Virgin Islands National Park Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Virgin Islands National Park

Virgin Islands National Park encompasses 14,737 acres of land and sea in the United States Virgin Islands, protecting approximately 60 percent of Saint John, over 5,500 acres of adjacent ocean waters, and nearly the entirety of nearby Hassel Island. The park is renowned for its tropical rainforests, coral reefs, and white sand beaches. Cruz Bay serves as the gateway port and visitor center location, connected to neighboring islands via regular ferries operating from Saint Thomas, Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, and Virgin Gorda.

The park was established following a land donation in 1956 by Laurance Rockefeller's Jackson Hole Preserve to protect the terrain from future development, with subsequent land purchases and donations expanding its holdings. The region preserves cultural heritage spanning pre-Columbian Taíno Indian history to Danish colonial times. Historical sites scattered across the land include the Annaberg Historic District featuring a windmill and sugar factory ruins, the Catherineberg Sugar Mill Ruins, and ancient Taíno petroglyph rock carvings beside rock pools near Reef Bay.

Coral reefs frame much of the shoreline, making the park a major destination for snorkeling and scuba diving. Trunk Bay features a dedicated underwater snorkeling path along its coral reef, while Maho Bay offers calm waters and seagrass beds where sea turtles and stingrays gather. Additional coastal features include Cinnamon Bay, Honeymoon Beach, and Salt Pond Bay. Visitors navigating the waters can utilize overnight and day-use mooring balls available for private boats.

A network of hiking paths traverses the landscape, catering to various fitness levels. The Cinnamon Bay Nature Trail offers a short loop through sugar factory ruins, while the steep Bordeaux Mountain Trail climbs to Saint John's highest point at 1,277 feet. The Reef Bay Trail directs hikers past forest vegetation, historical sugar mill remnants, and petroglyphs down to Genti Bay. Other popular routes include the Lind Point Trail from Cruz Bay to Honeymoon Beach, the Caneel Hill Trail leading to a summit lookout platform, and the rocky Ram Head Trail along the island's southern tip.

The park maintains diverse wildlife ecosystems and is recognized as an Important Bird Area. While bats are the only native land mammal, the park supports populations of wild donkeys, deer, iguanas, tortoises, skinks, and numerous bird species such as hummingbirds, pelicans, and quail-doves.

Experiencing a tropical savanna climate, the area maintains an average temperature around 79 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius) with warm waters year-round. The primary visiting season spans the drier months between December and April, though overnight stays remain available throughout much of the year at locations like the Cinnamon Bay Campground and local resorts.