usvi-on-line
Reef Bay Hike
Reef Bay Hike
I swear - this feels like my first trip.....even though its our 5th!
We're considering doing the Reef Bay trail - how hard is it to get back UP the trail? I know its a long one - which would be fine going down. I hate to think we get down and can't get back up to home!!!!
We're considering doing the Reef Bay trail - how hard is it to get back UP the trail? I know its a long one - which would be fine going down. I hate to think we get down and can't get back up to home!!!!
The last 1/4 mile is a bi*ch and all I say to myself is "I can hear the road, I can hear the road, nearly there" but it is OK 
I guess I would ask, do you walk or exercise at home - if not, I would not start with the Reef Bay hike but something a little easier. The other option is to hike with the Park Service as you get a wonderful boat ride back to Cruz Bay.
Pia
I guess I would ask, do you walk or exercise at home - if not, I would not start with the Reef Bay hike but something a little easier. The other option is to hike with the Park Service as you get a wonderful boat ride back to Cruz Bay.
Pia
Realtor - St John Properties
It wasn't hearing the road that kept me going it was knowing that there was a celebratory rum punch waiting for us at the top at the little porch off Chateau Bordeaux. Now that is no longer there wild horses could not drag me back up that hill. If I ever do it again that spot will have to reopen first or we'll go to the bottom and wait for the boat.
Trip report 2009
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... highlight=
Trip report 2008
So good, so good, so good!
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... highlight=
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... highlight=
Trip report 2008
So good, so good, so good!
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... highlight=
Google search "Trail Bandit" and check out his STJ trail maps, see if that helps
STJ Villa Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
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2beachbums
- Posts: 136
- Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 4:08 pm
- Location: Southern WI
Let me begin with that it is very rewarding! You feel like you can do anything once you have done this hike! However, we had quite an adventure when we did our hike!
We decided to try the "coastal" Reef bay hike as it said it was easier but would still get you to the ruins and the petroglyphs. Well it did but let me start with the beginning...
We found the little parking spot by the green roof to start the coastal RBH. We went down the trail and ended up at the beach. It was a beautiful view! For some dumb reason we only brought one bottle of water per couple and our snorkel gear and snacks...God was with us this day and told us this was a dumb idea so we sent the husbands back up to the Jeep to get more water...this however was after we had forgot the camera and had to send them up for that first! They were a little preterbed so they thankfully were being smart a$$es that day and brought the whole cooler! Boy were we greatful in the end for that! I would not bring snorkel fins, maybe a mask even though there is an area to snorkel where they say you might see baby sharks. It was very grassy so we were too timid to go lurking in fear that there might be a mama shark we couldn't see! Any ways it said there was a "skuttle" across some rocks. The first set of rocks were a skuttle, but the next set were not. WE trapsed through the jungle and climbed rocks that were about 40 ft or so above the water. It was quite interested because I am not the most adventurous person you will meet. However, it was a very beautiful spiritual experience! We finally came to the sugar mill ruins after much sweat and tears. They were very cool minus the bats. Loved all the gazillion hermit crabs! WE then decided to go to the petroglyphs and ran into 2 guys that said the hike back up wasn't that bad!!!!! Really funny! All I knew is that I wasn't confident enough to "skuttle" back over all the rocks high above the water so we decided to just keep climbing up! And climbing and climbing and winding and climbing, and climbing and winding and climbing...WE saw some deer, milions of crabs, a couple of mongooses or is it mongeese! awesome trees and foliage. We had allot of fun but then when we finally got to the top ( we kept saying we are almost to the road I can hear it too!) WE realized our jeep was FAR FAR AWAY!!! We had no money to barter with so you guessed it...we hitch hiked from a few different people. At one point we ended up only being able to send one person so we waited at the main intersection by the mailboxes and the food truck while my husband finished hitch hiking his way back to the jeep. PS - about half way up the trail my husband just kept chanting...Skinny leg's Skinny Legs...I better have time to go to Skinny Legs before we have to catch the car barge! He was not in favor of hiking up the trail! We made it though and it was probably the most memorable and fun day of our trip! We were glad however that we started working out 4 months before the vacation or we may still have been on the trail! When I can figure out how to post pics I will post a pic of the Christmas ornament my friend painted me of our "excursion"!
