Spend a Tuesday or Thursday with us volunteering in Virgin Islands National Park! Got more time? Camp at Cinnamon Bay! Or make a donation! Any and all help is much appreciated! Thank you!
Friends of Virgin Islands National Park maintains the 27 miles of park trails and helps uncover, restore, and maintain historic sites. This work happens thanks to individual volunteers, students, and service groups who pitch in to help, our colleagues in the Park Service, and the generosity of our donors and members who share our passion for Virgin Islands National Park.
Get Out & Hike
Explore the 27 miles of trails in Virgin Islands National Park maintained by Friends. Whether its climbing steep hills to incredible island vistas, exploring ruins of times past, or walking along the shore, there is something for every skill level.
Tuesday & Thursday Walk Up Volunteer Crew
Every Tuesday & Thursday from October to the end of May a crew heads out to clear and clean trails and ruins for hikers, and ensure that erosion and other issues are addressed. It is a great opportunity to explore new parts of St. John and help protect and preserve our patch of this beautiful planet! Join us!
Meeting points and work locations are posted on Facebook and instagram on Mondays. Work is usually done by 2pm.
While we work to accommodate the skills, ages, and capabilities of every group of volunteers, this is physical work in hot weather! You will need closed sneakers or hiking boots, preferably long pants, water, lunch, and a hat. We will provide all the tools.
If you have any questions, please contact Frank Barton, our Trails Coordinator at trails@friendsvinp.org
Summer Trail Crew
A professional summer job opportunity for Virgin Island youth interested in conservation. This eight week program is open to high school students (ages 15-19).
Service Groups At Cinnamon Bay Camp
From November until the end of May service and volunteer groups are welcome! The volunteer scope of work includes trails maintenance, clearing of historical sites, native tree planting projects, invasive species removal, and trash/debris removal.
Volunteers are expected to donate a minimum of 5 days of labor in exchange for 7 nights of accommodation at our campground at Cinnamon Bay. We suggest a $100 donation per week per person. The minimum time commitment is 1 week and the maximum is 2 weeks.
The volunteer campground is a three minute walk to Cinnamon Bay's beautiful white sand beach with excellent swimming and snorkeling. Living at the camp comes with some unique challenges and volunteers are expected to be resourceful, adaptable, and resilient. The campground is equipped with propane stoves, propane grills, kitchenware, picnic tables, and coolers for food storage, drinking water, a shower, toilets, and kitchen sink. Each volunteer will be given a cot and assigned a large 12 person tent. Volunteers are responsible for feeding themselves and there will be one supply trip to Cruz Bay per week.
Please note that there is no cell phone coverage at camp. Cell service is available at the east end of the beach. Our volunteers are allowed to use the guest WIFI at the front desk area of Cinnamon Bay Beach Campground.
Volunteers need to be in good physical health and prepared to work from 8am to 2pm in hot and humid conditions. Every participant should have close-toed shoes, a day pack, sun protection, long pants, a mask, and capacity to carry a minimum of 3 liters of water. The Friends will supply all necessary tools, training, gloves, and transportation. Volunteers will need to cover the cost of airfare and food.
If you are interested in bringing a service group to St. John, please contact Frank Barton, our Trails Coordinator at trails@friendsvinp.org
Camp at Cinnamon Bay Volunteer Crew
Applications for the 2024/25 season will open in January/February.
The volunteer trail crew's scope of work includes trails maintenance, clearing of historical sites, native tree planting projects, invasive species removal, and trash/debris removal. Volunteers are expected to donate a minimum of 5 days of labor in exchange for 7 nights of accommodation at our campground at Cinnamon Bay. We suggest a $100 donation per week per person. The minimum time commitment is 1 week and the maximum is 2 weeks. Space per week is limited!
The volunteer campground is a three minute walk to Cinnamon Bay's beautiful white sand beach with excellent swimming and snorkeling. Living at the camp comes with some unique challenges and volunteers are expected to be resourceful, adaptable, and resilient. The campground is equipped with propane stoves, propane grills, kitchenware, picnic tables, and coolers for food storage, drinking water, a shower, toilets, and kitchen sink. Each volunteer will be given a cot and assigned a large 12 person tent. Volunteers are responsible for feeding themselves and there will be one supply trip to Cruz Bay per week.
Please note that there is no cell phone coverage at camp. Cell service is available at the east end of the beach. Our volunteers are allowed to use the guest WIFI at the front desk area on Cinnamon Bay Beach Campground.
Volunteers need to be in good physical health and prepared to work from 8am to 2pm in hot and humid conditions. Every participant should have close toed shoes, a day pack, sun protection, long pants, a mask, and capacity to carry a minimum of 3 liters of water. The Friends will supply all necessary tools, training, gloves, and transportation. Volunteers will need to cover the cost of airfare and food.
Support Our Trail Program
If you enjoy hiking in Virgin Islands National Park but can’t volunteer, please support our work. We depend on the generosity of our donors and members who share our passion for Virgin Islands National Park! Thank you!