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Generally, when I think of remote areas in the U.S. National Park System, I think of the northwest Alaskan parks like Cape Krusenstern or Kobuk Valley, parks that lie above the Arctic Circle and have no road access. A relatively unknown and remote unit of the national park system is the National Park of American Samoa, located some 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii and 1,800 miles northwest of New Zealand, between Fiji and Tahiti. The only U.S. national park unit south of the equator was authorized by Congress in 1988 and officially established in 1993.
Communal Ownership
The National Park of American Samoa is unusual in many respects. First, it doesn't include any federally-owned lands. Parklands are leased from native villages and from the American Samoa Government. Since Samoan law prohibits the sale of communal land, the National Park Service had to negotiate with traditional high chiefs, who represented the village land owners, which parts of the islands to include in the park. (A 50-year lease was signed in 1993.) As Governor AP Lutali noted in 1995, "We are not only preserving the forest, the animals, the shoreline and reefs, but we can have an interactive park that assists in the preservation of Samoan life and culture." Today the NPS leases 9,000-acres from the eight villages that comprise the park and works closely with village councils to develop and implement park regulations and programs.
The Land
Another unusual aspect of the park is that it isn't located in just one area. The 9,000-acre park includes sections of three tropical volcanic islands of American Samoa: Tutuila, Ta'ū, and Ofu. Almost all of the land area of these islands -- from the mountaintops to the coast -- is rainforest. In fact, the park preserves the only mixed-species paleotropical rainforest in the United States. About 2,500 acres of the park is underwater, (offshore from all three islands) and includes some of the finest examples of Indo-Pacific coral reef.
American Samoa includes a group of six islands in the South Pacific (76 square miles). It was defined by treaty in 1899 and administered by the U.S. Department of the Navy until 1951, at which time it was passed to the Department of the Interior. The Samoan archipelago includes the US Territory of American Samoa and the independent nation of Samoa (formerly Western Samoa). The Samoan chain stretches east to west for more than 300 miles.
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The park is still very much in its early development stages, and facilities are minimal. The island of Tutuila includes the park visitor center and a scenic road leading from Pago Pago to the north coast, which affords outstanding panoramic views. The park encompasses the entire southern half of the island of Ta'ū, whose southern shoreline includes 3,000-foot cliffs. On Ta'ū, visitors may hike along remote beaches or visit Saua, a sacred site considered by many to be the birthplace of the Polynesian people. On the island of Ofu, a section of pristine shoreline and coral reef is protected within the national park, making it an ideal place to snorkel. Camping is prohibited within the park, but hotel-style lodging is available on all three islands. The tropical rainforests on the islands of Tutuila and Ta'ū feature unique tropical animals, including the flying fox (fruit bat), the Pacific boa, tortoises, and a wide variety of birds and fish.
Samoan people are hospitable and eager to share their culture with park visitors. For a cultural experience visitors should consider staying with local families in their fale or house. This unique opportunity will allow you to learn about the Samoan culture and lifestyle first-hand, as well as assisting the village economy. Homestays can be arranged in the village of Vatia. Contact the park office for more information.
