Last Updated on October 2, 2024 by Bonnie
With pristine beaches, rugged hiking trails and historic ruins on a small island, Virgin Islands National Park can easily be considered a bucket list destination. Whether you are visiting because you are a national park geek or just to enjoy island life, you are sure to enjoy this little slice of paradise.
But, its location on the somewhat remote island of St. John means that planning a trip to this stunning park can be a bit difficult. We’re here to help!
We have been fortunate enough to visit St. John and Virgin Islands National Park twice now, first in 2011 and again in 2024. Our first visit was just a day trip. Most recently, we spent three nights on St. John, allowing us to experience more of the national park and the entire island.
In this article, we’ll share what you need to know to plan your own trip to Virgin Islands National Park.
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How to Get to Virgin Islands National Park
Virgin Islands National Park makes up more than half of the island of St. John, one of three islands of the US Virgin Islands. So, the first step is getting to St. John, which is the somewhat difficult part. Once on the island, getting to the park isn’t that difficult, as long as you know the best ways to get around the island (which, of course, we’ll cover).
St. John is only accessible by boat – there are no airports or bridges to the island. Cruz Bay is the major town/port and is easily accessible from the neighboring island of St. Thomas (the most populated of the US Virgin Islands).
Commercial flights to St. Thomas are abundant and land at the airport on the west side of the island. Unfortunately, the main ferry terminal is on the east side of the island at Red Hook. Taxis are plentiful, though, and charge a fixed rate.
The main town on St. Thomas is Charlotte Amalie, which is a popular cruise ship port. We have never visited via cruise but many people do. I would expect that you could easily find excursions to St. John and Virgin Islands NP.
There is also a seaplane terminal in Charlotte Amalie. For our 2024 visit, we flew in from St. Croix (the third and final of the US Virgin Islands) on a seaplane with Seaborne Airlines. If you have the opportunity to take the seaplane, we highly recommend it! It was a neat experience and much less hassle than the commercial airport. Note: there are luggage restrictions since it’s a very small plane.
From Charlotte Amalie, you’ll still need to take a taxi to Red Hook. Ferries between Red Hook (St. Thomas) and Cruz Bay (St. John) run hourly throughout the day, from 5:30 am to 11:30 pm.
You can also find a few other ferry services that connect St. John with Crown Bay in St. Thomas, the island of St. Croix (the largest of the US Virgin Islands) and several of the British Virgin Islands.
Getting Around St. John, USVI
Once you arrive in Cruz Bay on St. John, you’ll be smack dab in the middle of the action. Seriously, you walk off the ferry and you are right at the main square, with restaurants, hotels and a beach in easy walking distance.
Of course, there are many other restaurants, hotels and beaches scattered around the island.
The Virgin Islands National Park Visitor Center is located a few blocks west of the ferry terminal. You can walk there easily from “downtown” Cruz Bay. You will need a rental car or taxi (no Uber or Lyft on the island) to get to other points of interest around the park, though.
Open-air shuttle bus-style taxis are plentiful and some of the resorts even have their own. If you only want to visit the most popular beaches or plan to mostly stay at your hotel/resort, then you can probably get away with not renting a car.
But if you want to explore the historical ruins or the more remote areas of the park and island, we recommend renting a car.
We rented a jeep for both of our visits. Admittedly, driving in St. John (or any of the US Virgin Islands) can be a bit stressful. Still, we like the freedom and flexibility it provides.
In 2024, we rented from Mr. Piper’s Jeeps. They picked us up at the ferry terminal. We completed the paperwork during the brief ride to the rental office and we were on our way. Additionally, they let us park at the office when in town, which was a huge benefit! Parking in town is extremely limited.
To truly explore the majority of Virgin Islands National Park, I’d say it’s best to rent a car. But, it depends on what you want to do.
Note: In all of the US Virgin Islands, vehicles have the steering wheel on the left side, just like in the States. You drive on the left side of the road, though. Additionally, roads in St. John can be extremely steep, narrow and curvy.
What to Do at Virgin Islands National Park
As a national park on a small island in the Caribbean, it should come as no surprise that some of the best things to do at Virgin Islands National Park involve the water. Hanging out on the beach, snorkeling and even boating are all popular and a great way to spend your time at the park.
But, for those who prefer to stay on land, there are still plenty of hiking trails and historic ruins to explore.
It’s always best to start your visit to a national park at the visitor center if you can. Unfortunately, the Virgin Islands NP Visitor Center is only open weekdays (Monday – Friday), 8:15 am – 1:30 pm.
