With two-thirds of the island designated as National Park, St. John is the most undeveloped, easygoing and laid back of the three major USVIs.

There are only two major resorts on the island, and the beaches are unspoiled by large hotels or development. The main industry here is tourism, and there is plenty to do on St. John, despite its small size – just 28 square miles.

A nature lover will have no problem keeping busy on St. John. The island offers many different hiking trails, including easy trails for inexperienced hikers or families with young children, to challenging trails for the avid hiker. You can hike past ruins, through native plants, and end up on one of the island's beautiful beaches with soft, white sand and warm, turquoise water. Trail maps are available, and the V.I. National Park offers guided hikes led by knowledgeable park rangers.  READ MORE ...

Getting Here ::

There is no airport on St. John. Visitors to the island must fly into the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas and continue to St. John by ferry or car barge.

Passengers to St. John depart from Red Hook or Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas and arrive in Cruz Bay, St. John.  There is also a car barge that runs between Red Hook, St. Thomas and Cruz Bay, St. John.  The Red Hook ferry is reliable and departs hourly from 8am till Midnight.

History of St. John ::

St. John was first settled by the Arawak Indians who had migrated north from coastal Colombia and Venezuela around AD 300. The Arawaks inhabited the island until around the year AD 1300 when they were driven off by the more aggressive and warlike Carib Indians. Extensive archaeological work was done from 1996 to the present at Cinnamon Bay and the artifacts from this dig are just now being studied and should yield more detailed information on pre-Columbus civilization in the Virgin Islands (Taino).

Christopher Columbus is credited with being the first European to see the Virgin Islands during his Second Voyage to the New World in 1493. He named the island group "Once Mil Virgenes", or Eleven Thousand Virgins, in honor of the feast day of Saint Ursula and the 11,000 virgins who were said to have been martyred with her.  READ MORE ...