St. John Photo of the Day

St. John Virgin Islands National Park Beaches
Ruin at Lameshur Bay

Live Music on St. John Today, Monday, February 7
High Tide – James Milne -  7:00 – 10:00 – 714-6169
Island Blues – Coral Creek – 7:00 – 10:00 776-6800
Maho Bay Camps  – Daddy Chin & the Wailers – 7:00 – 10:00
Ocean Grill – Mark Wallace – 6:30 – 9:30
Rhumb Lines – Live Music – 7:00 – 10:00
Weekly Music Schedule

Spectacular Views – Relatively Easy Hike
The Europa Point Trail, which is the first spur trail off of the Lameshur Bay Trail, leads to a vantage point high up on the point from where you can enjoy beautiful views of St. John’s south shore.

This is a great hike for those that are looking for a relatively easy hiking experience. Begin the hike at the eastern entrance to the Lameshur Bay Trail, where you’ll find the ruins of a hundred year old bay rum factory and an older sugar mill.

Here the Lameshur Bay Trail runs through a low lying area adjacent top the shoreline. It’s easy going, flat ground and lots of shade. You’ll pass by an old tamarind tree, on your left, split in two by lightning years ago.

Not far after passing the tamarind tree and before the trail begins its incline you’ll come to the entrance of the Europa Point Trail, now marked by a trail sign.

The approximately one-quarter-mile Europa Point Trail runs through a flat dry forest environment before rising into cactus scrub and guinea grass.

View East

The trail ends at a lookout next to a narrow gorge.

View of Europa Bay from the White Cliffs Trail

If you’re in decent physical shape and enjoy hiking on St. John and you’re looking for a good hike recommendation, I have one for you: the Lameshur Bay to Reef Bay loop.

This loop will not only provide you with access to the Reef Bay Sugar Mill ruins on the Reef Bay Trail, the waterfall fed pool where Taino Indians made carvings in the rocks called the the petroglyphs and the Par Force Great House where wealthy plantation owners made their home, but it will also lead you on an adventurous journey along a dramatic cliffside trail with breathtaking views, a coastal scramble along a coral rubble beach and access to a remote salt pond and reef protected shallow water lagoon.

Note: The White Cliffs portion of the loop is not an official National Park trail and consequently no official maintenance is being done. My point is, check out this outstanding trail sooner rather than later while it is still in such good condition Experience tells me it won’t be this good forever.

Although there are several modifications and alternative options the basic hike would go something like this:

1) Lameshur Bay Trail from Lameshur Bay to the Europa Spur Trail
2) Europa Spur to the beach at Europa Bay
3) Walk along the beach towards the point (White Point)
4) Pick up the Trail that goes inland and climbs steeply up to the White Cliffs Trail that runs on top of a ridge above the White Cliffs on St. John’s the southern coast between Europa and Reef Bay.
5) Follow the White Cliffs Trail until it ends on the beach at the eastern end of Reef Bay
6) Walk west along the beach as far as you can without getting wet and then walk through the mangrove forest to the Reef Bay Sugar Mill Ruins.
7) Take the Reef Bay Trail to the Lameshur Bay Trail and then hike back to Lameshur Bay.

Bring water! A camera, snacks and bug repellent might also be good ideas.

Highlights

Lameshur Bay Trail from Lameshur Bay to the Europa Spur Trail
The beginning of the Lameshur Bay Trail passes through some dry forest lowlands. It’s an easy flat and shady walk – a good beginning. Check out the large tamarind tree by the side of the trail. Looks like it was split in half by lightening once upon a time.

If you have plenty of energy, you can check out the Europa Point Trail for some outstanding overlooks and photo ops, but remember the loop is rather long so perhaps the exploration of Europa Point should be left to the end of the adventure, just to see if you really do have that extra energy.

If you’re in luck like I often am, you’ll see a deer or two on this section of the hike. They seem to like it around here.

Europa Bay
The Europa Bay Trail will take you to the beach at Europa Bay. Walk south towards the point to the end of the beach where you’ll find the entrance to the White Cliffs Trail.

Entrance to Europa Bay Beach from the Europa Bay Spur Trail

Europa bay Salt Pond

Me at Europa Bay - photo by Ezius Ashley

Native Orchids

White Cliffs Trail
At the end of the beach you should find a narrow but well defined trail that heads inland and then runs steeple up the hillside to the ridge above. It’s a bit tough going because of the steepness, but before you know it you’ll have reached the top. You’ll pass by some beautiful rock formations after which you should start seeing countless native orchids which seem to be everywhere along this trail and along the ridge top.

Near the top of the trail there are some great overlooks down towards Europa Bay. At the top of the steep trail, there are some more great vantage points. The White Cliffs Trail heads west from here, but you can go east for a little while and enjoy a great view towards the southeastern coastline, Kiddle, Grootpan and Salt Pond Bays.

The trail is presently in great condition and you shouldn’t have a problem following it. Once you get the section above the White Cliffs, there will be plenty of opportunities for great photographs as the trail follows the edge of a steep cliff side that descends from the ridge down to the sea.

To Reef Bay and back to Lameshur
After passing over the White Cliffs, the White Cliff Trail descends down to the beach at the eastern end of Reef Bay. A barrier reef, which forms a long semi circle around the bay comes ashore nearby. Behind the reef is a shallow lagoon, which may or may not be under water depending on the tide and time of year. This lagoon provides protection for many varieties of sea life and is an integral part of island and ocean environments.

Walk east along the beach as long as you can and then enter the mangrove forest proceeding in the same general direction until you get to the sugar mill ruins.

From there take the Reef Bay Trail to the Lameshur Bay Trail.

Note: This was not the first time that I hiked the White Cliff Trail, but this is the first time that I had my good camera with me. Read about my previous White Cliffs trail hike.

Newly Cleared Overlook

Yesterday it was off to Bordeaux Mountain and the Bordeaux Mountain Trail to photograph the newly cleared overlook that Jeff Cabot and the volunteers had recently finished.

I hiked down the trail to Lameshur Bay and back up the way I came. The elevation at the top end of the trail is more than 1000 feet. The trail being only one mile long with an additional 0.2 mile track down from the ranger’s house to the bay, is obviously steep, to put it mildly.

Swale

Going down was easy. I found the trail to be well maintained and in exceptionally good condition. Although most of the trail runs straight down the montainside, with a potential for quick and severe erosion with every rain, the trail crews have mitigated this hazard by creating numerous swales across the trail sending rain water off to the sides and into the bush rather than allowing it to run down the trail.

On the upper elevations, the Bordeaux Mountain Trail runs through a shady forest. As the trail descends the environment changes to dry forest and then scrub with way less shade.

As I said going down was easy, birds singing, beautiful trees and tropical flora and outstanding dramatic views. Going up was another story. Let me just say, pace yourself and bring plenty of water.  To borrow the publisher of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee’s, catch phrase, “‘Nuff Said!”

Flora Along the Trail

Bordeaux Mountain Trail, St. John Virgin Islands

Flora on the Bordeaux Mountain Trail: Anthuriums, bromiliads and cactus

Pinguin also known as False Pinapple, beginning to flower

As you descend the trail more views open up, but they are not nearly as spectacular as the one that the volunteers cleared. It is one mile from the trail head to the intersection of the trail and the road to the ranger’s residence. Lameshur Bay lies about a quarter mile further on down the hill, where there are some nicely cleared ruins and the entrance to the Lameshur Bay Trail.

Bordeaux Mountain Trail

View of the Valley from Overlook

View of Lameshur from Lower Section of the Trail

View of Lameshur Bay from Ruin