East of St. Thomas, across a glistening turquoise channel known as Pillsbury Sound, lies St. John, the smallest and least densely populated of the three main U.S. Virgin Islands.

St. John is a wonder of unspoiled beauty. Along its rocky coastline are beautiful crescent-shaped bays and white-sand beaches. The interior is no less impressive. The variety of wildlife on St. John is the envy of naturalists around the world. And there are miles of hiking trails, leading past the ruins of 18th-century Danish plantations to panoramic views. At scattered spots along the trails, you can find mysteriously geometric petroglyphs of unknown age and origin incised into boulders and cliffs.

Today, St. John (unlike the other U.S. islands) remains pristine, its preservation enforced by the National Park Service. Thanks to the efforts of Laurance Rockefeller, who purchased many acres of land and donated them to the United States in 1956, the island’s shoreline waters, as well as more than half of its surface area, make up the Virgin Islands National Park. The hundreds of coral gardens that surround St. John are protected rigorously — any attempt to damage or remove coral is punishable with large and strictly enforced fines.

Despite the unspoiled beauty of much of St. John, the island manages to provide visitors with modern amenities and travel services, including a sampling of restaurants, car-rental kiosks, yacht-supply facilities, hotels, and campgrounds. Cinnamon Bay, founded by the National Park Service in 1964, is the most famous campsite in the Caribbean. In addition, the roads are well-maintained; there’s even a small commercial center, Cruz Bay, on the island’s western tip. Don’t come here for nightlife: St. John is definitely sleepy, and that’s why people love it.

Thanks to the simple development of St. John, life is much more laid-back than on the other U.S. Virgins. It lies only a short ferry ride from the more commercialized St. Thomas, so there isn’t even an airport here. On St. John, the local people actually have time to talk to you and perhaps provide you with directions and advice. Whereas you’ll never meet the managers of most East End properties on St. Thomas, you may end up talking with your St. John innkeeper late into the night. If you show up for a visit same time next year, you might even be welcomed as one of the family; you’ll certainly be considered a “regular.”

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