Photographers are advised to bring a wide lens and a tripod.
Practicalities matter here. St. Croix is under 30 miles long, but Point Udall is a serious drive from anywhere — figure around 50 minutes from Frederiksted on the west coast, where cruise ships dock, along winding mountain roads. Note that in the U.S. Virgin Islands you drive on the left. If that sounds stressful, local guided tours will handle the driving. The site is free and unticketed, with roadside and roundabout parking, but there are no restrooms, food stands or other amenities, so stock up beforehand — and don't leave valuables in the car if you hike the nearby trails.
Why bother? Because Point Udall pairs easily with the rest of St. Croix into a genuinely varied Caribbean trip: colourful towns in Christiansted and Frederiksted, beaches known for clear water and sea turtles, and Buck Island Reef National Monument just offshore, where an underwater snorkel trail is the headline draw. A passport-free U.S. destination where you can watch the nation's first sunrise, then snorkel a national monument the same afternoon, is a rare combination — and one that costs nothing at the top end.
For travellers, the smartest plan is a dawn or late-day visit built around a car-free morning or afternoon, leaving the middle of the day for the beach. Just remember: sunrise here means being on the road well before light.
Original reporting: Islands.
