• Illustrated cover in a vintage screen-print poster style showing Trunk Bay from the overlook: a curving white beach, turquoise water, and the small rocky island of Trunk Cay below green hills, with islands on the horizon. A green banner at the top reads Brian Russ's Guide to National Parks; below the picture, the title Virgin Islands National Park, the subtitle History, Highlights, and One- to Three-Day Adventures, and the byline Brian D. Russ.
  • Sample page from the Virgin Islands National Park guide, wildlife chapter: a photograph of a green sea turtle surfacing to breathe, followed by the full Hawksbill sea turtle entry, with how to recognize it and where and when to see it.
  • Sample page from the Virgin Islands National Park guide, a day itinerary with times, distances, and a photograph: Waterlemon Cay.
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Brian Russ Guides

Virgin Islands National Park: History, Highlights, and One- to Three-Day Adventures

Virgin Islands National Park: History, Highlights, and One- to Three-Day Adventures

$2.99 USD
$2.99 USD
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St. John is two-thirds national park, and this guide shows you how to see it, above and below the water. It turns ferries, left-side driving, tiny parking lots, and changeable seas into simple one-, two-, and three-day plans, from Trunk Bay's underwater trail to the cactus-covered ridge at Ram Head.

What's inside

  • Nine ready-made itineraries: one, two, and three days, each at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, from Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, and Maho Bay's turtles to Waterlemon Cay, the Lind Point, Reef Bay, and Ram Head trails, and the quiet Lameshur bays, every day with a weather backup
  • The island's history, from its first peoples and the Taino to Danish sugar estates, the 1733 Akwamu revolt, emancipation in 1848, the 1917 transfer, and the making of the park
  • Sightseeing highlights from Cruz Bay along the north shore beaches to Annaberg, Catherineberg, Coral Bay, and the south shore
  • A wildlife chapter profiling 14 commonly seen animals, from green sea turtles, stingrays, and reef fish to pelicans and bananaquits, each with a photograph and notes on where and when to look
  • Trip planning for ferries and car barges, rental cars, safari taxis, parking, fees, reef-safe snorkeling, heat, toxic plants, hurricane season, pets, and accessibility
  • 31 photographs and 5 orientation maps

What you'll receive

  • EPUB ebook (Virgin_Islands_National_Park_Brian_D_Russ.epub, about 10 MB) for Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, and most e-reader apps. Kindle readers can send it to their library with Amazon's Send to Kindle.
  • PDF (Virgin_Islands_National_Park_Brian_D_Russ.pdf, 96 pages including the cover, about 20 MB) for any device, and for printing pages. It opens on the illustrated cover.

Your download link arrives by email right after purchase.

Edition

First illustrated edition, October 2026, with research completed October 2026. Ferry schedules, hours, and services change, so check the park's current alerts before you travel.

Pack a mask, stand only on sand, and let the turtles come to you.

Before you go: see Virgin Islands National Park alerts and current conditions, checked daily, for current closures and what they mean for your trip.

This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
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