We just came back from a whirl wind amazing visit to Virgin Island National Park
Our journey to the Park
Visiting Virgin Islands National Park was a big deal for our adventure to visit all 63 National Parks. This was park number 44. We are almost done with the parks in the Continental US, so we needed to start adding in the parks outside the 48 contiguous states. We had a free weekend the beginning of December and decided on a whim to hit the road. Or the planes, Jeeps, and ferries. More on getting there in a minute.
A few interesting facts about Virgin Islands National Park
Virgin Islands National Park is located on the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. The park covers about 2/3 of the small island and you drive in and out of the park as you travel around the island. The Park was established In 1956 as a gift From Laurence Rockefeller. The park is unique because it includes amazing beaches and snorkeling, historical locations, and some awesome hiking. That’s not something you find in most National Parks. We were so fascinated about these interesting facts because it’s not something we experienced in any other park.
How to get to Virgin Islands National Park
It takes a bit of work to get there but it really doesn’t take long if you work it out well. First, you need to get to Cyril E. King International Airport in Charlotte Amalie, in St. Thomas, USVI. We flew from Charlotte NC, and it was a 3 hour flight. Once in St. Thomas we rented a Jeep (I’ve never seen so many Jeeps on a trip) and drove about 8 miles to Red Hook Marine Dock to catch the car ferry. We took Love City Car Ferries. You can reserve the ferry in advance. Keep in mind that even though this is a US Territory they drive on the left (wrong) side of the road so be prepared.
The ferry was interesting. I’ve done ferries many times in my life. For two years I lived on Governors Island off of the tip of Manhattan. You took a ferry to go anywhere off the island. I’m a pro. But this was the first time I was on a ferry that you had to back onto. It was strange but that’s they way they do things in the Virgin Islands.
The ferry ride to St. John and Virgin Islands National Park is about 20-30 minutes depending on the weather. It was a gorgeous ride. We spent the whole time outside the car just enjoying the views and the warm breezes. It was a fun part of our trip. We arrived in St. Thomas on a Friday at 2 and were on the 5:00 p.m. ferry. By 5:30 we had checked into our hotel and were sitting on our porch watching the sun set. Amazing!
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Where we stayed in St. John
When we travel, we usually rent a local VRBO house. Because this was such a quickly planned trip, we didn’t have a lot of choices but definitely check out this link for a home to rent. There were some beautiful ones. So, we ended up in a resort which is not something we usually do so we definitely enjoyed it. We LOVED the Gallows Point Resort right in Cruz Bay, St. John which is the most happening place on the island. Definitely check it out if you want a fun splurge in a beautiful location. The views were amazing, and the employees were so very nice and helpful.
We stayed at Gallows Point for 3 nights, arriving Friday evening in time for sunset and leaving on the ferry Monday at noon. It was just enough time to really explore the island of St. John and Virgin Islands National Park. We drove, explored, ate, and hiked and loved every minute. Here is how you can fill 2 1/2 days in the park.
Day 1 – Beaches, sites, and hiking
Get orientated on the island
The majority of the island is National Park and there are 3 main roads traversing the island. Each area has things to see and do so use your brochure map and plan. The visitor center for the park is in Cruz Bay and you will want to stop there first to ask about hikes, sights and anything that may be closed or important to know. Grab a brochure map to find your way around. We found the visitor center was closed on Saturday and Sunday so we couldn’t go till the end of our visit before hitting the ferry home.
Beaches
St. John is known for its beaches and snorkeling and many of those beaches are in Virgin Islands National Park. On our first day we drove along the north shore through the park stopping at each beach and at overlooks of all the beaches. We love to walk a beach, but we are not the type to sit and sun when there are things to see and hiking to do so we just visited but didn’t spend a long time hanging in the sun. There was too much left to do. The beaches are amazing though.
Annaberg Sugar Plantation
This old sugar plantation is situated in a beautiful location and the ruins themselves are so interesting. But this beauty is overwhelmed by the history of what happened here. The Dutch gained control over St. John in 1718. They were growing and processing sugar cane which is extremely hard work. The settlers were not interesting in doing this backbreaking work themselves, so they turned to slave labor like many of the other people in the Caribbean islands were doing. There are tragic reminders throughout the location including graffiti in the dungeon.