This was a bit frustrating for us, as we arrived shortly after noon on a Friday. After picking up the rental car and checking into the Cinnamon Bay Beach Resort & Campground, the visitor center was closed.
Thankfully, we were able to find all the information we needed online. Still, we weren’t able to stop at the visitor center until Monday morning, just before leaving the island.
The open-air visitor center had some nice exhibits and a well-stocked bookstore, run by the Friends of Virgin Islands National Park. Ultimately, we realized that we didn’t miss anything by going to the visitor center at the end of our visit rather than the beginning.
Hiking and Historic Ruins
The Virgin Islands National Park website lists 10 hiking trails, ranging from short nature walks to strenuous climbs up steep and rocky terrain.
Most recently, we were visiting in the summer of 2024 and there was an Excessive Heat Warning. As such, we stuck to the short and easy trails. We did do some additional hiking during our first visit (also in the summer). But that was in 2011, long before we started blogging. Unfortunately, we don’t have strong enough memories and have lost most of our photos.
A couple of the most popular hikes are Reef Bay Trail, which starts at the Visitor Center, and Salt Pond Bay to Ram Head, on the southeast tip of the island. Both of these are sometimes offered as a Ranger Guided Hike. (Check the park’s website for current information.)
Several other trails lead to ruins, in addition to those mentioned below. Specifically, we intended to visit the ruins at Cinnamon Bay (across the street from the Cinnamon Bay Beach & Campground) but couldn’t tear ourselves off the beach!
Francis Bay
For a short and moderately easy hike, we drove to the Francis Bay Trail on the north side of the island. The trail started at the ruins of the Francis Bay Sugar Factory. There are a few parking spots here. You can also continue driving a bit farther if you want to spend additional time at the beach.
At the ruins, a few exhibits provide information on its history. The trail then winds through the trees and past a small bay to the beach. There is a little elevation change along the way, but nothing difficult.
From the beach, a boardwalk trail loops around and provides better views of the bay, before winding back to the road and both parking areas. We spent about 30 minutes on this trail, which measures about 0.8 miles roundtrip.
Annaberg
Just a short distance away, the Annaberg Historic District and Sugar Mill is another great stop at Virgin Islands National Park. A series of paths lead you around the ruins, which are right on the coast. The parking lot is close to sea level. From there, you’ll walk uphill to the ruins.
From there, you’ll have sweeping views over Leinster Bay and out to several of the British Virgin Islands. ‘
The ruins themselves are great as well. Exhibit signs provide information about the owners and enslaved people who lived here and operated the mill as well as general information on life on the island in the mid-1800s.
Beaches and Snorkeling
If it’s beaches you’re interested in, you’ll have your choice of some of the best in the Caribbean (and the world) at Virgin Islands National Park. Some of the best are found along North Shore Road, which extends north from Cruz Bay. There are many others scattered around the island, though.
Beaches along North Shore Drive include Hawksnest Bay, Trunk Bay, Maho Bay and Cinnamon Bay, all of which are within Virgin Islands National Park.
Parking at all of these beaches is rather limited. It’s probably best to get a taxi/shuttle bus to visit any of the beaches in this area. In fact, we tried to park at Trunk Bay mid-morning with no luck.
Hawksnest Bay has one of the largest parking areas but even that fills quickly. Additionally, the surf here can be rough and it isn’t the best for snorkeling.
Trunk Bay is frequently named one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Accordingly, it has a $5 amenity fee (per person), which a National Parks pass does NOT cover. It is home to a 225-yard Underwater Snorkel Trail, which is a great place for beginners. Amenities include showers, concessions and snorkel rentals. Sadly, Trunk Bay also has one of the smallest parking areas.
We had really hoped to do some snorkeling at Trunk Bay. Alas, we didn’t find parking and didn’t want to pay for a taxi. So, we just headed back to Cinnamon Bay, where we were staying.
Cinnamon Bay is home to the park’s only lodging, the Cinnamon Bay Beach Campground, which is where we stayed in 2024. As such, we spent most of our time here. The beach is quite large and there are plenty of amenities, including showers, quick service lunch (breakfast and dinner are served at the lodge restaurant) and rentals for beach chairs, snorkel gear and paddle boards. The lodge also has a small store, which is gloriously air-conditioned!
The snorkeling at Cinnamon Bay wasn’t the best but it was fun. We found the best reef on the far right side (as you approach the beach), near the rocky shoreline.
