Geography

St. John encompasses 20 square miles of beautiful scenery and the land rises quickly from the many beaches to its mountains, the highest point being Bordeaux Mountain at 1,277 feet. The island, which is 7 miles by 3 miles wide, has several hills and valleys and relatively few flat areas. The western areas are wooded and lush while the drier eastern end features cactus covered cliffs and salt ponds. Hurricane Hole, one of St John's numerous bays, features mangrove thickets and numerous reefs shelter sandy beaches. 2/3 of St. John is protected as a U.S. National Park. The weather is perfect year round with scarce rain periods and benefiting from the cooling breezes of the trade winds.