Trip 21: National Park of American Samoa

The National Park of American Samoa is one of the most remote and least visited national parks in the United States, although it is well worth the effort to travel to, as we consider this tropical paradise one of the most beautiful places we've visited. There are flights to American Samoa from Hawaii a few times a week, but we opted to visit the park by way of cruise ship from New Zealand. We took a Celebrity cruise that departed from Auckland with several stops in New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, and a day in American Samoa's main island of Tutuila. (It is not a common cruise ship itinerary, but several other cruise lines offer stops in American Samoa as well.)

The full day in American Samoa gave us plenty of time to stop in the visitor's center in the city of Pago Pago and drive through the park to the coastal town of Vatia. While we had initially considered taking a taxi to get to a park trailhead, at the recommendation of a park ranger at the visitor center, we rented a vehicle for the day, which allowed us to see more of the park and island. We did a short out-and-back hike on the Pola Island Trail, which we highly recommend. The trail leads through rainforest adjacent to the shore with beautiful views of the water. The Mount Alava trail (the main trail that runs through the park) was closed for trail improvement work while we were there, limiting hiking options.

There is a local brewery in American Samoa -- Flying Fox Brewing Company--but their operating hours did not coincide with our visit, so we had to content ourselves with a stop for a local Vailima beer (brewed in Fiji/Samoa) at the Sadie Thompson Inn. All in all, given the natural beauty of the island, it was well worth the effort to visit this stunning national park.