Maho Bay is the farthest from Cruz Bay but is worth the drive. The narrow sandy beach is popular with locals and tourists, with coconut trees providing a respite of shade. It’s also the best place to spot sea turtles.
Boating/Tours
When we visited the Virgin Islands in 2011, we spent about a week sailing around the islands with Grant’s dad and stepmom. That was a great trip that we both have fond memories of. (Sadly, we can’t find our photos from this trip.)
We spent most of our time in the British Virgin Islands but did rent our sailboat in St. Thomas and spent our last night in Cruz Bay.
There are tons of places in the Virgin Islands where you can rent a boat to captain yourself or with a crew. You could also opt for a daily rental or just a full or half-day tour. The options are endless around here!
If captaining a boat yourself, be aware of the mooring fees and understand where you can and can’t anchor. The park’s website has tons of information on visiting by boat.
We thoroughly enjoyed our recent visit and loved camping at Cinnamon Bay Beach Resort. That said, our sailing trip in 2011 was an amazing way to explore the islands. We’d love to explore Virgin Islands National Park and Virgin Island Coral Reef National Monument by boat in the future. (Yep, there are two parks here – see details below.)
Other Things to Do on St. John
One of the best things to do in St. John is simply drive around and take in the sights. The drive up North Shore Road is fantastic. There are several overlooks offering views over the beaches. Just make sure the driver doesn’t get distracted!
We spent about half a day just driving around. Our driving tour of St. John took us along the North Shore, the out to the East End. From there we drove south to the Salt Pond Bay are, then backtracked to Bordeaux Mountain Road and Centerline Road, back to Cruz Bay.
It really was a fantastic drive with tons of great sights over the island and the water. Anywhere you can, you should definitely stop and take in the sights. Just make sure you have room to park without blocking traffic!
Also, it’s important to note that St. John is home to feral donkeys that you will find wandering around just about anywhere. On the East End, we also saw several goats along the road. There is also a healthy deer population on the island. So, it’s important to stay alert and watch out for animals while driving.
Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument
As mentioned previously, St. John is also home to a second park – Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. This park preserves some of the best coral reef in the United States. It’s boundaries cover the waters around St. John, in some cases extending the protection provided by the National Park.
Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument is managed by the rangers of Virgin Islands National Park and it has no facilities beyond mooring balls.
In fact, the only land access is from the east end of the island, in an area known as Hurricane Hole. We spent some time trying to make sure we got ourselves to the National Monument Boundary. While we are pretty sure we got there, based on the maps, we can’t say 100%. But, we were certainly in the area, so we’re counting it.
To truly experience the national monument, you need to get into the water by snorkeling or scuba diving within its boundaries. Fishing and anchoring are prohibited within park boundaries.
Best Time to Visit the Virgin Islands
We visited Virgin Islands National Park in early July. While we had a great time, that’s not necessarily the best time to visit. That said, there really isn’t a bad time to visit. Mostly, it’s just finding the weather that you prefer.
Temperatures are warm year-round, though it does get hot and humid in the summer. Later in the year (August-November) brings the most rain, while winter (December to February) tends to be the driest.
The main thing to watch out for is hurricane season, which runs May through November. Hurricanes typically are most active in the Caribbean later in the season – in September and October. Still, in 2024 Hurricane Beryl passed through the Caribbean the first few days of July.
Thankfully, it was far enough south that it didn’t have a major impact on St. John. But, we were watching it closely as we flew to St. Croix (our first stop on a 2.5-week trip) on July 2.
Aside from hurricanes, the biggest issue with the summer is the heat. Even though high temperatures were only around 90 degrees Fahrenheit during our visit, there were still Excessive Heat Warnings nearly every day. Even being from the Atlanta area, we were certainly feeling the scorch of the heat and humidity.
Generally speaking, winter is considered the busy season, though visitation is often still high in the Spring which typically has the most pleasant and balanced weather.
Where to Stay at Virgin Islands NP
Currently, the only lodging inside the park is at Cinnamon Bay Beach & Campground. The resort offers eco-tents, bare tent pads (with option tent rental) and cottages. They even have a few group tent areas.
Of course, there are many other places to stay in St. John. You’ll find a wide variety of high-end resorts and small, local hotels. You won’t find any of the large hotel chains, though.
Check prices for nearby hotels here.