The plantation area includes the buildings used to process the sugar, the slave quarters, windmill, dungeon and more. It’s a stunningly beautiful place. I highly recommend this being on your list of places to explore in depth. The path itself is easy and short. It’s just about .30 miles in total.
Leinster Bay Trail Hike
Right next to the Annaberg Sugar Plantation there is a lovely hike along several bays with some great ruins if you are willing to hike up a hill at the end. Leinster Bay Trail is flat and easy and about 2 miles with very little elevation. We loved this hike after some driving around the park and it was a good warm up for later harder hiking. The breezes were lovely, there was shade when we were there in the morning and the water is gorgeous. We saw a lot of people snorkeling in the different bays.
At the end of this hike as you are coming back look for a little opening in the brush on your left where there is another trail head for another trail. If you turn up there you can go about .20 of a mile up a hill to some neat ruins. The views from the ruins are absolutely amazing. Definitely don’t miss this little detour.
More exploring
After our hike we ate our picnic lunch and headed to the southern part of the island. There was a lot to see as we drove from north to south and when you first come up and over the mountains in the middle and see the water on the south side it’s stunning. Along the way we experienced some of the island’s wildlife, i.e. wild donkeys that you see all over the island.
These donkeys are small, cute and slightly aggressive. We pulled over to look at our map and they were in our Jeep window in about 15 seconds. But unlike the bears in some parks these cuties are pretty nice. As with all wildlife you should never feed them. It is not good for them to eat our food and it makes them dependent on humans.
Ram Head Trail
Ram Head trail was absolutely worth the work and the heat. It’s on the southern side of the island which is drier and definitely hot. The trail has a bunch of ups and downs and when we got there it was noon. Not the best time to start a hike. But you do what you have to do when you only have a few days. The trail is 2.3 miles and the elevation gain is only about 230 feet. You will pass two gorgeous bays and go up and onto a point where you have 360 views. It was the best.
In addition to the views, we passed some of the most interesting cactus called Turk cap cactus. They were all getting ready to flower and being so close to Christmas I thought they were a lot like Rudolph the red nosed reindeer cactus.
By the time we finished this hike we were so hot that we just got into the ocean fully clothed, and it was so refreshing and a great way to cool off our core temps. The water is so calm at all the beaches (definitely not a surfing location) and it’s amazing just to sit and soak. It was almost dinner time when we got done and dried and changed. We had met someone on the trail who recommended a restaurant for dinner where we could watch the sun set.
We headed to the Windmill Bar for an early dinner. It was a pretty place with a nice view but not as nice as our lanai at the hotel. And interestingly they charged us $5 just to park to eat at their restaurant. That didn’t sit really well with us. The food was good, and they had great music though. Again, the view was nice but not as nice as other spots.
Peace Hill for Sunset
After dinner the sun hadn’t set yet so we headed to Peace Hill to walk up the small hill to some more ruins and one of the most beautiful sunset spots in Virgin Islands National Park. It didn’t disappoint. The ruins offered a perfect photo spot to catch the sun and I had a blast trying to get different shots. We were told you could see tarantulas here, but we didn’t see one. I have to admit to being a bit disappointed. The views were stunning and made up for it though.
Day 2- more hiking and exploring
Breakfast at Cruz Bay Landing
We were doing a long hike today, so we wanted to fuel up before heading out. We headed to Cruz Bay Landing and it was just right. The service was good, and the food was plentiful and very tasty. I had plenty of food with my meal but couldn’t resist the sound of their cinnamon swirl pancake. I just got one and it was amazing. Don’t miss it.
Reef Bay Trail
Reef Bay Trail is one of the longer trails in Virgin Islands National Park. We clocked in at just over 6 miles because we did the off shoots to petroglyphs and waterfalls etc. AllTrails lists it at 4.4 miles and 1200 feet of elevation. I’m not sure how they just get 4.4 miles so don’t plan on that. Even if you just do the hike itself it will be longer than that. You start at one of the highest points on the island and head all the way to the beach.
