Hiking Trails in St. John
THE 10 BEST St. John Hiking Trails
Hiking Trails in St. John
Category types
Outdoor Activities
Awards
Travelers' Choice Awards winners (including the "Best of the Best" title) are among the top 10% of listings on Tripadvisor, according to the reviews and opinions of travelers across the globe.
Traveler rating
Good for
13 places sorted by traveler favorites
- Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, number of page views, and user location.
Nature & Wildlife Areas • Hiking Trails
What travelers are saying
- worktotravel14Trenton, NJ3,725 contributionsOne of the things that is true about St. John is that its beauty also intersects with a hard and tortured history. Black St. Johnians often came here through enslavement and have lived without proper tribute to that pain. As you visit the sugar mills and engage, you start to take that in. Ram Head Trail is the one place where you can bring through the parts of the place that represent its most beautiful and it's dark past.
Enslaved people who successfully rebelled and escaped were almost recaptured. Instead they chose to be taken by the sea There is no more honorable act and it makes Ram Head Trail a sacred place. On the way up enjoy the most spectacular views. Amazing for sunrise, sunset, and full moon hikes. All of which I hope I will experience some day.Written July 21, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - travelgirl3781Boston, MA121 contributionsFirst off, this is one of my favorite hikes. My husband, adult daughter and I consider this hike a highlight of our 4th Saint John Trip. We are a “fit family” and hike, walk and do various forms of exercise on a regular basis. This is a great work out. We did take the petroglyph path as well and ended at Reef Bay Beach. We all wore sturdy hiking sandals with good traction which I highly suggest. There had been downpours the night before and some of the path is both rocky and slippery from fallen leaves after a rain. Hiking Sandals and clothes to swim in offer a great reward to wade into the beautiful water for a swim after the hike down. We started our hike at 8 AM ;this time allowed for a cooler hike with hardly any people and had us avoiding the mid day heat and sun on the journey back which in parts can be steep and a little challenging ; pack water with electrolytes. You will sweat with the Caribbean heat although much of the hike is shaded. Our favorite parts of the hike were the beautiful tropical plants and animal sightings. We saw about 5 deer on our hike, mongoose, various types of lizards and of course land crabs ( watch your step as they are EVERYWHERE). We were hoping to see a wild boar, but not this time. The sugar plantation ruins are marked by educational plaques offering some education into some important history of the Island as you hike. The Water fall was a trickle but still impressive in its height and we had no trouble finding the petroglyphs. If you attempt this hike and aren’t in a decent level of fitness and have not replaced fluids and electrolytes sufficiently,the hike back may be very challenging. Beware.Written June 1, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- beth ann kHalstead, KS1,821 contributionsThis was a pretty cool site across from the parking lot at Cinnamon Beach. It's definitely worth it to walk over and go through the site.Written August 30, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- RoelRWuustwezel, Belgium1,476 contributionsAs an avid snorkler, I ofcourse wanted to try out the Underwater trail. It starts fairly close to the shore, and will take you about half way of the island. Some of the sign are not easy to read any more, and will need a cleaning. There were lots of fishes, rays and even squids.Written December 12, 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- worktotravel14Trenton, NJ3,725 contributionsWhat's not to love in the trail on the way to Honeymoon beach and Salomon beach. It's a fairly rocky path which means you have to decide between sturdy shoes and what you want for the water. Good views along the way and well marked paths. If you are leaving from the national parks office, the first part of the path is in full sun, but you reach shade later, a nice respite as you descend to the beach.Written July 21, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- fiamma11Tysons Corner, VA5,768 contributionsThis is a scenic area for a walk. This 1.1 mile out and back trail is generally an easy walk. Allow 30 minutes. We did not see many other people here. NiceWritten October 16, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- staledale1,428 contributionsFrances Bay Trail is a short wooden boardwalk trail that runs behind the beach. Easy and short walk for almost anyone. Bathroom facility in the parking lot.Written November 29, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Heidi M8 contributionsHave been hiking every day on different trails and this was a great one. Much less climbing than some of the other ones, but half of it is in the sun (half in the shade). Rolling hills. Took the trail out to Murphy's Ruins and it was awesome and definitely worth going .6 miles past the turn around point.Written March 23, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Andrew M7,589 contributionsThe L'Esperance (Expectation) Trail is approimately 2.5 miles in length and streches from the Centerline Road, near the Catherineberg Estate turnoff, to Reef Bay. This was the second leg of my hike, as I had started from Centerline Road to Reef Bay, took a short break, then ascended back to the Centerline Road on the L'Esperance trail. This is the easier option, as the L'Esperance trail is not as steep a trek as walking up on the Reef Bay trail.
