The Virgin Islands National Park is a United States national park that protects about 60% of Saint John's land area in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It also preserves more than 5,500 acres (2,226 hectares; 9 square miles) of nearby ocean and nearly all of Hassel Island, which is located near Charlotte Amalie Harbor on Saint Thomas.
The park is famous for scuba diving and snorkeling. It has many hiking trails that go through the tropical rainforest.
Cruz Bay serves as the main entry point to the park and is where the visitor center is located. Ferries leave hourly from Red Hook, Saint Thomas; three times daily from Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas; twice daily from West End, Tortola; twice daily from Jost Van Dyke; and twice weekly from Virgin Gorda.
Two Category 5 hurricanes, Irma and Maria, hit the Virgin Islands in September 2017. In 2018, the park had 112,287 visitors, compared to 304,408 visitors in 2017. Before that, from 2007 to 2016, the park averaged more than 450,000 visitors each year. The park reopened in December 2017, and all roads, trails, and beaches were made available to visitors.
History
In 1956, Laurance Rockefeller’s Jackson Hole Preserve gave its large lands on the island to the National Park Service, with the requirement that the land remain protected from future development. The remaining area, known as the Caneel Bay Resort, operates under a lease agreement with the National Park Service, which owns the land beneath the resort.
The Virgin Islands National Park covers 75% of the island. However, private lands within the park boundaries, such as Peter Bay and Maho Bay, reduce the total protected land to 60% of the island’s area.
Much of the island’s waters, coral reefs, and shoreline are protected because they are included in the national park. This protection was increased in 2001 with the creation of the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument.
In 2006, The Trust for Public Land bought the 415-acre Estate Maho Bay to preserve it. The property includes beaches, untouched forest, and historic Danish colonial and Taíno Indian artifacts. The trust plans to sell the property to the National Park Service when federal funds are available. In 2011, the trust gave 18 acres at Mamey’s Peak to the National Park Service. In 2012, the National Park Service purchased 58 acres from the trust for $2.25 million using money from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. In 2013, an additional 72 acres of Estate Maho Bay was sold to the National Park Service for $2.5 million, which was the largest addition to the park at that time.
Hurricanes Irma and Maria, both category 5 hurricanes, hit the Virgin Islands in September 2017. The park reopened in December 2017, with all roads, trails, and beaches accessible to visitors. The park had 112,287 visitors in 2018, compared to 304,408 visitors in 2017. Before that, from 2007 to 2016, the park averaged more than 450,000 visitors each year.
Attractions
The park's main attractions include beaches, coral reefs, hiking trails, and natural sites.
Visitors can stay in many resorts, hotels, and vacation villas near the park on St. John. Cinnamon Bay Campground is located inside the park. Caneel Bay Resort, on the north shore, was once Rockefeller's personal estate. Overnight and day use mooring balls are available for boaters.
The beaches of Virgin Islands National Park are often listed as some of the best in the world.
Trunk Bay is a body of water and the nearby beach on St. John. Trunk Bay has an underwater trail for snorkeling along its coral reef. The beach area is split into two parts: the main Trunk Bay beach and swim area, and Burgesman Cove, which is near Jumbie Bay on the west end of Trunk Bay.
Cinnamon Bay beach is a long, wide stretch of sand on the north shore of St. John. The beach is popular for sunbathing, snorkeling, and water sports. The bay also has the Cinnamon Bay Campground and offers water sports rentals.
Honeymoon Beach is on the north shore of St. John. It can be reached by hiking the 1-mile (1.6 km) Lind Point Trail from Cruz Bay or from Caneel Bay Resort. The beach has soft white sand under tall palm trees. Kayaks and snorkel equipment are available for rent.
Maho Bay is known for its soft sand and calm, shallow waters. The sand and seagrass seafloor make it a good place to see sea turtles and stingrays.
Salt Pond Bay is a protected bay and beach on St. John's south shore. The beach can be reached by hiking a short trail from Route 107, about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Coral Bay. The bay is a popular snorkeling spot with fringing reefs on both sides, seagrass in the center, and a deep coral reef far out in the middle of the bay. Overnight and day use mooring balls are available for boaters. From Salt Pond Bay, hikers can access Drunk Bay and Ram Head Trail.
The Cinnamon Bay Nature Trail passes sugar plantation ruins, while the Bordeaux Mountain Trail leads to the highest point on the island, 1,277 feet (389 m) above sea level.
The Reef Bay Trail offers views of forests, sugar mill ruins, historical Taíno petroglyph rock carvings, a spring-fed waterfall and reflection pool, and snorkeling over the coral reef at Genti Bay. The hike is strenuous, and the round trip from Centerline Road is more than 6 miles (9.7 km). Ranger-guided hikes are available, including a boat ride back to Cruz Bay from Reef Bay.
