Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve

Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve is managed jointly by the National Park Service and the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands. It protects some of the largest remaining mangrove forests in the Virgin Islands, along with an estuary, coral reefs and a submarine canyon, as well as prehistoric and colonial-era archaeological sites and ruins. Its history includes the 1493 encounter with the Columbus expedition. The park's visitor contact station has been closed since Hurricane Maria, and the park directs visitors to the Fort Christiansvaern visitor center in Christiansted instead. The Well Tower off North Shore Road and the trails on the east side of the bay are open from sunrise to sunset. For new residents, the park is a place to see St. Croix's mangrove and estuary habitat and some of the island's earliest history.