Hello Barbara,

I know of one on St. Croix.

--Islander

The only one in the USVI is on Ham Bluff on the northwest corner of St. Croix. It was built in 1915 by the Danish Government. By chance, I just happened to be in the area today-the day you posted. I tried to reach the lighthouse, but the road was too overgrown with tan-tans. Eventually, it will have to be cleared, as this is a working lighthouse. It's solar powered with electric backup.

If you happen to come down to St. Croix, I'm sure you could reach it if you took along hand pruners. You would take the West End Road north out of Frederiksted all the way to the very end where the Coast Guard Office is. The road up to the lighthouse starts behind the office where the three coconut palms are. Simply walk around the periphery of the chain link fence. The view of the northwest coast is spectacular. Wild goats are on the steep, rocky cliffs. Escaped slaves used to hide out there. There are also miles of tidal pools along the coast.

FOG, isn't there another route, like thru. the moutains/mahog rd to the lighthouse? I thought we took a back road a few years ago. That road you've mentioned has always been full of tan tan and brush.

What year did you see the lighthouse? I checked a 1987 hiking map and a 2004 road map. The '87 map shows the trail that is currently overgrown. Both maps show the Western Scenic Drive, which runs about a quarter mile south of the lighthouse and is much higher up. They do not show a connection between the lighthouse and the drive. When last at the lighthouse about three months ago, I did not see a path or road leading up to the drive.

This would have been a while back that I was up there; probably mid-summer '89 pre-Hugo -- it hit us on 9/18-19 of that year. It wasn't the easiest place to drive thur. w/a Jeep and if I remember correctly we had to do some walking too but it was just AWESOME when we got there! I've been back to STX many times since but never up there again. Those were the wild college days.

SGT,

I think you may be correct about an alternate road and trail to the lighthouse. Yesterday, I hiked up the abandoned far western stretch of the Scenic Western Drive. Near the top of the first hill is a side road to the left, or north. The area is very grassy. The road then goes down the mountain more or less in the direction of the lighthouse, and a path may follow. I didn't actually go down because I wanted to stay on the main road.

I have learned in my short time here that maps of St. Croix, especially when they deal with remote areas, are often wrong!