Starting from the Reef Bay factory ruins, you will see a sign on the right stating 300 feet to the L'Esperance Trail. Note that at the beginning the trail branches off to Genti Bay Beach. After 5 minutes of walking, you will see Cacti plants and the trail leading in two directions. The path to the left and heading down is to Genti Bay Beach, and the path on the right which leads up and between the Cacti plants is the L'Esperance trail. The signpost here is difficult to read, but states Centerline Road 2.5miles and Great Sieben Trail 1.5 miles.
This trail is a bit overgrown, so ensure that you are wearing long pants and good footwear. As you start the gradual climb uphill, look to the left and there are good views of Genti Bay and Little Reef Bay Beach. As you climb higher there is a corner which offers a view of Europa Bay and White point. The brown coloured inland natural lake is also in this area, and is in stark contrast to the surrounding green vegetation and beautiful bay beyond. At this stage you are close to Mollendal Plantation Ruins. I was unable to locate the turnoff to the ruins, as there is no signage indicating the path. If you don't want to miss these ruins, it may be best to trek with a local guide.
The trek to the Sieban Plantation ruins was my favourite section of the trail. It was shaded, a bit wider and you could hear wildlife activity in the bush. I assumed that this was wild boar, wild goats and deer. You will arrive at a wooden signpost on the right which states, Centerline Road direction straight ahead, or the Sieben/FishBay Skytop to the left. This short turn off leads to the Sieben plantation ruins, which includes the only baobab tree on St. John, but quite a few are on St Croix. This is a mystical tree in Africa, and was planted by the Slaves from Ghana. Near to this area is the Battery Gut Battle site, near to a waterfall, where liberating slaves fought against rebel slaves during the 1733 rebellion. You will definitely need a guide to find this battle site.
After returning to the signpost, continue north on the trail for another 20 minutes, and the L' Esperance Plantation Ruins turnoff will be on your right. This turnoff again doesn't have any signage, so look out for the small stone bridge on your right, just before the trail takes a sharp left turn. The L'Esperance farm has quite a few ruins. The main highlight here is the greathouse ruins and the graves on the area above. After leaving L'Esperance estate, a short 10 minute ascent takes you back to Centerline Road.Written October 14, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - ryrybankBaltimore, MD88 contributionsThe Caneel Hill Trail was a great workout to start our day. The views from the Caneel Hill Overlook were fantastic but it's worth it to continue the additional stretch to enjoy views from the boulders at Margaret Hill. At that point, we reversed the hike and connected with the Upper Lind Point trail to get back to town. This route took us about 1.5 hours and covered 3.4 miles with ~850 ft of elevation gain.Written February 17, 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- zgshawEl Jebel, CO82 contributionsThe spine of the island runs West to East through the beautiful interior of the island. This trail drops from the spine down to a beautiful and calm bay. At the trailhead, there is not a lot of places to park the Jeep, which doesn't matter much since there are not a lot of people using this trail. The trail runs 1.2 miles to the beach below and starts down from the first step. I'm 65 with a good stride, it took me 38 minutes to the beach. What surprised me is that it took me 30 minutes back up. This trail is a bit narrower than many on the island, a bit more overgrown. I would highly recommend much better footwear than sandals as the trail is fairly rocky and there are a plethora of hiker tripping roots spanning this track. About 1/3 of the way down you gain a fantastic view of the bay and coast line, with many glimpses the rest of the way down. There is a great selection of plant life, and many colorful butterflies, but I was surprised that there were not more birds. It helped to stand still for a bit to entice