National Parks · Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands National Park
National Park Service source material · single source. Source dates and reuse information are available beside each field.
Check the official park website for current access, conditions and visitor information.
Introduction
Background: 1
Go beyond Virgin Islands National Park's stunning white-sand beaches. Hike to historic plantation sites to learn about a challenging past when sugar and enslaved labor dominated life on the island. Visit the Indigenous Taino's ancient petroglyphs. Snorkel coral reefs to discover hidden marine life. Two-thirds of the island of St. John is national park, making it a unique destination for visitors.
Geography
Designation: 3
National Park
State or territory: 4
Virgin Islands
Park Map - Virgin Islands National Park: 5
Map scope: Virgin Islands National Park
Map of Virgin Islands National Park. The island of St. John is roughly oval but with deeply eroded sides, especially to the east where fingers of land reach around Coral Bay in a C shape. Most of the island is shaded dark green but a few areas are a lighter shade, sites are labeled with black or brown text, and the ocean is in bluet.
History and culture
Preservation: 6
Learn about Folk Life Festival! Folk Life Festival is an annual event where we celebrate the rich traditions unique to the Virgin Islands.
Places: 7
Annaberg Plantation is the park's most accessible historic plantation site. Tour the remains of enslaved peoples' quarters, the sugar factory, animal mill, and windmill. Learn about the global market for sugar that drove the brutality of slavery and colonialism in the Virgin Islands. Gain a deeper understanding of the oppression, resistance, and culture of enslaved people on St. John. If you cannot visit in person, explore a 3D view of Annaberg sugar plantation. You will find a virtual exhibit, lesson plans, and other resources at this link.
Many people have called Cinnamon Bay home. Early Indigenous Taino people settled in many places around Cinnmon Bay. During the Danish colonial period, enslavers built a plantation here and forced work from enslaved Africans brought to the island. Explore the ruin and sign along the beach to learn more about each settlement, and walk the half-mile Cinnamon Bay Loop Trail to see Danish colonial ruins and learn more about traditional lifeways.
The ruins of Catherineberg plantation show a well-preserved Danish colonial period site. Like the Annaberg and Cinnamon Bay sugar mill operations, Catherineberg's enslaved labor force produced valuable sugar for market. Visitors can cautiously drive the rough road to Catherineberg to park near the ruins, or they can park at the base of the hill and hike up.
This is a strenuous hike that will take you past some of the oldest and tallest trees on the island. Danish sugar plantation ruins, stone walls from cattle grazing, and ancient rock carvings left behind by the pre-Colombian Taino can be found along the trail. Reef Bay plantation production into the early 1900s, long after slavery was abolished in the Danish West Indies.
This backcountry trail is steep in places, uneven and rocky, and can be slippery even when dry –you'll need sturdy, closed-toe shoes and a sure foot. Take plenty of water, some snacks and a lunch, and a hat. Mosquito repellent is a good idea, too, and a swimsuit if you'd like to take a dip in the ocean down at the beach at the end of the trail. From the trailhead to the beach is about three miles one way. Plan on about three and a half hours from trailhead to valley floor; it will take longer hiking the 900 foot elevation gain on the way up and out.
Archeology: 8
Humans have called St. John home for over 3000 years. The tools of Archeology allow us to uncover stories of the past. Indigenous Taino people left behind traces of their religion and their complex social structure. Artifacts and ruins from the Danish colonial era dot the island, giving us a glimpse into the lives the enslaved people who built them. Remember, each artifact on the island is a crucial piece of the puzzle for archeologists and historians to understand the past. Want to help us discover more of St. John's history? Here is a page that explains what to do if you find an artifact during your visit. To learn more, check out the articles below and uncover the history of Virgin Islands National Park!
History & Culture: 9
Explore pristine beaches, scenic hiking trails, historic ruins, and much more.
Nature
Ecology; Nature & Science: 10
The National Park Service Species database NPSpecies includes information on the species in parks, including scientific names and their synonyms, common names, abundance, residency, nativeness, and more.
Plants: 11
From the peaks of St. John's steep mountains to beaches and mangrove shorelines to offshore seagrass beds and algal plains, Virgin Islands National Park protects an interesting and diverse variety of plant life.
Visitors can travel from moist forests to dry cactus scrubland in minutes, each landscape telling a different story of rainfall , human impact, and slow natural change. Most of the vegetation on St. John today is recovering secondary forest with native and nonnative species competing for space. Coastal mangroves and seagrass support marine ecosystems. These plants stabilize shorelines and provide critical habitat for fish and marine invertebrates.
