You will notice that St. John is tranquil and has a lot less “hustle and bustle” than the sister island, St. Thomas. There aren’t even any traffic lights! This is because more than 60% of the 20 square mile island is a national park. This includes beaches, vistas, underwater coral gardens and peaceful hiking trails that are unspoiled.
There are prehistoric sites present on almost every beach you will visit on the island and in every bay within the park. These archeological sites date back to as early as 840 BC to the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1493. There are a lot of burial grounds on island that give us great information of the region's prehistory, along with religious and social development skills developed by the Taino people.
The agriculture on St. John provides great habitats for many animals and plants. Most of the species that are protected within the parks are endangered or threatened. The U.S. Virgin Islands have been inhabited for 3,000 years. Research is still continuing to provide information on the history of the people who lived here in the past. If you visit the Virgin Islands National Park and Friends of the Park, you can see the studies they have going on in surrounding areas and gather more information. Here are some current research projects that are taking place: Seagrass monitoring, sea turtle nest monitoring, fish counts, marine habitat studies, coral disease and archaeological studies.