Hikes and ruins

[mindehankins]

Bringing my daughter down in January, and this will be a different kind of vacation for me. Old routine is I snorkel while Blaine relaxes and reads. I think this trip will be more active, and daughter has never snorkeled so we don't know if she's going to like it. I'm looking for hikes and ruins, I guess, or other ideas.
These are the ones I'm aware of:
Reef bay trail (I'll make reservations)
Ram's Head
Brown Bay/Johnny Horn: Is this a full day's walk?
Little Lameshur ruins
Cinnamon Bay ruins
Annaberg plantation

Anything else I should add to list? No, I'm not making plans, but compiling a list of options!

[liamsaunt]

Don't forget the easy Lind Point trail to Solomon and Honeymoon.

Have you seen Gerald Singer's website? He has a great compliation of the hikes:

http://www.seestjohn.com/trails.html

There's an alphabetical list of trails on the right side of this page, with links to their desciptions, difficulty level, and photos.

[Need2GetAway]

I always suggest doing Reef Bay unescorted, and nice and early before anyone else is there. It's so lovely. That hiking in a crowd thing just isn't for me.

[madness]

We have also hiked the Margaret Hill trail (lovely view at the top) and the America Hill trail (ruins, with another nice view, although we did encounter a ton of bees).

We have not done all of the Johnny horn trail, but we do like the Brown Bay trail, and I do not think it is an all day hike. You can bring your snorkel equipment and make it an all day hike. There are nice ruins at the end of this trail (off of the beach).

Not really a hike, but have you been to the Catherineburg ruins? I think they are cool.

The bordeaux mountain hike killed me (heat exhaustion). I was very lucky that some friendly folks at VIERS provided me with water.

How about peace hill? Short and easy hike to a secluded beach with nice snorkeling. (I think) Denis Bay? I'm not sure about this one.

Have a great time!

[Caw954s]

I have the book, "feet, fins, and four wheel drive" by Pam Gaffin and she gives a great description of hikes, snorkeling, beaches, drives, and directions. I also picked up national geographics St. John map. I purchased both on amazon.com.

[mindehankins]

Thanks, Liamsaunt, for the website. I've studied the snorkel info there, but not the hiking.

I'll be re-reading the hiking section of Pam's book. Just looking for some personal recommendations. Not looking for very difficult hikes, so I think we'll do the Reef Bay with the boat ride back. I kind of like guided excursions anyway - I learn so much more.

Haven't visited ANY of the ruins, and think my daughter will enjoy them tremendously. Haven't done Peace Hill, either. It's fun researching for a totally different kind of vacation! Thanks, all!

[PA Girl]

Not really a hike, but have you been to the Catherineburg ruins? I think they are cool.

I agree. These are restored and you can walk around inside.

[Lindy]

Minde - Lameshur is pretty cool because it's an adventure to get there and then there's decent snorkeling, hiking and ruins all in one location. Good spot to try a little of everything. Go on a day where there hasn't been heavy rain for a day or two because the road in is sorta like a lunar landscape with enormous deep puddles after a rain. There's also alot of vegetation so a dry day cuts down on the no-see-ums.

[STJVI]

Esparance trail and John Horn are my favorite. You could hike to Waterlemon and snorkel and continue the hike up the John Horn to see the ruins...

some nice pics here http://pinterest.com/caribbeanboats/rui ... n-islands/

[dreamshark]

Drunk Bay! A short, easy hike from Salt Pond Bay beach to a startlingly different type of St. John beach. If you're staying some distance away, you can make a day of it at Salt Pond, which has 3 separate attractions:
1) a pretty white sand beach with good snorkeling
2) the hike to Drunk Bay, where you enjoy the crashing surf against black rocks and white coral beach, take pictures of the cairns and sculptures that people have made, and then make your own.
3) the more arduous hike to Ram Head, where you look at the view.

DRUNK BAY LOOKS LIKE THIS (click for full-size pic)

[STJVI]

Drunk Bay is nice to see. It's very close to Ram Head. here is another pic of Drunk Bay:

[EagleRayLover]

and don't forget the side trail off of Reef Bay to see the petroglyphs. Very cool especially if there has been a little rain and the falls and in full effect!!( and don't forget to look up in the sugar mill at the end of the reef bay trail and see all the bats inside!!

[madness]

Drunk Bay. Agree with above post. A fun spot to tromp around.

If your daughter does enjoy snorkeling, blue cobblestone beach is a great snorkel.