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St
John
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Experience nature on an uncrowded island. Camp out, too! |
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St. John Information As big as St. Thomas but without its big city ways, St. John and its main town, Cruz Bay, are tiny backwater outposts, reminiscent of what the Caribbean was like a half century ago. They're both just 4 miles and a short ferry ride away from Charlotte Amalie or Red Hook on St. Thomas. (See Ferry Schedule) Most of St. John, including the waters around it, is a national park. It's still mostly green and natural thanks to developer Laurance Rockefeller who in 1956 donated two-thirds of St. John to the U.S. National Park Service. As a result, about 10,000 acres of landscape have evolve naturally into second-generation forest including, sea grape, kapok trees, cactus and century plants. The Park Service has opened the forest to visitors with 20 different walking/hiking trails, among the easiest and most scenic paths in the Caribbean. Some paths are actually old donkey-cart paths, in use as late as the 1940s. The precise distance of all these trails has been measured by the Park Service, a rarity in the Caribbean where hikes are normally measured by walking time. St.
John also enjoys some spectacular beaches. The best-known
(and one of the Caribbean's most photographed beaches ) is Trunk
Bay, famous for its spectacular white sand
beach bordered by shade trees. The snorkel trail offers an excellent introduction to marine life as underwater signs to identify the variety of corals and sponges. The snorkel trail extends for about 200 yards and takes between 20 and 30 minutes to swim. With
campgrounds at Cinnamon
Bay and Maho Bay, St. John is perfect for
experiencing the outdoors 24 hours a day. On a more luxurious scale,
Concordia Eco-Resort enjoys a fabulous
perch overlooking remote Salt Pond Bay and Ram Head on the island's
south end. St. John-St. Thomas Passenger Ferry St. John-St. Thomas Car Barge Ferry Virgin Islands National Park, St. John U.S. Virgin Islands Marriage License Application Go To U.S. Virgin Islands Homepage Go To St. Thomas Homepage |
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