St. John Virgin Islands

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About St. John Virgin Islands

Images of, on, about or near the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands.

St. John is an island in the Caribbean Sea and a constituent of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States.

It is the smallest of the three main islands comprising the territory. St. John is located in the Caribbean Sea about 4 miles east of Saint Thomas, the location of the territory's capital, Charlotte Amalie, and 4 miles south and west of Tortola, part of the British Virgin Islands. It is roughly 20 square miles in area and has a population of 4,157. Because there are no airports on St. John, there is only access to the island by boat.

Cruz Bay on the western coast of the island serves as the principle port of St. John. From there, a ferry runs throughout the day to and from Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook in St. Thomas. It is also home to (among other things) a small shopping center, car rental locations, several restaurants, and a supermarket. Coral Bay on the eastern side of the island is a smaller town which offers some of the same amenities.

Most of St. John is National Park land, so the majority of the island is undeveloped. However, the private lands and hillsides that can be developed are being built up with “villas” that are often rented out to vacationers.

Some of the most popular beaches in the Caribbean are located along the island's north shore. The most spectacular and well known of these is Trunk Bay, which has consistently been voted one of the "Ten Best Beaches in The World" by Condé Nast Traveler magazine and has received similar recognition from other publications.

Since the beaches are on National Park land, they are all open to the public and are not home to any hotels or resorts. One notable exception to this is the Caneel Bay resort on the north shore, which lies on Rockefeller’s former personal estate. The remaining coastal land, mostly in the north and in the east, is private property and is home to many secluded private villas and cottages. The National Park Service also offers two campgrounds on the island's beaches at Maho Bay and Cinnamon Bay.

The beaches of St. John are also world famous for their snorkeling, making them a popular destination for day trips from St. Thomas cruise ships. In some areas, such as Trunk Bay and nearby Cinnamon Bay, signs identifying the different sea life have been placed by the National Park Service among the many offshore coral reefs to assist visitors.