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| Virgin Islands National Park Visitor's Center |
My husband is an elevator mechanic and he was sent there to work on a job back in
2013. His room, flight, and rental car were paid for by his company so it was a
no brainer that I would leave Tennessee in the cold of January to join him for
a week.
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| Annaberg Sugar Plantation |
One of my favorite things about St. John is that the
Virgin Islands National Park covers about 60% of the island. It allows the island
to remain largely undeveloped. There are plenty of beaches on St. John and I
couldn’t find one I didn’t like. You'll find that each beach has it's own unique "specialty". One has remains of an old sugar plantation, one beach is known for its sea turtle population, at one beach we watched pelicans dive bomb schools of fish.
The Cruz Bay Visitor Center is open daily from 8 a. m. to 4:30 p. m. It is a short walk, about two blocks, from the public ferry dock so even if you are staying on one of the other US Virgin Islands you won’t have far to walk if you go to St. John for a daytrip. A lot of taxis wait for visitors at the ferry dock but I would suggest walking to the visitor’s center if you want to stop there.
The Cruz Bay Visitor Center is open daily from 8 a. m. to 4:30 p. m. It is a short walk, about two blocks, from the public ferry dock so even if you are staying on one of the other US Virgin Islands you won’t have far to walk if you go to St. John for a daytrip. A lot of taxis wait for visitors at the ferry dock but I would suggest walking to the visitor’s center if you want to stop there.
The
center is very simple. It offers exhibits, brochures, maps, educational
materials, books and an activity schedule. The park rangers at the information
desk can help you plan your visit, including hikes, historical tours,
snorkeling, and other programs. I picked up a map and some postcards
there and then hit a trail that starts about another block past the visitor’s
center. The views from this trail were spectacular! Be warned that it is an
uphill climb so make sure you have proper footwear.
Another cool feature this national park is Trunk Bay. You can find an underwater snorkeling trail there. This is a great place for beginners and anyone who wants to learn about marine life because as you snorkel you can read underwater plaques along the trail to learn about life that inhabits the reef. The trail follows the west side of Trunk Bay Cay for about 300 feet before making a U-turn back to the beach. There are lots of coral and fish here and while I was swimming my brother and I saw a huge barracuda.
Another cool feature this national park is Trunk Bay. You can find an underwater snorkeling trail there. This is a great place for beginners and anyone who wants to learn about marine life because as you snorkel you can read underwater plaques along the trail to learn about life that inhabits the reef. The trail follows the west side of Trunk Bay Cay for about 300 feet before making a U-turn back to the beach. There are lots of coral and fish here and while I was swimming my brother and I saw a huge barracuda.
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| Trunk Bay underwater snorkeling trail. |
If you would like to find out more about Virgin Islands National Park you can
visit
https://www.nps.gov/viis/index.htm
https://www.nps.gov/viis/index.htm
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