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I just finished reading St. John Feet, Fins & Four Wheel Drive while sitting on the beach during a mini-vacation to Clearwater Beach, FL. It definitely put me in the mood for my upcoming trip to St. John in the last week of June.
The book suggests that a couple of off roads are too dicey to be worthwhile. In particular, the book mentioned Bordeaux Mountain Road and Lameshur Road.
I would appreciate any feedback on how tricky these "roads" would be in a Jeep Wrangler, and whether the ride is worth it. Any other "roads" to avoid?
Thanks!
If you have a Wrangler you can go anywhere on STJ. Have fun and stay left.
While Bordeaux Mountain Road is now about half paved and most of the dirt road is fun to drive there is one 300 foot section from the top of the mountain as you just start down towards Coral Bay where I chicken out and three point turn. I'm not saying you couldn't do it but....
If they would just pave that small section you would have another way out of Coral Bay if Centerline was ever closed.
Hello,
Lameshur Road is doable with 4 wheel drive and its worth the bumpy ride to get to the beach there, good snorkeling and nice beach. You can hike to Reef Bay Trail from the Lameshur Bay trail. The road used to be a lot worse but there are parts cemented now and its more even than it used to be.
--Islander
Thanks for the input. I plan to check out the Lameshur beaches on this visit. I walked Reef Bay trail on my last visit. The walk down was fun and exploring the side trails, petroglyphs, and isolated beach was fantastic. But, the walk back up was sure a doozy. This time, we reserved with the National Park for the boat ride back. All the fun, with half the work.
Besides the Reef Bay trail, what trails do you recommend I check out? What are your favorites?
Thanks again!
Last time we were in STJ we also had read about the road to Lameshur Bay and decided to reach the beach via the reef bay and Lameshur Bay trails. After an hour or so of hiking we arrived at the beach only to see a Toyota Camry parked there! I highly doubt that it had 4wD.
Being from Michigan, when I first went over to STJ to go "off roading" a little over 8 years ago, I was sorely disappointed. Yes, there are SOME spots that 4WD helps in, but there is nothing even remotely comparable to "off roading" that week-end warriors (people that go out 4 wheeling on the week-ends, in groups, to mud bogs, to rallys, etc.) from the States would find worthwhile. Just MHO.
I'm not quite as adventurous as Marty, but I don't mind exploring a few "bumpy" roads. When I post my trip report, I hopefully won't need to describe the quality of St. John's towing services. 🙂
Oh, we've got bumpy roads! Heck! The main road will be bumpy enough for ya! Haha! But, seriously, exploring the trails of STJ, it is a better idea to have 4WD and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
Have fun!
