Caneel
Hill Ascent
St John's Caneel Hill Trail begins in Cruz Bay about twenty yards
past the Mongoose Junction parking lot and rises to the summit
of Caneel Hill. The trail then descends, running along the ridgeline
to the saddle, or low point, between Caneel Hill and the next
mountain peak, Margaret Hill. From the saddle, the trail leads
to the top of Margaret Hill from where it descends the northern
face of the mountain arriving at the North Shore Road just across
from the entrance to the Caneel Bay Resort. The total distance
is 2.4 miles.
Difficulty
Be prepared. The trail to the peak of Caneel Hill is a steep
and steady incline, gaining 719 feet of elevation in less than
one mile.
Environment
The trail passes through typical dry forest terrain in an area
once dedicated to the cultivation of cotton.
In the late nineteenth century, the cotton plantations were
sold or abandoned and the land was used primarily for pasture
and for the cultivation of small provision garden plots until
its acquisition by the National Park in the 1950s.
Mongoose Junction to the Caneel Hill Spur
About a third of the way up the trail (0.3 mile) you will come
to the intersection of the Caneel Hill Spur Trail, which will
be to the left running downhill. The spur trail eventually crosses
the North Shore Road, and then continues on to meet the Lind
Point Trail.
View From Bench
Continuing
up the Caneel Hill Trail
At the spur intersection, remain on the Caneel Hill Trail, which
continues to the right and uphill. A bench near the top of the
trail will provide a welcome location to stop and rest and enjoy
the spectacular northerly views. From the bench, it’s just
about 100 yards further to the top of Caneel Hill.
Caneel
Hill Summit
At the peak of Caneel Hill you will be treated to a magnificent
panorama. Before Hurricane Hugo hit St. John and the rest of
Virgin Islands in 1985 there was a wooden viewing tower atop Caneel
Hill, which provided a magnificent panoramic view. The hurricane
destroyed the structure, but at least
the bench where one could sit and rest at the end of the strenuous
climb still remained intact.
For many years the National Park,
for whatever reason, had not seen fit to repair or replace the
tower, but some 20 years later a St. John resident, Frank Cummings,
who operates SNUBA decided to do something about it. With some
persistence, he was able to obtain both permission and partial
funding from the National Park to construct a new tower atop
the 719-foot high hilltop. Work began in May of 2006 with the
help of private volunteers the project is now complete. Additional
funding was provided by Steve Black; Eric Bauman helped bring
up some of the 80-pound bags of cement, teachers from the Baptist
school brought up a generator, and Boy Scouts from Illinois helped
bring up lumber as did volunteers from Friends of the Park.
View from New Tower
From this vantage point you can see a great deal of the Virgin
Island archipelago and on clear days you may even be able to
see as far as the mountainous El Yunque rainforest on Puerto
Rico.
Caneel and Margaret Hills
Caneel
Hill Trail
From
Caneel Hill to the Saddle
From the summit of Caneel Hill, the trail continues to the east
toward Margaret Hill. The track at first follows the southern
side of the ridge between the two mountain peaks offering spectacular
views of the southwestern side of St. John. It then crosses over
the ridge and runs along the northern side of the mountain from
where you will enjoy views of the island's north shore and beyond.
The trail continues to descend until it reaches the saddle (lowest
point on the ridge) between Caneel and Margaret Hills where the
trail once passed an old tamarind
tree beneath which was a rustic
wooden bench. In 2006, it was discovered that the this section
of trail went through private property, to remedy this, the Park
moved this part of the trail some 50 yards to the north.
Spur Trail to North Shore Road
An abandoned Park trail, semi-improved by the Trail Bandit and
local hikers, runs between the saddle and Route 20, just west
of the Caneel Bay Resort.
From the Saddle to Caneel Bay
From the saddle, the trail ascends once again, taking you back
into the pristine environment of the Park following the mountain
ridge to access the Margaret Hill Overlook and the summit of
Margaret Hill before descending once again to its eastern terminus
at the North Shore Road at Caneel Bay.
Margaret Hill Ascent
The Margaret Hill Ascent of the Caneel Hill Trail begins at the
entrance to the Caneel Bay Resort on the opposite side of the
North Shore Road. The trail ascends 840 feet in the course
of a little over one mile to reach the summit of Margaret Hill.
From here, it continues on to Caneel Hill and then down to
Cruz Bay near the Mongoose Junction parking lot.
Bromiliads on Stone Wall
Native Orchids
From the Trailhead to the Water Catchment
Spurs
The
Margaret Hill ascent is shadier, cooler, and not as steep as
the Caneel Hill ascent. As soon as you leave the paved roadway
and enter the lush tropical forest, you cannot help but be
overwhelmed by the serene natural beauty of your surroundings.
The trail rises gently, shaded by pepper cinnamon, guavaberry and genip trees. A stand of teyer palm, said to be the only indigenous
species of palm on St. John, lines a section of the trail.
About 50 yards up the trail is a dry stacked native stone wall
overgrown with anthuriums and strangler figs.
You may notice a point where the main trail seems to fork.
Here a spur trail to the left, maintained periodically by local
hikers, leads to the Water
Catchment Trail. The Margaret Hill Trail continues steeply
up the hill to your right.
As you gain elevation, views of the north shore and outer cays
begin to open up through the foliage. This will be your signal
to watch for a large triangular rock on the high side of the
trail that is covered with beautiful native orchids.
Water Catchment Spurs
After passing the area of native orchids you will come to a switchback
in the trail where there is another spur trail on the left
leading to the Water Catchment Trail. Continuing on, you will
come to a third trail intersection where there is a National
Park Service directional sign. The path to the left leads to
Centerline Road (Route 10) and the head of the Water Catchment
Trail.
View from North Side Overlook
On to the Summit
Continuing along the Caneel Hill Trail, you will come to another
large rock reminiscent of the orchid-covered one below. At this
point, the trail becomes rather steep and rocky and leads to
a scenic overlook with a view to the north. It is only a few-minutes
walk from this overlook to the top of Margaret Hill.
Margaret Hill Overlook
Margaret Hill Overlook
When
you reach the top of the hill, there is a nice view to the
south, which unfortunately is often obstured by foliage. But don'r fret, the really spectacular overlook lies about 50 yards
further down the trail where there is a spur to the left leading
to a large rock outcropping. The spur is marked by a National
Park Service sign. Climb up on the large flat rock and enjoy!
Shortcut to the Overlook
If all you want to do is get to the Margaret Hill Overlook and
prefer not to take such a long hike, you can begin your walk
at the entrance to the Water Catchment Trail at Centerline
Road. Walk down to the spur trail. From there it’s a
much shorter walk to the overlook.
The Trail Continues
From the Margaret Hill Overlook, the trail continues to Caneel
Hill and then runs back down to Cruz Bay near Mongoose Junction.
Suggested Loop
Connect the two ends of the Caneel Hill Trail by using the Lind
Point Trail to get back to where you began.