In 1718 the Danes established the first European settlement on St. John, and people began to clear land for plantation agriculture (mostly sugarcane and cotton), cut timber, and introduce nonnative plants and animals. As much as 90% of the island's original vegetation was destroyed. Agriculture changed the hydrology and soil composition.
In the mid 1800s, plantation agriculture declined, and forest cover began to return to St. John. Small-scale production of charcoal and bay rum (with leaves from the Pimenta racemosa tree) began. Livestock grazing became more widespread. Introduced plants and animals compete with and damage recovering forest.
After the turn of the century and the purchase of the islands by the United States in 1917, land use on St. John changed again. People bought land to build vacation homes, and tourism began to grow. Plants now compete with people for space to grow. Plants are also important for erosion control. Terrestrial development can lead to increased erosion and damage to marine ecosystems.
In 1956, Frank Stick and Laurance Rockefeller helped to establish Virgin Islands National Park to help preserve more than half of the island. Since then, the terrestrial protected area has grown to protect more than 2/3 of St. John, most recently with the purchase of the Maho Bay watershed in 2008 in cooperation with the Trust for Public Land. These protected areas are crucial to the reforestation on St. John. Plants to Avoid.
Forest Island is a short essay that examines the botanical history and land use on St. John.
Flora of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands from the National Museum of Natural History provides three excellent guides in PDF format to the plants of the region. There is also a collection of over 700 watercolor paintings of regional flora.
Animals: 12
The only mammal native to St. John is the bat. Some bat species are important pollinators of many floral species on the island as well as important seed dispersal agents for many species of fruit bearing trees and shrubs. Other species of bats consume vast quantities of insects, including mosquitoes.
Present day St. John does have many other species of animals that are not native to the island or even the tropics. These include: deer, goats, sheep, donkeys, cats, dogs, mongoose and pigs.
You will see many of these animals roaming the streets of St. John. Please do not feed them or leave food where they can access it as human food is bad for their health.
Mammals: 13
Dolphins swim in the waters around the Virgin Islands, and in the winter months, if you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of whales migrating through the area.
Bats are the only land mammals native to Virgin Islands National Park. If you sit outdoors in a quiet place at dusk, you may see bats swooping through the air in pursuit of insects. Bats also pollinate flowers and spread seeds of fruit trees. One type of bat even consumes fish. There are six species of bats in the Virgin Islands.
Nonnative mammals are common on St. John. Donkeys, goats, and mongoose were introduced by humans. You may meet some of these animals on the road or at the beach. Please remember that these are wild animals; do not feed or try to touch them. For more information about nonnative species in the park, click here.
Campgrounds
Cinnamon Bay Beach and Campground: 14
Cinnamon Bay Beach and Campground is open annually from November through August, closing during September and October.
Visitor information
Visitation
Sources & field notes
Source records (18)
Select a numbered reference to open a source card. Retrieval dates describe this edition’s source capture, rather than an independent verification or the date of the underlying information.
Background · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
HPTC VIIS Cinnamon Bay (12).jpg · NPS. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Catalog image date
- 01/30/2025
- Source scope
- Virgin Islands National Park
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Public domain:Full Granting Rights
- Rights
- Public domain:Full Granting Rights
Designation · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
State or territory · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
Park Map - Virgin Islands National Park · National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source scope
- Virgin Islands National Park
- Download
- Official map PDF ↗
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Public domain; NPS map
- Rights
- Public domain; NPS map
Preservation · Preservation — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- December 24, 2021
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
Places · Places — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- August 18, 2022
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
Archeology · Archeology — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- December 20, 2021
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
History & Culture · National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party material may have separate rights. No images copied.
Ecology; Nature & Science · Nature & Science — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- October 2, 2023
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
Plants · Plants — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- October 24, 2023
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
Animals · Animals — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- August 11, 2017
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
Mammals · Mammals — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- April 14, 2015
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
Cinnamon Bay Beach and Campground · National Park Service park structured data. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored U.S. government work is generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Physical Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Mailing Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Telephone · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Recreation visits · National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics. Open source ↗
- Information date
- 2025
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Methodology
- NPS reporting unit; annual total is the sum of 12 monthly recreation visit estimates.
- Reporting unit
- Virgin Islands NP
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.