The
Francis Bay Trail begins at the restored stone building at the
intersection of the Leinster Bay Road and the Maho Bay Campground
access road. It is a relatively easy 0.3-mile walk with only
one small hill to negotiate.
The trail goes through a dry scrub forest, past the ruins of
an old residence and on to the beach at Francis
Bay. It then winds through a mangrove forest and passes
by a brackish pond before emerging from the mangroves at the
dirt road between the beach entrance and the paved road at
Mary's Creek.
Francis Bay Trail Entrance
The
renovated stone building at the beginning of the trail now
serves as a National Park Service storage house. The two dates,
1814 and 1911, inscribed on the structure refer to the original
completion and subsequent restoration of the building. There
is a chimney attached to the structure with a hole in the
bottom that leads to the inside of the storage house. Behind
the storage building are old stone walls and other ruins dating
back to the subsistence farming days on St. John.
Storage Facility
The vegetation along the trail is, for the most part, disturbed
and scrubby owing to the fact that the area was used to raise
cattle for many years. There are, however, still several fine
examples of tamarind trees, genips and healthy mangrove forests.
Old Residence on Francis Bay Trail
Old
Residence
The ruins of an ornate old residence can be found on the right
side of the trail about twenty yards from the trailhead. This
structure is in unstable condition, and it is dangerous to get
too close to or walk in the ruins.
There is a tile covered gallery floor, surrounded by a concrete
railing that is still in fairly good condition. The house at
one time had a wood frame second story and the gallery was covered
by a section of roof extending from the main building.
Unlike the traditional detached kitchens of the old Virgin
Islands, the cookhouse for this residence was attached to the
estate house. This kitchen contained five ovens, which were placed
under a stone hood leading to a chimney. Stairs behind the cook
house lead to another gallery above. Behind the gallery is a
freshwater well, and to the west are the remains of another small
structure. Imagine a family living here in the not-so-distant
past.
Ruins North of Trail
Headstone
Ruins lying to the north of the Francis
Bay Trail
Semi-improved
trails found just after the old residence lead to the remains
of several old stone structures and graves from the 19th century.
Bird Watching
Francis Bay is a favorite spot for bird watchers. Good places
to observe the birds are at the pond overlook along the walking
trail at the top of the hill, from the wooden bench beside the
edge of the pond, and from the boardwalk that extends into the
pond. Bring binoculars to fully enjoy these popular bird watching
spots.
Francis Bay Viewing Pier
Francis Bay Salt Pond
Birds
of Francis Bay
“Nestled behind Mary Point, the northernmost point of St. John is one
of the island's most productive birding spots. This pond, the nearby
forest and the Francis Bay shoreline provide the observer with a great variety
of birdlife at any time of the year. The brackish pond is rimmed by mangroves
and other salt tolerant vegetation, which harbor migrants and local
specialties such as Mangrove Cuckoo, Scaly-naped
Pigeon, White-cheeked Pintail and Smooth-billed Ani.
There also are opportunities for good views of a variety of
waterfowl, herons, shorebirds and warblers. Along the beach and
rocky shoreline, brown boobys, brown pelicans,
magnificent frigatebirds, gulls and
various terns can be seen offshore.” From the article “Mary Point Pond,
St John” by Jim Riddle, Robert Norton and Thelma Douglas
appearing in Herbert A. Raffaele’s authoritative book, “Birds
of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.”
Birdwatching
National Park Bird Watching Walk
The Virgin Islands National Park offers a bird watching walk
around Francis Bay Pond, exploring dry forest, salt pond and
seashore habitats. For more information contact the VI National
Park online at www.nps.gov/viis or (340) 776-6201 ext. 238.
