Virgin Islands National Park, renowned throughout the world for its breathtaking beauty, covers approximately half of St. John, as well as nearly all of Hassel Island in the Charlotte Amalie harbor on St. Thomas. All the visitor facilities are on St. John. There are none on Hassel Island.

Within this protected paradise are sub-tropical forests, semi-arid scrublands, and swamps along the coastal areas.  Some 800 species of plants inhabit these varied climates, including one native palm tree – the Teyer palm, along with bay rum trees and tropical orchids. More than 50 species of tropical birds breed on St. John, including the Bananaquit and three species of Caribbean hummingbirds. Other migrant species spend the winter in the park’s dense forests.