St. John's appeal is almost entirely natural. The beaches — Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Maho Bay — are among the finest in the Caribbean, backed by the protected lands of Virgin Islands National Park. Snorkelling is exceptional throughout, with healthy coral reefs accessible from shore at most beaches. Hikers have a network of trails through tropical dry forest, descending to remote bays and past Amerindian petroglyphs. Scattered across the island are the atmospheric ruins of Danish colonial sugar plantations, reclaimed by vegetation but still evocative of the island's complex history.