You need to read "St. John Off The Beaten Track"! If you could get a hold of it in time, it would be perfect for you.

Geri

Thanks Geri -

I have "St. John Off the beaten track" and "Feet Fins and 4 Wheel drive" as well as one more. I have been studying, but it seems that there are too many to fit into three days. Any favorites???

Jodi

Oh boy - I wish I could help more, but we're going for the 1st time in July! I've read Off the Beaten Track cover to cover - think I have to read again & hilight what I think we can do. We have a 9-1/2 yr. old son, so some things don't look feasible for kids (although he'd probably do better than us!). He had a great time climbing & scrambling over rocks last year in South Dakota & Wyoming.

Did you like Feet, Fins...? I was going to get that too & now I've found St. John on Foot & By Car. I can't decide which one to get.

Hope you have the time of your lives!

Geri

Jodi, you're going to get a possible deluge of responses as everyone has a favorite. Its hard to find a place to go on STJ that isn't great frankly! You will love the snorkling right from Maho over to Frances Bay on the right and out to Mary's Point. Hiking is very, very hot so be prepared for that. I love to hike but the heat drove me to curtail some hiking plans on some trips. Refer to the book just keep in mind that you need good sandles or shoes, and be prepared to sweat up a storm. Otherwise, check the numerous threads here for tons of opinions of snorkling spots and hikes.

The Ram's Head trail is one you should do that requires a car to get to. Access it from Salt Pond Bay. Also, the Reef Bay trail hike always gets rave reviews. You can sign up for a guided (NPS) hike - transportation from the NPS visitor center & back (by boat) is provided. There is a fee for this. As for beaches, drive to the Caneel Bay resort visitor's lot, and hike to Honeymoon & Solomon Bays. Both are beautiful with good snorkling.

Jodi, if you're not used to humidity you may end up re-thinking your hiking plans. I'm very active and an avid hiker and backpacker, but I ended up ditching my hiking plans and driving to all the beaches because of the heat and humidity. I'm from LA, and am used to 90-degree temps, but NOT the humidity.

I stayed at Concordia (affiliated with Maho) and there was a copy of "Feet, Fins and Four-Wheel Drive" in every room. This book details all the beaches and hiking trails on St. John. You might want to ask the folks at Maho if you'll have one available to you as well. You can also buy it on this site, and I HIGHLY recommend it.

There are plenty of good beaches and trails within reach of Maho (either in walking distance of easily reachable via the Maho shuttle that runs along the northshore road). Maho is one place where you can manage well without a vehicle.

For the days that you do have the vehicle, I'd suggest getting to the southeastern part of the island. We like to spend a day in the East End--snorkel at Haulover in the morning, have lunch at Vie's, then spend the afternoon on her beach or going to Pelican Rock.(We always pack lunch in case Vie is closed). Maybe stop at Sloop Jones while you're there. Another day you could head for Salt Pond and Lameshur. Drunk Bay is worth the walk. The Ram Head trail is a good hike.

Spend some time in Coral Bay. Bars, restaurants. shops. Some night when you've got the vehicle, get into Cruz Bay for dinner and to hyang out a bit.

Depending upon how much you actually like to hike, Waterlemon can be walked to from Maho.A hike that we like is the Johnny Horn trail from Waterlemon Bay over to Coral Bay with a cutoff down to Brown Bay. It's definitely a hike rather than a walk. If you're really into hiking, it can be done from Maho, but you might want to do it on a day when you've got the vehicle and could drive as far as Annaberg.

The Reef Bay trail is really alot of fun. But, I totally agree with the post about signing up for the National Park's guided hike. The walk down the trail is easy enough, but the walk up is another story. The National Park guide arranges for a boat to meet you at the beach, which allows you to avoid the long, hot hike up. Have fun!