The Bordeaux Mountain Trail is a steep and rocky path from Little Lameshur Bay to the island's highest point. The trail is unmaintained, and although there are several overlooks, there is no view from the top of this densely forested mountain. The trail gains nearly 1,300 feet (396 m) in about 1 mile (1.6 km).
The 1-mile (1.6 km) Lind Point Trail starts in Cruz Bay, behind the Virgin Islands National Park Visitor Center. It leads to Lind Point, which overlooks Cruz Bay harbor, and continues to Honeymoon Beach.
The Caneel Hill Trail begins in Cruz Bay, just north of Mongoose Junction, and climbs steeply to the top of Caneel Hill. A wooden observation platform at the summit offers views of St. John, St. Thomas, Jost Van Dyke, and many smaller islands. On clear days, hikers may see St. Croix and even Puerto Rico.
The Ram Head Trail starts at Salt Pond Bay and travels about 1 mile (1.6 km) down a dry, rocky peninsula to the southernmost point on St. John.
The Cinnamon Bay Nature Trail is a 0.5-mile (0.8 km) loop near the entrance to Cinnamon Bay Campground. It winds through the ruins of a sugar factory, with signs explaining the area's history. The trail includes boardwalks and paved paths with no steep hills.
The park protects many historic ruins from the colonial and plantation eras through the 1950s.
The Annaberg Historic District preserves a partially restored sugar factory and windmill near Mary's Point. Park signs explain how sugar cane is turned into molasses. Volunteers and rangers are often present to answer questions. The bake house hosts cooking demonstrations and offers samples of dumb bread. The windmill is located on Annaberg Point, which has views of Tortola, Great Thatch Island, and the Narrows.
The ruins of the Reef Bay Sugar Factory Historic District can be reached via the Reef Bay Trail or the L'Esperance Trail.
The Reef Bay Trail petroglyphs are Taíno rock carvings near a waterfall. They are accessible via a 0.25-mile (0.4 km) spur trail from the Reef Bay Trail. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The well-preserved Catherineberg Sugar Mill Ruins include a windmill tower and a horse mill. These ruins are among the easiest to access in the park.
Geography
Virgin Islands National Park includes 14,737 acres (5,964 ha; 23 sq mi) of land and ocean. The park covers almost 60 percent of St. John Island, nearby ocean areas, and nearly all of Hassel Island.
The main features include coral reefs, which surround most of the park, as well as ocean waters, tropical forests, and beaches.
Wildlife
Wild donkeys, deer, mongoose, pigs, goats, birds, iguanas, skinks, tortoises, frogs, fish, and crabs live in the park. Bats are the only native land mammal in the park.
The park has been recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it has many groups of bridled quail-doves, green-throated caribs, Antillean crested hummingbirds, brown pelicans, Caribbean elaenias, Puerto Rican flycatchers, pearly-eyed thrashers, and Lesser Antillean bullfinches.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Virgin Islands National Park has a tropical savanna wet and dry climate (Aw). Class A climates have average temperatures of 18°C (64.4°F) or higher in every month of the year and receive significant rainfall throughout the year. Class Aw climates have a clear dry season, with the driest month receiving less than 60 mm (2.36 in) of rainfall and less than 1/25 of the total yearly precipitation.
The park receives an average of 55 inches (1,400 mm) of rainfall each year. In winter, trade winds blow at speeds of 11 to 21 knots (13 to 24 mph; 20 to 39 km/h). The average temperature in the park is 79°F (26°C).
The park has very little difference in temperature between summer and winter, and the ocean remains warm all year. The main time for visitors is from December to April, which are the driest months. During the other months, which are part of the Atlantic hurricane season, prices for lodging are much lower. Camping and simple lodging are available at Cinnamon Bay Campground from November through August. Caneel Bay Resort offers luxury accommodations and upscale dining within the park from November through July.
Geology
St. John is located at the east end of the Greater Antilles and sits on the northeastern edge of the Caribbean Plate. The island formed during the Cretaceous period through the eruption of the Water Island Formation, which includes keratophyres and pillow basalts. Later, igneous activity shifted to an island arc, creating the Louisenhoj Formation, composed of andesite and basalt. Volcanic activity decreased during the deposition of the Outer Brass Limestone. Volcanism later returned during the Late Cretaceous, forming the Tutu Formation, which contains volcaniclastic turbidites, basalt, and andesite. This was followed by a diabase dike swarm and compressive folding caused by the collision of the Caribbean Plate with the Bahama Platform. During the Late Eocene, the Narrows pluton and Virgin Gorda batholith intruded, linked to magmatism from the Greater Antilles arc. Additional compressive folding occurred due to the spreading of the Cayman Trough, which is also connected to sinistral strike-slip faulting that began 39 million years ago.