Virgin Islands National Park Information
Virgin Islands National Park
Virgin Islands National Park covers approximately 3/5 of St. John, and nearly all of Hassel Island in the Charlotte Amalie harbor on St. Thomas
Virgin Islands National Park offers unsurpassed beauty and outdoor fun-in-the-sun for the whole family. Trunk Bay, with a heart shaped beach, is renowned as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches and has a great self-guided underwater snorkel trail. The adventurer will find scuba diving, sea kayaking, wind surfing, camping and hiking. Continue reading to get further needed Virgin Islands National Park information.
Uniqueness
The Virgin Island National Park is located on St. John, the smallest of the three major United States Virgin Islands. Virgin Islands National Park protects and preserves hundreds of plants, birds and reef fish species along with thousands of invertebrates and insects. Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument supports the most extensive and well-developed mangrove habitats on St. John, provides habitats for great whales and other mammals that forage, breed, nest, rest, or calve in its waters and provides spawning stocks and critical development habitats for the restoration of regional depleted fisheries, as well as enhancement of adjacent fishing grounds.
The preservation of the national park extends to the waters surrounding St. John, so snorkeling here is unsurpassed. National Park Interpretive Rangers help bring the park alive with regular tours and amphitheater presentations. Add to all this, relics from the Pre-Colombian Amerindian Civilization, remains of the Danish Colonial Sugar Plantations, and reminders of African Slavery and the Subsistence Culture that followed during the 100 years after Emancipation-all part of the rich cultural history of the Park and its island home. There are living history demonstrations such as bread baking, subsistence farming, and basket weaving that allow visitors to experience a part of the cultural heritage.
While Annaberg and Trunk Bay are the most frequently-visited park sites, Virgin Islands National Park’s diverse beaches, coral reefs, historic ruins, and hiking trails provide endless hours of exploration and enjoyment. Trunk Bay, with a heart shaped beach, is renowned as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches and the most photographed. It has 225 yards of a self-guided underwater snorkel trail. Cinnamon Bay Beach, the longest beach on St. John, has a fully equipped water sports center with a trained staff, where windsurf boards, sea kayaks and sailboats which are available for rental. Visitors can enjoy a variety of activities on the land and in the water, including swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving; sailing, kayaking and windsurfing; and camping, hiking and bird watching. You can also enjoy the crystal blue waters on a charter day-sail or boat snorkeling tour which are offered by private operators and can be booked in Cruz Bay and Coral Bay. Visitors can explore the park on their own or take a two-hour safari bus island tour with a private tour guide. There are opportunities to dig at prehistoric archaeological sites; tour the remnants and historic ruins of the past; and participate in living history demonstrations of the local cultural heritage.
Learn about the mysterious petroglyphs found along the Reef Bay trail, which some authorities speculate were created by Tainos or Carib Indians or by pre-Columbian Africans of the Akan people of Ghana, that depict symbols of strength, humility, wisdom and learning from the past to build the future. Ivan Van Sertima, anthropologist, documented that, “…a dot and crescent script of African origin was found carved deeply in the rock face of an ancient waterfall at St. John.” Many visitors hike the trails primarily to see these famous rock-carvings at the bottom of a 40-foot cliff. There are many theories as to how the carvings came to be on the rocks. Learn some of them and see which one you think could be accurate, or come up with one of your own.
Virgin Islands National Park was established as a result of the visionary conservation efforts of the late philanthropist Laurence S. Rockefeller, who made a major land donation to the Department of the Interior on August 2, 1956. VINP encompasses approximately 7,200 acres of land and 5,600 acres of water. 779,642 visitors came to the park in 2004.
The Park is recognized as the first of seven Caribbean International Man and the Biosphere Reserves within the Lesser Antillean bio-geographic province and is one of the few biosphere reserves in the world to have both significant marine and terrestrial resources.
