Virgin Islands National Park
Virgin Islands National Park covers approximately 60% of the
island of Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands, plus a
few isolated sites on the neighboring island of St. Thomas. The
park is famous for scuba diving and snorkeling and has miles of
hiking trails through tropical forests. Ferries from Red Hook
and Charlotte Amalie on Saint Thomas make regular stops at Cruz
Bay, Saint John, near the park, which averages 725,000 visitors
per year.
One of the Virgin Islands National Park's most famous
attractions is Trunk Bay, which sports a white sand beach and
underwater snorkeling trail, although the trail's chronic
overuse has led to extensive coral bleaching along its path.
The park includes the sugar-plantation-ruins-littered Cinnamon
Bay Nature Trail and the Bourdeaux Mountain Trail that leads to
the highest point on the island at 1,277 feet above sea level,
and whose view is best described as "what you must see from
heaven". The most popular hike, however, is the Reef Bay Trail.
This route paves the way to witnessing the beauty of the
surrounding forestlands, remnants of sugar mills, historical
petroglyph rock carvings, a spring-fed waterfall and reflection
pool, and a chance for rest and relaxation or snorkeling
excitement at Genti Bay.
Visitors can stay on Saint John nearby but off-park land, or
they may elect to stay in one of the park's two campgrounds,
Maho Bay and Cinnamon Bay, which offer varying levels of
comfort. The park is free of hotels and resort, with a notable
exception, the Caneel Bay resort on the north shore, which lies
on Rockefeller’s former personal estate.
Virgin Islands Trunk Bay
Trunk Bay is a body of water and a beach on St. John in the
United States Virgin Islands. It has consistently been voted one
of the Ten Best Beaches in The World by Condé Nast Traveler
magazine and has received similar recognition from other
publications. Also, the National Geographic Society has labeled
Trunk Bay as the most beautiful beach in the world.[citation
needed] It is one of the most popular beaches on the island
whose amenities include a snack bar, showers and restrooms, a
lifeguard, and, most famously, an underwater trail for
snorkeling its coral reef. Trunk Bay is the only National Park
beach on St. John which requires a fee to visit, though this can
be avoided by arriving early in the day, late into the evening,
or by boat.
