Salomon Beach

[Beachnut513]

How's the walk to Salomon? Can you bring chairs and a cooler or is it to much to carry in? Would like to at least bring in snorkel gear and towels.

[ToonMann]

From the Visitor's Center to Salomon, figure a 30-40 minute walk on Lind Point Trail. My wife and I did it twice in January, each carrying a beach chair and a backpack. Not a tough trail, but I'd advise against sandals. Keens are perfect.

I think a large cooler (that requires two people carrying it) would be a challenge at some points of the trail, but you may be more agile than we are.

We liked Salomon, but we preferred its neighbor, Honeymoon . . . a bit longer, and the new Honeymoon Hut at the north end of Honeymoon offers kayaks, beach chairs, soft drinks, snacks, stuff, and restrooms.

An option to hiking the Lind Point Trail would be to taxi to (or park at) Caneel and take the much shorter, easier trail down to Honeymoon/Salomon. The Caneel parking fee is refundable if you buy something at Caneel.

TM

[Teresa_Rae]

We've done the hike many times. I wouldn't bring a cooler that you have to carry, unless it's really small and light weight. We take a back pack cooler as a carry-on item and then use it as our cooler when we're on STJ...it works great.

[54b]

I'll second ToonMann's and Teressa's posts and add a few additional thoughts...unlike the short walk from the parking lot at other beaches, this is definitely a legit hike...the trail is in great shape and the ups and downs aren't all that steep, but it's a solid mile there and back...and when it's hot and humid, like in June, you'll definitely feel it.

So I'd say keep your gear to only what you feel comfortable strapping on your back...I'd skip the beach chairs and cooler unless they're the kind you can wear back-pack style.

Salomon is one of our favorites...we like to head out early in the morning right after picking up sandwiches from Deli Grato. At 8ish in the morning, you can usually find a free parking place along that short road that heads over from Mongoose Junction to the National Park Office (which is where the trailhead is...they've built a nice wooden stairwell there so it's easy to find and easy to get started).

Besides the sandwiches, we take towels, snorkel gear, sunscreen, and water bottles (a good amount too)...I also throw in another pair of light jogging shorts....reason being, walking that distance back in a wet bathing suit can cause a serious rash on your inner thighs...if you've ever had one, you know what I'm talking about...anyway, before we return, I just find some trees to duck behind and change out into the dry shorts.

My pain, your gain.

[Beachnut513]

Thank you all for your reply's. 54b your suggestion of the shorts is a great idea! Is it a shorter walk from Caneel?

[PaminMaine]

I asked similar question last week.. these responses might help you as well..


http://virgin-islands-on-line.com/virgi ... =1&t=24820

[sherban]

Don't know if ya'll are aware of these great hiking maps:
http://www.trailbandit.org/maps-online

[MN_Bhoy]

This past August my wife and I made the hike to Salomon from Grande Bay three times. Taking the advice of others we planned for a 20-25 minute hike, which turned out to be pretty accurate. On our first hike, we were a bit aggressive and decided to bring beach chairs, snorkeling gear, and a very full cooler. It was a 90 degree day and the water was a welcome sight after lugging all that stuff.

On our subsequent visits, we limited the carry-alongs and the hike was pretty enjoyable. We took our time to have a look at the scenery which included mongoose, a wide variety of birds, cactus, etc... Like I said, an enjoyable hike, but I was also pretty happy that a smoothie place was just at the end of the trail near Mongoose Junction!!

Some good advice has already been given in previous comments - pack lightly, careful with the flip-flops (especially when making the descent to the beach), and give it 35 minutes on the high side. But do yourself a favor and be sure to take in the views and not look at the hike as a hassle. You'll find it much easier this way!!

Enjoy!!

[Need2GetAway]

I hate being on a beach without a chair, so we carry our chairs. I've never found the walk in (I don't really think of it as a hike) difficult, just takes a little time, nothing tricky. That said, I have found Salomon Beach sometimes more crowded (people per square foot) than many other beaches on St. John, so I'm sort of ho hum about it.

[ToonMann]

If you don't want to lug beach chairs on the Lind Point Trail to Salomon/Honeymoon, don't forget you can rent a white plastic Adirondack chair from the Honeymoon Hut (north side of Honeymoon) for $5/day.

While supplies last.

TM

[Beachnut513]

Thanks for all the input. We'll be there in 2 wks and I guess we'll give it a go. How bad can it be? After all we are on vacation on St John!!!!!!!!!

[VIlanders]

We were just there last week and hiked the Lind Point Trail to Salomon Beach. That was one thing on our "to do list" this year as we had already hiked to Honeymoon Beach a few years ago. It certainly was well worth it and such a beautiful beach. We were afraid it would be crowded but there were just a few people there. For us, who are older, the trail was not bad, but carrying chairs and a cooler might have been difficult. Towels, a bag, and snokeling gear are manageable. Don't miss it!

Janet

[Beachnut513]

Thanks a lot Janet! Really looking forward to it. We were on the island last year but somehow missed Salomon. On the to do list for sure this yr!

[dreamshark]

If you hike in on Lind Point Trail, can you take a taxi back? How far do you have to go to get to a taxi pickup?

[mindehankins]

We've been to Salomon and Honeymoon a few times, Dreamshark. I think you'd have to walk back the way you came, walk on to Caneel (which is an easy enough walk), or walk up the hill to Peace Hill (which was NOT an easy walk, but I'd had a stroke less than a year before that trip).
I want to make it there in April again, and I'll take note of how difficult the walk is, for you.