Virgin Islands National Park

Let's state the obvious—beautiful St. John's beaches are idyllic, and the clear turquoise waters are a fantasy come true for swimmers and snorkelers. The beach at Trunk Bay is one of the most beautiful in the world. This beach comes fully equipped with a bathhouse, snack bar, souvenir shop, snorkel gear rentals, even an underwater snorkeling trail.

Cinnamon Bay has a watersports center that rents snorkel gear and windsurfers and can arrange day sailing, snorkeling, and scuba diving lessons and excursions. Hawksnest Bay has change rooms and is the closest park beach within driving distance of Cruz Bay. Roads and trails lead to more remote beaches.

Hiking: But we hope you'll leave the beach. St. John's has a variety of fascinating and diverse environments, ranging from tropical forest to windswept rocky shoreline. And hiking is always the best way to become intimate with a place. Some of the best trails are in the wilder South Shore area. The Reef Bay Trail passes through a shady forest and a dry forest, taking in a beach and the ruins of four sugar plantations. One detour visits petroglyphs attributed to the Arawak Indians; another to wild Lameshur Bay. In the north, the Annaberg School Area offers a compact system around the ruins of one of the Caribbean's oldest public schools. The views and wildlife watching are superior here.

Boating: Islands and boats go together like the proverbial horse and carriage. The Virgin Islands, with their superb reefs, beaches and views make it a premier boating destination. There are anchorages and moorings all the way around the island, and convenient rentals.

Snorkeling and Diving: The Virgin Islands rank as one of the Caribbean's premier diving and snorkeling locations. Trunk Bay has a 225-yard, self-guiding snorkeling trail marked by underwater signs that identify coral reef life. Several dive shops rent snorkel and scuba gear and run trips to offshore reefs. But no matter what else you do, make it over to Buck Island Reef National Monument, reputedly the finest marine garden in the Caribbean.

Birdwatching: During the winter months especially, the Francis Bay Trail is an excellent place to go birdwatching for the West Indian whistling-duck, yellow-billed cuckoo, and some of the more than 160 species known to these islands. More than 30 species of tropical birds breed on the island. They include the bananaquit, the black, parrot-like smooth-billed and, and two species of Caribbean hummingbirds. Many warblers and other birds seen in the continental United States in the summer spend their winters in the dense forests.

Fishing: Park waters are open to fishing with handheld rods—so welcome surf fishers! For world-class deep sea fishing, charter boats are available in Red Hook on St. Thomas island. Divers can take Florida spiny lobsters by hand or by handheld snare (though all other lobster species are off-limits and spearguns are a major no-no).

Scenic Driving: Numerous roadside pullouts compete for the "best of the best" award; to island explorers, each panorama seems more spectacular than the last. The scent of bay rum trees at higher elevations such as Bordeaux Mountain, elevation 1,277 feet, recall a time earlier this century when the leaves were harvested to produce St. John's famous Bay Rum Oil. Also not to be missed are the breathtaking views of the British Virgin Islands from Centerline Road (Route 10).