So, I would say be prepared by being in good shape to hike up, or hike down and "skuttle" across the rocks and have someone able to pick up up at the end! Or just wing it...it makes for a fun story to tell!
We decided to try the "coastal" Reef bay hike as it said it was easier but would still get you to the ruins and the petroglyphs. Well it did but let me start with the beginning...
We found the little parking spot by the green roof to start the coastal RBH. We went down the trail and ended up at the beach. It was a beautiful view! For some dumb reason we only brought one bottle of water per couple and our snorkel gear and snacks...God was with us this day and told us this was a dumb idea so we sent the husbands back up to the Jeep to get more water...this however was after we had forgot the camera and had to send them up for that first! They were a little preterbed so they thankfully were being smart a$$es that day and brought the whole cooler! Boy were we greatful in the end for that! I would not bring snorkel fins, maybe a mask even though there is an area to snorkel where they say you might see baby sharks. It was very grassy so we were too timid to go lurking in fear that there might be a mama shark we couldn't see! Any ways it said there was a "skuttle" across some rocks. The first set of rocks were a skuttle, but the next set were not. WE trapsed through the jungle and climbed rocks that were about 40 ft or so above the water. It was quite interested because I am not the most adventurous person you will meet. However, it was a very beautiful spiritual experience! We finally came to the sugar mill ruins after much sweat and tears. They were very cool minus the bats. Loved all the gazillion hermit crabs! WE then decided to go to the petroglyphs and ran into 2 guys that said the hike back up wasn't that bad!!!!! Really funny! All I knew is that I wasn't confident enough to "skuttle" back over all the rocks high above the water so we decided to just keep climbing up! And climbing and climbing and winding and climbing, and climbing and winding and climbing...WE saw some deer, milions of crabs, a couple of mongooses or is it mongeese! awesome trees and foliage. We had allot of fun but then when we finally got to the top ( we kept saying we are almost to the road I can hear it too!) WE realized our jeep was FAR FAR AWAY!!! We had no money to barter with so you guessed it...we hitch hiked from a few different people. At one point we ended up only being able to send one person so we waited at the main intersection by the mailboxes and the food truck while my husband finished hitch hiking his way back to the jeep. PS - about half way up the trail my husband just kept chanting...Skinny leg's Skinny Legs...I better have time to go to Skinny Legs before we have to catch the car barge! He was not in favor of hiking up the trail! We made it though and it was probably the most memorable and fun day of our trip! We were glad however that we started working out 4 months before the vacation or we may still have been on the trail! When I can figure out how to post pics I will post a pic of the Christmas ornament my friend painted me of our "excursion"!
So, I would say be prepared by being in good shape to hike up, or hike down and "skuttle" across the rocks and have someone able to pick up up at the end! Or just wing it...it makes for a fun story to tell!
We really liked the National Park Service's guided hike down with the boat ride back to Cruz Bay. We saw a mother and baby pair of humpback whales in Reef Bay on the way back. They gave us our choice of swimming out to the Sadie Sea or riding in the dinghy. I wouldn't choose to hike back up the trail.
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toes in the sand
- Posts: 994
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 2:21 pm
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SOonthebeach
- Posts: 1707
- Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:01 am
- Location: Texas
We hiked down and back up with our kids. It is a tough hike for sure but we loved it and plan to do it again. My 8 year old did fine, but she's a little athlete! I would NOT recommend taking a 5 year old. She did fine all the way down, but rode on her Daddy's shoulder's ALL the way back up. Try hiking that trail up with an extra 35 lbs on your shoulders! My husband really earned his beer at Skinny's after that....(':shock:')
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2beachbums
- Posts: 136
- Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 4:08 pm
- Location: Southern WI
Not sure, we went over the first set of rocks, then the next set were a mile or so away. Those were the rocks that were really high and I think there was a trail that went behind it. We had allot of gear too. We had 2 back packs, a shoulder strap 18 can cooler and an akward snorkel bag with 4 complete sets of gear that the guys traded carrying...ugh! The coastal trail was beautiful too!