My National Park: Virgin Islands National Park

Let’s start with the color of the water.

This is really what it looks like. No filter, no special effects. Just a snapshot on a regular old phone camera. Those blues and greens are real.

We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service on St. John. The little island in the U.S. Virgin Islands is two-thirds National Park. Good luck trying to pick a favorite spot; it’s all gorgeous. These particular blues and greens are at a beach called Hawksnest.

Up the road a bit we got lucky: No cars in the tiny parking lot at Jumbie Bay. A short hike through the woods and we emerged onto a private beach. Yes, more blue sea, although we didn’t have it completely to ourselves. Frigate birds soared overhead. Pelicans were diving for their dinner.

That’s just what you see above the waterline. Below?

Stingrays. Coral reefs. Colorful fish. Lots of colorful fish. The other day we swam with four turtles at Maho, another of the pristine beaches that makes the favorite list of many a visitor. Four turtles!

Didn’t have the underwater camera to capture that moment, but did snag a snapshot of the local donkeys looking for attention.

Seems like the weather here is pretty much perfect most of the time, and when it’s not, better weather soon come. Besides, those tropical rain showers are likely to leave a glorious rainbow when they depart.

At night, the tree frogs sing and the stars come out. You can camp at Cinnamon Bay, listen to the surf, and gaze up at the Milky Way. And on full moon nights, the hike up to the summit at Ram Head is magical. High above glittering Salt Pond Bay, you can watch the sunset as the moon rises. And you can see forever.

Virgin Islands National Park. This is my National Park.

#NPS100 #FindYourPark