Basic Information

 
A Living Museum Where Nature and History Blend
 
Salt River Bay
View of Salt River Bay

NPS Photo

Salt River Bay is a living museum on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Prehistoric and colonial-era archeological sites and ruins are found in a dynamic, typical ecosystem that supports threatened and endangered species. In 1992, Congress created Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve as part of the National Park System-to preserve, protect, and tell the story of its rich contributions to the nation’s natural and cultural heritage. The 1,015-arce park is jointly managed by the national Park service and Government of the United States Virgin Islands.

The area’s blend of sea and land holds some the largest remaining mangrove forests in the Virgin Islands, as well as coral reefs and a submarine canyon. Salt River’s Bay Natural history, its vitally important ecosystem of the mangroves, estuary, coral reefs, and submarine canyon, is told on the other side of this brochure. This setting has witnessed thousands of years of human endeavor. Every major period of human habitation in the Virgin Islands is represented: several South American Indian cultures the 1493 encounter with Columbus, Spanish extermination of the Kalinago (Caribs), attempts at colonization by a succession of European nations, and enslaved West Africans and their descendants. More than a dozen major archeological investigations since 1980, together with historical research, reveal this remarkable story. Few places engage the imagination so completely, drawing the visitors into the spirit of the place and its beauty and sanctity.

You can help ensure that this park and its stories will always be here to inspire people about our common heritage.
For more information download the Park brochure.

Last updated: June 8, 2017

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

2100 Church St. #100
Christiansted, VI 00820

Phone:

(340) 773.1460

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