Virgin Islands National Park

Infobox_protected_area | name = Virgin Islands National Park
iucn_category = II


caption =
locator_x = 165
locator_y = 45
location = United States Virgin Islands
nearest_city = Charlotte Amalie
lat_degrees = 18
lat_minutes = 20
lat_seconds = 0
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 64
long_minutes = 44
long_seconds = 0
long_direction = W
area = 14,689 acres (59 km²)
established = August 2, 1956
visitation_num = 677,289
visitation_year = 2006
governing_body = National Park Service

Virgin Islands National Park is a United States National Park covering approximately 60% of the island of Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands, plus a few isolated sites on the neighboring island of St. Thomas. The park is famous for scuba diving and snorkeling and has miles of hiking trails through tropical forests.

Ferries from Red Hook and Charlotte Amalie on Saint Thomas make regular stops at Cruz Bay, Saint John, near the park, which averages 725,000 visitors per year.

One of the Virgin Islands National Park's most famous attractions is Trunk Bay, which sports a white sand beach and underwater snorkeling trail, although the trail's chronic overuse has led to extensive coral bleaching along its path.

The park includes the sugar-plantation-ruins-littered Cinnamon Bay Nature Trail and the Bourdeaux Mountain Trail that leads to the highest point on the island at convert|1277|ft|m above sea level, and whose view is best described as "what you must see from heaven". The most popular hike, however, is the Reef Bay Trail. This route paves the way to witnessing the beauty of the surrounding forestlands, remnants of sugar mills, historical petroglyph rock carvings, a spring-fed waterfall and reflection pool, and a chance for rest and relaxation or snorkeling excitement at Genti Bay.

Visitors can stay on Saint John nearby but off-park land, or they may elect to stay in one of the park's two campgrounds, Maho Bay and Cinnamon Bay, which offer varying levels of comfort.

Virgin Islands National Park also includes Hassel Island, just off Charlotte Amalie harbor, as well as a few isolated sites on the island of St. Thomas.

Basic facts:Each year, about 700,000 people visit the park. Virgin Islands National Park is spread out on convert|14689|acre|km2|0 of land. It became the 29th U.S. national park in 1956, when Laurence Rockefeller visited the area and thought the land was incredibly beautiful. The fee to enter the park is free if you are 16 & under, adult admission is $4. The park covers almost 60% of St. John Island, and a small portion of Hassel Island as well.

Features:The main features of the Virgin Islands National Park are the coral reefs and oceans. They almost completely surround the park. As new coral species replace older ones, the coral reefs are experiencing rapid change. For example, in 2006, the Elkhorn and Slaghorn coral were introduced to the Virgin Islands. Another important feature of the Virgin Islands are the tropical forests. The tropical forests hold most of the park's plants and wildlife. The plants and wildlife are what the Virgin Islands Park is famous for. Bats are the only mammal native to the island. Wild donkeys and crabs are other very common species.

Climate:The climate conditions at the Virgin Islands National Park are subtropical. The average rainfall per year is convert|55|in|mm. In the winter, trade winds blow from 11 to convert|21|kn|km/h. The average temperature for the park is convert|79|°F|°C. At the Virgin Islands, the dominant plant species are dry tropical forest plants.

When to visit:The best time to visit the Virgin Island National Park would be December through April when the weather is nice, and the ocean temperature is warm. Because of the parks typically hot weather a park visitor is recommended to bring sunscreen, a bathing suit, sunglasses, and shorts. Camping is available to the park, as well as lodging.

External links

* Official NPS website: [http://www.nps.gov/viis/ Virgin Islands National Park]
* PDF map from NPS [http://data2.itc.nps.gov/parks/viis/ppMaps/VIISmap1%2Epdf PDF map from NPS ]
* [http://www2.nature.nps.gov/geology/parks/viis/ NPS page about geology of Virgin Islands National Park]