Virgin Islands National Park

Getting there

Virgin Islands National Park covers roughly 2/3 of the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. 

If you’re flying to visit the park, you’ll use the St. Thomas Cyril E. King Airport (STT). Most major airlines fly in and out of STT. Once you arrive, your only option to get to St. John is by boat. There are 5 ways to choose from:

  1. St. John passenger ferries – daily service available
  2. Day trips and sailing charters – by reservation
  3. Private yacht charters – by reservation
  4. St. John Car Barge – daily service available
  5. Water Taxi to St. John – several options available daily

If you’re cruising to the park, your cruise ship will park and have tenders take you to and from the ship. 

A day at Virgin Islands National Park

When my husband and I visited St. John, we were staying on St. Thomas. We chose to take the passenger ferry over for the day. The cost was about $15 for the two of us. Then we hopped on one of the open-air safari taxis to take us to Trunk Bay. This is, by far, the most beautiful beach that I have ever visited. It didn’t seem real. 

Cameron rented a snorkel and mask on the beach and followed the underwater trail. You’ll see signs with facts listed, while you look at the colorful corals and fish swimming all around you. After the beach, we rode around the island for a bit to take it all in and enjoy. I 100% recommend a visit here if you’re able. 

Trunk Bay
Trunk Bay
Trunk Bay
Trunk Bay
Trunk Bay
Trunk Bay
Underwater Trail
Underwater Trail

Beaches

There are a number of beaches within the Virgin Islands National Park:

  1. Hawksnest – great snorkeling; three small reefs; amenities – restrooms, changing rooms, picnic tables, and grills
  2. Trunk Bay Beach – 225-yard long underwater snorkeling trail; 0.3 miles of beach to walk; amenities – snack shack, bar, snorkel gear rental, beach shop, restrooms, and showers
  3. Cinnamon Bay Beach – the longest beach in the park; campground with tents and cottages; amenities – Rain Tree Cafe, Cinnamon Bay beach shop, and watersports center
  4. Maho Bay Beach – 0.3 miles of beach to walk; large seagrass areas for turtle viewing; amenities – pavilions to rent, restrooms, and parking
  5. Francis Bay Beach – turtle viewing; snorkeling along the rock shoreline; 0.25 mile long beach; amenities – picnic tables, restrooms, and parking

Hiking

If the beach isn’t your thing and you would prefer to hike, Alltrails lists 33 trails at VINP with various difficulty levels – 10 are rated Easy, 21 are rated Moderate, and 2 are rated Hard. Of the 33 trails, 17 have review ratings with 4.5+ stars. 

Historic Sites

The park offers two historic sites:

  1. The Windmill at Annaberg Sugar Plantation
  2. Reef Bay Sugar Mill