Virgin Islands National Park

Virgin Islands National Park
IUCN category II (national park)

Location	United States Virgin Islands
Nearest city	Charlotte Amalie
Coordinates	18°20′0″N 64°44′0″W / 18.33333°N 64.73333°W / 18.33333; -64.73333Coordinates: 18°20′0″N 64°44′0″W / 18.33333°N 64.73333°W / 18.33333; -64.73333
Area	14,737 acres (5,964 ha)^[1]
Established	August 2, 1956
Visitors	442,414 (in 2011)^[2]
Governing body	National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/viis/index.htm

Fort Willoughby, Hassel Island

The Virgin Islands National Park is a United States National Park, covering approximately 60% of the island of Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands, plus nearly all of Hassel Island, just off the Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas harbor.

The park is famous for scuba diving and snorkeling and has miles of hiking trails through the tropical rainforest.

Ferries from Red Hook and Charlotte Amalie on Saint Thomas make regular stops at Cruz Bay, Saint John, near the park, which averages about 500,000 visitors per year.^[2]

Attractions

One of the Virgin Islands National Park's most famous attractions is Trunk Bay, which sports a white sand beach and an underwater snorkeling trail, although the trail's chronic overuse has led to extensive coral damage along its path.

The park includes the sugar-plantation-ruins-littered Cinnamon Bay Nature Trail and the Bordeaux Mountain Trail that leads to the highest point on the island at 1,277 feet (389 m) 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 Taíno petroglyph rock carvings,^[3] 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, on 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 resorts, with a notable exception, the Caneel Bay resort on the north shore, which lies on Rockefeller’s former personal estate.

Geography

Each year, about 500,000 people visit the park. Virgin Islands National Park is spread out on 14,737 acres (5,964 ha) of land. It became the 29th U.S. national park in 1956, when Laurance Rockefeller visited the area and thought the land was incredibly beautiful. The park is free to enter and the only fee is to enter Trunk Beach, which is $4 for adults. The park covers almost 60 percent of St. John Island and almost all of Hassel Island as well.

Features

Overlooking the park

The main features of the Virgin Islands National Park are the coral reefs and oceans. They almost completely surround the park. As new coral species replace older ones, the coral reefs are experiencing rapid change. For example, in 2006, the Elkhorn and Slaghorn coral were introduced to the Virgin Islands. Another important feature of the Virgin Islands are the tropical forests. The tropical forests hold most of the park's plants and wildlife. The plants and wildlife are what the Virgin Islands Park is famous for. Bats are the only mammal native to the island. Wild donkeys and crabs are also common species.

Climate

The climate conditions at the Virgin Islands National Park are tropical. The average rainfall per year is 55 inches (1,400 mm). In the winter, trade winds blow from 11 to 21 knots (39 km/h). The average temperature for the park is 79 °F (26 °C). At the Virgin Islands, the dominant plant species are dry tropical forest plants.

Seasonality

There is very little temperature difference between summer and winter and the sea is warm year round. The tourist season is from December to April and outside of those months prices for accommodations drop considerably. Camping is available in the park, as well as lodging.

Trunk Bay

Trunk Bay is a body of water and a beach on Saint 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.^[4] The National Geographic Society has labeled Trunk Bay as the most beautiful beach in the world. It is one of the most popular beaches on the island whose amenities include a snack bar, showers and restrooms, lifeguards, and an underwater trail for snorkeling its coral reef.^[4] The beach area is divided into two halves, the main Trunk Bay beach and swim area and Burgesman Cove which is located on the west end of Trunk Bay near Jumbie Bay. Trunk Bay is the only National Park beach on Saint John which requires a fee to visit.

References

↑ "Listing of acreage as of December 31, 2011". Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
1 2 "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
↑ Singer, Gerald (2006). "St. John USVI Trails: Petroglyphs Trail". St. John Off The Beaten Track. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
1 2 "Places to Go". Retrieved 7 March 2011.

External links

NPS: official Virgin Islands National Park website
NPS Virgin Islands National Park — map
NPS: geology of Virgin Islands National Park
The short film Saint John, Virgin Islands National Park (1990) is available for free download at the Internet Archive

Territory of United States Virgin Islands

Charlotte Amalie (capital)

Topics	Bibliography Demographics Economy Geography History Telecommunications Transportation Visitor attractions

Government	Congressional Delegates Elections Governors Politics Senators

Cities	Anna's Retreat Charlotte Amalie Charlotte Amalie West Christiansted Cruz Bay Frederiksted

Islands	Saint Croix Saint John Saint Thomas Water Island Other

Parks	Buck Island Reef NM Christiansted NHS Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve Virgin Islands Coral Reef NM Virgin Islands NP

National Register of Historic Places in Virgin Islands National Park

Historic districts	Annaberg Historic District Hassel Island Hermitage Plantation Historic District Jossie Gut Historic District Liever Marches Bay Historic District More Hill Historic District Reef Bay Sugar Factory Historic District

NRHP properties	Brown Bay Plantation Historic District Catherineberg-Jockumsdahl-Herman Farm Cinnamon Bay Plantation Dennis Bay Historic District Lameshur Plantation Lind Point Fort Mary Point Estate Petroglyph Site

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Virgin Islands National Park

National parks of the United States

Acadia American Samoa Arches Badlands Big Bend Biscayne Black Canyon of the Gunnison Bryce Canyon Canyonlands Capitol Reef Carlsbad Caverns Channel Islands Congaree Crater Lake Cuyahoga Valley Death Valley Denali Dry Tortugas Everglades Gates of the Arctic Glacier Glacier Bay Grand Canyon Grand Teton Great Basin Great Sand Dunes Great Smoky Mountains Guadalupe Mountains Haleakalā Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Hot Springs Isle Royale Joshua Tree Katmai Kenai Fjords Kings Canyon Kobuk Valley Lake Clark Lassen Volcanic Mammoth Cave Mesa Verde Mount Rainier North Cascades Olympic Petrified Forest Pinnacles Redwood Rocky Mountain Saguaro Sequoia Shenandoah Theodore Roosevelt Virgin Islands Voyageurs Wind Cave Wrangell–St. Elias Yellowstone Yosemite Zion

List of national parks of the United States (by elevation)

Protected areas of the United States Virgin Islands

National Parks	Virgin Islands

National Historic Parks	Salt River Bay

National Historic Sites	Christiansted

National Monuments	Buck Island Reef Virgin Islands Coral Reef

National Wildlife Refuges	Caribbean Islands Buck Island Green Cay Sandy Point

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