Virgin Islands National Park

One of the highlights of our family vacation to St Thomas, was visiting the Virgin Islands National Park on the island of St. John. While we were staying on nearby St. Thomas, we took the ferry across the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean to spend a day exploring this unique national park.

Virgin Islands National Park is a place where the sea is just as important as the land. As we snorkeled the warm Caribbean waters, we were surrounded by colorful fish and coral formations. The clear water and protected bays provided an opportunity to experience a side of the National Park System that exists beneath the surface.  

Virgin Islands National Park was established in 1956, when philanthropist Laurence Rockfeller donated thousands of acres of land on St John to the National Park Service. His vision ensured that much of the island would remain protected from development. Today, the park encompasses nearly two-thirds of St. John and protects not only beaches and tropical forest but also historic sites and marine environments.

Long before tourism arrived, St John was home to indigenous peoples and later became part of the Danish West Indies. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, sugar plantations operated throughout the island. The island was also the site of the 1733 slave revolt, one of the earliest uprisings against colonial rule in the Americas.  

Virgin Islands National Park preserves a combination of natural beauty, cultural history and marine life. It remains one of those special parks where the journey itself is part of the adventure.