Virgin Islands National Park

Virgin Islands National Park. That name, for me, now envokes images of pristine coastlines, tropical forests, and near-mystical underwater scenes and eco-systems. But just one week ago, I had no idea what to expect. I just got back from my trip to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and I am excited to write about this unique national park.

VINP is not one of the "darlings" of the U.S. National Park System, not one of the Top 10 most-visited parks (like the Great Smoky Mountains or the Grand Canyon) or one of the oldest (like Yellowstone or Yosemite) . In fact, it doesn't even make the Top 40 (out of 59). But VINP is like no other park in the NPS, and it is well worth a trip to the Caribbean.

As the only U.S. national park in the Caribbean Sea, VINP encompasses over half of the island of St. John. But half of the park isn't even *on* the island - it is around it, under the water, in the form of coral reef and the natural eco-system that follows. There is even an underwater snorkeling "trail" complete with information markers that describe the nearby sights and sealife. Intrigued yet?

We stayed on the island of St. Thomas, and we took a day trip to St. John. We rode an early morning ferry (about 20 minutes) and arrived to Cruz Bay, St. John around 8:30a. We rented a Jeep and headed to the VINP Visitors Center to start our day.

First time I saw an NPS boat!

The driving took some getting used to because cars are driven on the left side of the road. Also, there are lots of steep climbs around hairpin turns that require back-to-back breaking and accelerating and driving in second gear. The driving could be easier, but there is no rush and no need to worry. Definitely try to stop by the pull-outs on your way into the park because they are on the left and the overlooks are great.

We got tips and recommendations from the Visitors Center, and then we hiked the Lind Point Trail to Honeymoon Bay. This hike left from the same parking lot as the Visitors Center. The hike was well-shaded, which meant that we were safe from the sun but missed out on some views (except for the Lind Point Overlook). And Honeymoon Bay was one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. At this point in the day (around 9a), the beach was empty aside from a couple of snorkelers in the water.

View of Cruz Bay from Lind Point Overlook

After we got back to the parking lot, we rented some snorkeling gear from a vendor across the street ($10 for the day). Then we headed straight for Trunk Bay, the most popular beach in the park, and supposedly one of the best beaches in the world.

As a native Chicagoan and only part-time Californian, I don't know that much about world-class beaches. But when I was told that Trunk Bay was about as good as they got, then I believed it. The sand was white and soft, and the water was clear and blue. Nestled in an inlet and surrounded by lush tropical forest, and the whole scene was a little hard to believe.

Trunk Bay

Trunk Bay is where the underwater snorkeling trail is, making it one of the most popular snorkeling spots in the park (you can also rent snorkeling gear there, if that's the only place you want to snorkel). There was a bit of traffic in terms of snorkelers (around 11a), but it wasn't too bad. This was my first time snorkeling, so I was pretty excited. And I wasn't disappointed! The underwater trail was simple but very cool to follow, and I saw so much interesting sealife for the first time.

My friends wanted to lay out for awhile, but I stayed in the water. I was living my dream of pretending to be a little mermaid and finding Nemo. But this is how I got sunburn around my butt (since the butt faces the sun while snorkeling). I was wearing a rashguard (MVP of my trip) that protected my back and shoulders, thankfully, but I would also recommend boardshorts to avoid a butt burn.

After Trunk Bay, we headed further into the park without specific plans. We ended up seeing the Anneberg sugar mill ruins and also the ruins near Cinnamon Bay. The ruins were pretty cool, actually, and there were lots of informative markers to describe the history of the area.

Anneberg Ruins

We also went snorkeling at Francis Bay because we were told that there would be sea turtles, but we didn't find any. We may have been looking in the wrong areas because the next day, we learned that they would probably be found near the patches of underwater grass, where they fed.

At the end of the day, we stopped by Cinnamon Bay to use the showers (there are also showers at Trunk Bay), and then we headed back into town for dinner. We got dinner at The Longboard, a casual place that reminded me a of a restaurant I might find in Santa Monica, California. It had a boardwalk vibe with open air seating. And tacos!

Overall, I think I could have easily spent another full day in the park, and maybe even a third day. Will I ever make it back to Virgin Islands National Park? I would definitely be up for it, and I will be sure to bring boardshorts next time.

Cinnamon Bay