Within its borders lie protected bays of crystal blue-green waters teeming with coral reef life, white sandy beaches shaded by seagrape trees, coconut palms, and tropical forests providing habitat for over 800 species of plants. These include the Atlantic Brief Squid Rob Waara, the Blue Chromis tropical fish, and the Night Blooming Cereus, a creamy white, many petaled, fragrant flower. As it’s name indicates, it only blooms at night and is easy to miss. It is really worth looking for in the late evening or early morning hours.
Temperatures range in the low 70s to upper 80s, December through April, and are slightly higher (mid 80s to mid 90s), May through November. Usually there is more rainfall July through January, while spring and early summer can be quite dry. On any given day, however, brief light rain showers are not uncommon.
Protect yourself from overexposure to the tropical sun with sunscreen lotion, hats and shirts. The sun’s rays are most intense between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Beware of unfamiliar plants. Some plants, such as manchineel, are extremely poisonous.
Beware of heavy surf. Large swells, mostly in fall and winter months, are the number one cause of injury in the Park. Some bay bottoms drop off steeply from the shore, resulting in large waves that break at the water’s edge. Undertows may also accompany large waves. Never swim alone. Respect all beach closure notices; they are there for your protection and the protection of Park resources.
Avoid climbing on walls of ruins or removing pieces of them. Ruins are often unstable and bodily injury could result plus the historic buildings, and artifacts found on the ground, are precious cultural resources that the Park is mandated to protect for future visitors. Watch your step while hiking Park trails as many trails are steep and rocky.
Drive on the left as required by Virgin Islands law. Drive slowly and defensively on the twisting roads and watch out for wandering donkeys and livestock around the next curve. Remember to buckle up; it could save your life!
Campers will need perhaps a hammock, a light sheet (or not), and a small pillow to enjoy the bare sites and the tropical nights.
Watch the donkeys from afar. Despite their innocent appearance, wild donkeys can bite and kick. Do not feed or approach them, (or any other wild animal).
Park entrance is free, but there is a day-use fee charged. $4.00/day for adults and children under 16 are free. There is an annual family pass for $15.00 and an individual one for $10.00. Golden Age and Golden Access annual cardholders are admitted at half price.
Boaters using a mooring between the hours of 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. are required to deposit a $15.00 fee into an onshore pay station.
Camping is permitted only at Cinnamon Bay campground. No backcountry or beach camping is permitted within Virgin Islands National Park. Accommodations at Cinnamon Bay campground include bare sites, sites prepared with tent-covered platforms, and cottages. Cottages and prepared sites are equipped with cooking supplies and linens. A camp store sells food, beverages and other supplies. A campground restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Reservations for special tours for schools and other groups are necessary. At least two weeks notice is required.
A watersports shop at Cinnamon Bay rents snorkeling equipment, sea kayaks, sailboards, and small sailboats and provides lessons.
Visitors to St. John from the mainland US, must fly into St. Thomas. Hourly ferry service from Red Hook, St. Thomas (a 20-minute ride) is available to St. John and operates from 6:30 a.m., then on the hour from 7:00 am – midnight. Ferry service from St. John to St. Thomas runs on the hour from 6:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Less frequent ferries travel between Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and St. John (a 45-minute ride).
Most popular Park areas are easily accessed by local taxis, called safari buses. Rental vehicles are available in Cruz Bay and are necessary to travel to some of the more remote areas on St. John. Parking is limited at many Park sites. Reef Bay and Cinnamon Bay Trails and Salt Pond can be accessed by public bus service running from Cruz Bay to the Coral Bay area by way of Centerline Road (Route 10). Check the most current schedule posted near the Cruz Bay ferry dock. Boats are necessary to visit some Park bays lacking road access. Bicycling is not recommended within the Park, due to very steep, narrow and winding roads.
Virgin Islands National Park, 1300 Cruz Bay Creek, St. John, VI 00830
Visitor Information (340) 776-6201