them out of their hides, but I didn't see many. I mentioned that this trail was a bit overgrown when I took it, as opposed to the nice wide and clear Lind Point trail. I brushed through some sections of tall grass, small palms, and all was good, except. There was one plant which was very prevalent on this trail. It looks soft and feathery, completely innocuous. It looks a bit fern like, flat leaves, about the size of an average hand, 12 or 14 side leaflets radiating out from a central spine. The leaves are all laying horizontally, somewhat layered. I am unsure of the common name, I lovingly called this bush/tree the "blood sucking hat tree" bush. Those soft leaves hide a host of the sharpest spines that I have come across. Simply brushing softly past the branches, and my arms and legs were punctured and bloody. I was in short pants and short sleeve shirt, but I don't think that anything short of Kevlar would have helped. Once you recognize this tree for what it is, avoidance was fairly easy, but a couple of times, watching my step, I had my ball cap pulled right off of my head and hovered there over the trail (hence the hat tree name).
Once you reach the beach, you will see a few jeeps. This beach is accessible by a fairly rough 4 wheel road from the Salt Pond area. The beach was rocky, peaceful, uncrowded and lovely. I snorkeled the east side of the bay to limited success. The visibility was not good the week I visited this beautiful island. Oh, one more warning. On the inland side of this beach, there is a rim of low lying ground cover, which I made the mistake of walking in. My shoes (luckily not in sandals) were covered in Cheerio sized burrs, nearly as sharp as the spines on the Blood sucking hat tree. Avoid this fauna at all costs, the burrs are a pain (literally) to remove.
The day I hiked this trail, I was the only one. I saw no other humans on the trail until the beach. By the time you seek this trail, the amazing clubs and trail crews might have widened it a bit, otherwise a machete would be a nice fashion accessoryWritten January 17, 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Peter RBoston, MA2,150 contributionsAt the far end of the Waterlemon beach, the Johnny Horn trail is one of my favorites because it offers two sets of ruins early on the hike. The first set has a nice arch which makes for splendid photo ops. Much of the vegetation is gone so it feels much more open than it used to be but that will grow back eventually.Written February 19, 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- TravellingDuo53Beavercreek, OH88 contributionsI was in St. John for a week with my wife. I was trying to prepare for an upcoming mountaineering trip and was looking for some challenging hiking terrain. The National Park Service trail guide does not list most of the existing trials and the ones it lists are not described in any useful way. Trail Bandit is a guide made by a native that gives excellent detailed information on all the trials on St. John. I wanted to transverse the midsection of the Island going from Maho Bay to Lameshur bay and do its twice. The Maria Hope trail is not clearly marked but if you park in Maho Bay and walk back towards the "hairpin turn" 100 yards before the bay you will see a drainage ditch going into the woods. If you walk 10 feet into the woods the trail is clearly evident on the right. It is a steep climb to Centerline road over 0.8 miles. At the top, the Reef Bay Trail is across Centerline Rd. Slightly to the right. If you follow this trail it will take you down to the South side. You pass through some ruins of previous plantations and then come onto beautiful Lameshur beach and bay. If you do go I would highly recommend the Trail Bandit Guide which is quite detailed both in it's descriptions and in its topographical map. You will also need about 1 liter per hour of water since you will be sweating profusely. I got my Trail Bandit guide from the coffee shop/ bookstore adjacent to the Star Market in Cruz Bay. The Maria Hope trail is narrow and primitive. The Reef Bay Trail is a highway by comparison.Written January 15, 2015This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
