VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK
ST. JOHN, USVI : Visited November 2021
Virgin Islands National Park was established in 1956. The park occupies the majority of St. John, one of 3 islands in the USVI. This is one of the few National Parks that has not only a tropical forests to explore, but also coral reefs! Much of the national park expands into the ocean. Although there are some hikes you can do on the island, there are many beaches to visit as well. One beach also includes the only “underwater hike” in a National Park.
Getting there
Given that St. John is an island, the easiest and most cost effective way to get there is by flying into St. Thomas, the more populated island. Then, there is a ferry you can take with a car over to the island for $65 USD. There are ferry’s just for passengers, but you will have a hard time getting around without a car.
St. John has Airbnbs and hotels to stay at, but I chose to stay on St. Thomas during my visit.
Cinnamon Bay
This gorgeous beach is one of the farther stops along the main drag of beaches in the National Park. The water and sand here are pristine and it is the longest beach in St. John. The white sand goes on forever! You can also see the British Virgin Islands from this beach! Because Cinnamon Bay is a little farther, it tends to be a little more secluded and less crowded. Nice and peaceful!
The water was warm and a great place to swim.
During our time here, my companion and I decided we wanted to focus on the beaches and less on the hikes. We were halfway through our vacation and it was HOT and HUMID, even in November! So we were looking to relax and take in the natural beauty.
Truck Bay
Trunk Bay is probably the most famous and photographed area of the park. There is a small $5 fee to enter this beach. This is an amenities fee since this beach has showers, foot washes, bathrooms, a food and beverage stand, as well as a place to rent snorkel gear.
Trunk Bay is also where the underwater trail is!
This was a fun and unique activity to do. There were markers all along the bottom with facts about the coral and the fish. When I was there, the line was broken, but there is usually a line you can follow to each marker.
Along this “trail”, I saw tons of coral, colorful fish, and couple of stingrays!
Hawksnest Bay
Hawksnest was the last stop on our beach journey before making it back to the ferry.
This area offers snorkeling right off the beach and is a great last stop before leaving the park.
