746-746 Travel Guide

Virgin Islands National Park covers about two-thirds of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a Caribbean preserve of tropical forest, white-sand bays and coral reef. Donated by philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller and established in 1956, it became one of the Caribbean's first systematically protected coastal ecosystems. Its star is the underwater snorkel trail at Trunk Bay — submerged signs guide you to coral and fish, often called among the world's signature snorkel experiences; Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay offer fine sand and clear water where turtles and rays glide. Trails wind through dense hills to Danish-colonial sugar mill ruins, telling the story of plantations and slavery. Here you can swim with coral by day and, on dark, unlit beaches, gaze at the Milky Way at night — a quiet blend of Caribbean nature and history.