Camping at Cinnamon Bay in Virgin Islands National Park
Since we typically spend our summer camping in our RV, we decided to camp at Cinnamon Bay Beach & Campground. This also allowed us to maximize our time at Virgin Islands National Park.
The biggest downside to the campground is… no air-conditioning (aside from the General Store). So, we opted for an Oceanside Eco-Tent, in an effort to get more of the ocean breeze. I won’t lie, with lows in the low 80s, it was definitely warm and sometimes uncomfortable at night. That said, we loved our stay here.
Being in the oceanside tent definitely made a difference. Not only did we get a good breeze most of the time, we also could see the beach from our tent. In fact, we could see it from the bed.
Thankfully, there was a small stand of trees that provided some privacy between us and the beach. That was absolutely necessary as Cinnamon Bay is a popular beach that was full most of the day.
Additionally, we saw a variety of animals from our tent – deer, mongoose, iguana and crabs. One morning four donkeys even wandered past the tent!
All this and we were literally just a few steps from the beach. That made it really easy to walk back and forth throughout the day and even for sunset.
The bathrooms were definitely rustic and, yes, they were shared “campground” bathrooms. At least the bathrooms were clean, though. The biggest surprise is that the showers were open-air, though still private. And, the water was barely warm. That was ok, though, as we generally were looking to cool off during our shower!
Breakfast and dinner are served at the Rain Tree Cafe, an open-air restaurant at the front of the campground. The food was good, but nothing super exciting. It was nice to not have to drive first thing in the morning or late at night, though!
Where to Eat and Drink in St. John
There are tons of great restaurants and bars in St. John to meet any preference. Here are a few that we enjoyed.
Greengos Caribbean Cantina (Mongoose Junction in Cruz Bay) – Grant particularly enjoyed the Bandito margarita, made with peach puree, fresh cilantro and house-infused Thai chili tequila. The burrito and cantina bowl were quite tasty as well!
High Tide Bar & Seafood Grill (on Cruz Bay) – The perfect place to eat right on the beach! We started with a Rum Punch to take advantage of Happy Hour. The Mahi sandwich and Fish & Chips provided a great seafood dinner on our last night in St. John.
Skinny Legs Bar and Grill (Coral Bay on the east side of the island) – We stopped here for lunch while driving around. It’s a great outdoor, casual restaurant with flair. Took this opportunity to try a St. John favorite drink – the Painkiller, which was fantastic! The burgers were amazing as well.
Other National Parks in the Caribbean
Virgin Island National Park is the only designated “national park” in the Caribbean. But, there are four other national park units in the Caribbean. Three of them are in St. Croix, also part of the US Virgin Islands, and the fourth is in Puerto Rico.
In St. Croix, you can visit Christiansted National Historic Site, Buck Island Reef National Monument and Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve. We recommend spending at least three nights in St. Croix to visit these sites.
Get our St. Croix National Parks itinerary.
In Puerto Rico, you’ll find the San Juan National Historic Site. We previously visited this park on a quick visit after a Southern Caribbean cruise.
In 2024, we revisited Puerto Rico, flying to San Juan after leaving St. John. In addition to San Juan, we spent an additional six nights touring the entire island. We’ll be updating our article on visiting San Juan and writing a few new articles on Puerto Rico in the coming weeks.
Final Thoughts on Virgin Islands National Park
Our three nights on St. John allowed us two full days to explore Virgin Islands National Park. While we were able to see and do quite a bit, we probably could have used another day or two to fully explore the park.
Specifically, we would love to check out the Underwater Snorkel Trail at Trunk Bay and explore the ruins at Cinnamon Bay. Additionally, it would be great to take a tour or perhaps rent a boat to explore more of Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument.
We would also love to do some more hiking to see some of the more remote areas of the national park.
At this point in our lives, that probably means we need to visit when it’s cooler. Honestly, July was just too hot to enjoy any strenuous hikes, especially since we were camping without air conditioning.
Still, St. John is a fantastic island! Getting there is a bit of an adventure, but that’s part of what we love.
Once there, even on a cloudy or rainy day, you can’t help but feel like you’re in paradise.
| Check out all of our articles on visiting the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico |
|---|
| How to Visit the National Park Sites in St. Croix |
| Touring the San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico |
| A One-Week Itinerary for Visiting the Caribbean National Parks |
| Our Exact Costs to Visit the Caribbean National Parks |
| Six Puerto Rico Day Trips from San Juan |
| An Overnight Visit to Vieques, Puerto Rico |
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