Along the way there are more sugar plantation ruins right on the trail. About a mile from the beach there is a sign for a trail to the right to see petroglyphs. Don’t expect a lot. There are just a couple and in the words of my hubby they look like Charlie Brown’s head. But you can definitely see something on the rocks so you will want to check it out. Right by the petroglyphs is a waterfall that I imagine is really large at times depending on rainfall etc. It was just a trickle when we saw it, but it was still interesting.
We took an unmarked trail from there up high to the left which took us to the top of the waterfall and a little further back another waterfall which we could climb to down through a little canyon. It was all neat to explore.
As you approach the beach you will come to the huge Reef Bay Sugar Plantation Ruin. Yes, there was a lot of sugar grown on this small island. This ruin is a little newer than the others and was modernized so it was in a little better shape. It was so interesting to check it out and while there we found the most amazing beehive in the wall of one of the buildings. What better place for bees than an old sugar mill?
After exploring the ruins, we were just another 100 feet from the beach. It was beautiful walking through the trees and seeing the beach peeking out ahead. We were the only ones there and again just got right in in our hiking clothes. The water feels amazing after a long hike.
The hike up from the beach was intense because you are getting most of the 1200 feet of elevation on the tail end of the hike. But there is decent shade so it’s not too big of a deal. Make sure you are hydrated on this hike. It’s humid, warm and if you spend time in the ocean, you have gotten the sun that will dehydrate you as well. I can’t recommend this hike enough. So much to see and do along the way. It’s super!
Cinnamon Bay Beach
After our long hike we headed to Cinnamon Bay Beach one of the most popular Virgin Islands National Park beaches. It has food, drinks, shopping, lodging (glamping tents), ruins, and more that make this a super popular spot. We got a drink and found a gorgeous spot to sit and watch the water, the kids playing and the beautiful day. I highly recommend visiting at least one beach for an hour or so at the end of a long day of hiking and exploring.
Hotel Visitors
We got back from our day in Virgin Islands National Park to find a visitor to our hotel. This fellow was waiting for us and seemed like he had just knocked on the door and was waiting to be let in. These peacocks were everywhere and one night I saw 5 of them sleeping in one of the trees near our room.
Day 3-Visitor Center, ferry & time in St. Thomas
After walking from our hotel back to the Cruz Bay Landing for breakfast we packed up, hit the visitor center and then the ferry at noon. We found out our plane was delayed for over 6 hours, so we had time to do some exploring in St. Thomas for the afternoon.
Magens Bay
Once we got back to St. Thomas, we drove to Magens Bay, one of the popular spots in St. Thomas. You have to pay $8 to got to the beach and park. We sat at the bar and had soda and Virgin Daiquiri’s which were a perfect end to a visit to Virgin Islands National Park. Ha! We walked the beach which was gorgeous with amazingly calm water.
99 Steps
In Charlotte Amelie we visited the 99 Steps. Don’t be fooled though. If you count them as you walk up there are actually 103. Don’t ask me why. The 99 steps lead to Blackbeard’s Castle. (The Castle was closed for maintenance sadly) The steps were built in 1679 and local legend has it that the pirate, Edward Teach or Blackbeard used the lookout. They are surrounded by pretty flowers and the views from the top are stunning. It’s worth checking out and hopefully when you go the castle will be open again.
Burgers at The Tap & Still
We googled burgers to find a great place to fill up before our plane finally left. We tried The Tap & Still and it was fantastic. The burger was one of the best I’ve ever had, and the house cut fries were awesome. I would go back here in a heartbeat. Yum! In addition, it was nice to eat outside, and people watch as this restaurant was near the cruise dock and they also had great music. Definitely check it out.
We thoroughly enjoyed Virgin Islands National Park and the island of St. John. We were sad to leave because we really could have spent 2 more days there. We got a great visit in and didn’t feel we missed anything over the 2 1/2 days but there was more hiking we could have done. I highly recommend this National Park. You won’t be disappointed. It has such a great mix of things to see and do.
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Keep exploring,
Stephanie
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