U.S. Virgin Isles: Hiking Along a Path to the Past

An “easygoing” hike, the ranger promised. “Downhill and in the shade”

Maybe so. But the trail is steep and narrow at times, and the raised roots and loose rocks make it easygoing only for the sure-footed. And after a tropical storm, a mud slide provides unexpected adventure to the historic and aesthetic Reef Bay hike, a free U.S. national park activity.

From Centerline Road, five miles east of Cruz Bay, to the old Reef Bay sugar factory at the bottom of the hill, the ranger leads his band of 20 wildlife enthusiasts and tourists on a three-mile, five-hour scramble down an old Danish cart road.

Waterfall and Ruins

Attractions along the way include the foundations of an 18th-Century estate house, a waterfall and pool with curious rock carvings, ruins partially reclaimed by the jungle, a well-preserved sugar factory with much equipment still in place, and finally a charming coral beach.

Plunging downhill into the cool vegetation, the fragrance of fresh rain on green leaves is pervasive. It seems as if all the house plants in captivity have fled their planters for this primordial habitat. Slender palms move softly in the trade winds. Philodendron, split-leaf and variegated, and anthuriums rise from the leafy, moist floor.

A wild pineapple, or pinguin, grabs your clothing as you pass. Its sawtooth leaves make it an ideal substitute for a barbed-wire fence, and so it is used. Its shell-pink heart belies its harshness.

National Park Service markers along the trail identify many of the plants and ruins. Residents know them well, for one’s life may depend upon recognizing the difference between an edible fruit tree and its poisonous look-alike. Flinging a towel to dry on a machineel branch may cause a rash for the user.

Some Big Crabs

The soaked ground has caused five-inch land crabs to emerge from their holes for a breather. A camera lens sends them sidling home. We can see them looking back if we peer down the burrow. Giant hermit crabs are all around, colorful with red legs and two giant blue claws. Those claws can nip off a fingernail, maybe worse.

Sand fleas, known locally as “no-see-ums,” are a real problem to the susceptible, especially in the spring. (Oily repellents seem to be the most effective.) Huge spherical termite nests hang from the trees.

Masonry foundations about three-quarters of a mile down from Centerline remain from the old Par Force Estate dating back to 1780. There a horse-mill powered the sugar factory that operated until the owner built a new one on the beach at Reef Bay.

Beside a pond reached by a side trail a mile farther on, the group pauses for a rest and a bring-your-own lunch. The waterfall that feeds the pond is loud and sparkling, thanks to the rain.

Petroglyph Site

This is the site of St. John’s petroglyphs, carvings of uncertain origin in the pool-side rocks. Maybe it was the work of Indians before Columbus, maybe African slaves; maybe Spanish missionaries chiseled graffiti here. One of the symbols is used as a logo by the Caneel Bay Plantation hotel on the other side of the island.

The Reef Bay sugar factory, idle now for about 50 years, is a mile farther down the main trail. Now, hot and weary, imagine feeding sugar-cane between the crushing steam-powered rollers of the mill, or boiling sticky sugar syrup in the metal vats. Better still, relax on the white beach of Reef Bay and await a boat that takes you, for a small charge, to Cruz Bay and a restful evening.

Park Service Tours

Whether you stay in luxurious resort accommodations or in the civilized campgrounds of Cinnamon Bay or Maho Bay, the park service has several tours arranged, most free except for transportation.

There’s a snorkeling program at Cinnamon Bay at 2 p.m. Sundays and Thursdays, a seashore walk on Wednesdays near the Annaberg ruins. On Mondays a ranger leads a historical bus tour, a half-day tour to the east end of the island. This one is popular. Reservations are required for the Reef Bay hike and historic bus tour (bus charge is $6).

Cultural demonstrations are conducted between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the form of an open house at the Annaberg Sugar Factory and windmill ruins where cottage crafts of the 1900-1935 subsistence period, past the time when sugar was king, are shown. Or one can take a self-guided tour of these ruins with a 35-cent pamphlet provided at the start.

Sunday mornings at 10 there’s a Caneel Bay walk, site of the Durloe Plantation ruins and the bloodiest battle of the 1733 slave revolt. Rangers also conduct informal evening programs on the history, flora, and fauna of the park.

St. John, smallest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, can be reached by 20-minute ferry from St. Thomas. Many airlines fly to St. Thomas from New York or Miami. Summer rates, April through August, make off-season accommodations a bargain.

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The rates at Maho Bay Campground are $40 a night in summer and $60 in the winter for two people in a tent-cabin. Linens, ice chest, stove and utensils are furnished. Bathhouses with cold water are centrally located and an outdoor restaurant serves breakfast and dinner. A store sells some food and personal items.

At Cinnamon Bay, summer rates are $42 a night for two for a cottage, $35 for a tent, $10 for a bare site. Winter rates are $50, $42 and $10. Cottages and tents are equipped with utensils, ice chest, linen and stove. The campground has its own commissary and a restaurant serving three meals daily.

For information, phone Maho Bay (800) 392-9004; Cinnamon Bay (800) 223-7637.