Johnston Atoll Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
unincorporated territory of the United States
About Johnston Atoll
The atoll isclosed to the publicand travel to the island is not allowed without permission. Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late 1880s. Johnston and Sand Islands were designated wildlife refuges in 1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. Munitions destruction is now complete. Cleanup and closure of the facility was completed by May 2005. Toxic waste from both operations is buried on the island. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Air Force are discussin
Johnston Atoll Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 9 sections including: