Some More Hiking on St. John and Goodbyes

So, we are moving to trails hiked closer to the middle and west end of St. John in this blog.

This hike is to the America Hill Ruins. To get there, you take the Cinnamon Bay Trailhead which is across the street from Cinnamon Bay Beach and it is about a two hour hike up a steep, rocky winding path. It’s pretty rigorous so it’s important to bring lots of water!

Daughter, Cortney, was able to come on this hike

When you get back down from the trail , you can go across the street and jump in the water to refresh at Cinnamon Bay beach. There’s also an interesting old building once you reach the beach. This house is one of the oldest standing structures on the island (1600’s).

Archeologists did a dig near this building and found historical pieces of Taino art. They decided to convert the house into the Cinnamon Bay Heritage Center and Archeology Lab to display their findings and have educational talks. *

Freshwater Tribe plus my friend, Dana, who came for a visit (house is on the right)

L’Esperance Trail

Another hike we decided to take one day was the L’Esperance Trail. It is a long, rugged trail but we wanted to see the famous baobab tree, the only one on island.

This trail does not have a lot of shade so the earlier you can start, the better. It will take you all the way to Reef Bay but that was quite a bit more than what we wanted. It was all about the baobab. Though what is nice is you will pass some of the earliest plantation ruins on St. John before reaching the tree.

This sacred tree species seeds were brought to the Caribbean by enslaved Africans. The baobab is called ‘sacred’ because of the belief that the tree has magical properties. It’s also been called The Tree of Life because it can retain water during the rainy season to be able to flourish in the dry season when others plants and trees can not survive the arid conditions.

Next, Caneel Spur Trail to Margaret Hill Overlook

Only a few of us were available for this hike but it’s a beauty! This trail is right up Northshore road from Cruz Bay. It’s a moderately difficult, rugged trail with a 1700 ft. elevation gain. This is a very popular trail since it’s so close to downtown Cruz Bay but also because of its panoramic views of Cruz Bay, Trunk Bay and surrounding islands.

Lind Point Trails (Upper and Lower)

Lower Lind Point Trail starts right in Cruz Bay behind the National Park Dock and Upper Lind Point starts off the Northshore Road but both converge to take you to Solomon Bay and Honeymoon Beach.

If you’ve been reading my blogs, you know this is my favorite and most used hike. And this is why:

If you hike a little further, you will reach popular Honeymoon Beach.

This beach definitely is more crowded but it is quite large to handle it. The draw is the amenities of bathrooms, food and drink hut, beach chair and kayak rentals and even a souvenir shop.

As you can see, we appreciate the amenities!😎

Now, our goodbyes 😢

Our sweet Freshwater Tribe leader, Amber, (for our weekly hike, snorkel and devotion) decided it was time for her to move off island and start a new life in the states. We miss her beautiful smile and loving spirit 😭

Also, leaving us are Pastor Terry and wife, Marta Lansdale. For health reasons, the states are a better fit and the difficult decision was made to move.