Bordeaux Mountain Trail
Bordeaux Mountain Trail
3.5
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Rising nearly 1,300 feet above sea level, St. John's highest peak offers breathtaking views of St. Thomas, St. Croix and the British Virgin Islands in the distance, and a scenic trail for the hike downhill to Lameshur.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
3.5
17 reviews
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Andy S
25 contributions
I ran down the Bordeaux mountain trail as part of a loop around the reef bay trail and Bordeaux mountain road.
Overall the trail is steep and fairly rocky compared to other trails on the island and it was probably my last favorite trail I went on during our vacation. There are two viewpoints, with impressive views to the south but you do get similarly good views from various points on the roads around st John.
I would only suggest doing this trail if you either want the challenge of doing a substantial climb, are aiming to do all of the trails on the island or are combining it with other trails.
The trailhead at the top of the mountain has a limited number of passing spots for vehicles and can be reached entirely via sealed roads when approaching from coral bay. If you approach from the cruz bay side along Bordeaux mountain road, the unsealed road was very smooth and looked like it had been graded recently.
The trailhead at the bottom of the mountain has lots of parking but the road is unsealed, rough and definitely needs a 4wd.
Overall the trail is steep and fairly rocky compared to other trails on the island and it was probably my last favorite trail I went on during our vacation. There are two viewpoints, with impressive views to the south but you do get similarly good views from various points on the roads around st John.
I would only suggest doing this trail if you either want the challenge of doing a substantial climb, are aiming to do all of the trails on the island or are combining it with other trails.
The trailhead at the top of the mountain has a limited number of passing spots for vehicles and can be reached entirely via sealed roads when approaching from coral bay. If you approach from the cruz bay side along Bordeaux mountain road, the unsealed road was very smooth and looked like it had been graded recently.
The trailhead at the bottom of the mountain has lots of parking but the road is unsealed, rough and definitely needs a 4wd.
Written April 3, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bobmnnpls
Miami Shores, FL91 contributions
Dec 2010 • Friends
This is a rougher trail, and can be quite steep in spots. Every now and then the trail breaks into an opening with fabulous south shore views. It is a workout to go UP the trail, much less so to go down. Either way, the trail heads leave you with the need to figure out transportation if you do not take it both ways. To solve this problem and round out the experience, we go down the Reef Bay Trail, across to Lameshur, and up the BM Trail. When you arrive at the top, you still have a ways to go, downhill on a paved road, to get back to your car. This trail is more about exercise, solitude, and an experience that differs from any other on the island. There are no ammenities, and you should bring plenty of water, and wear good shoes. We love the trail! I give it four stars only because it is not for everyone.
Written November 28, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
zgshaw
El Jebel, CO82 contributions
Jan 2019
The spine of the island runs West to East through the beautiful interior of the island. This trail drops from the spine down to a beautiful and calm bay. At the trailhead, there is not a lot of places to park the Jeep, which doesn't matter much since there are not a lot of people using this trail. The trail runs 1.2 miles to the beach below and starts down from the first step. I'm 65 with a good stride, it took me 38 minutes to the beach. What surprised me is that it took me 30 minutes back up. This trail is a bit narrower than many on the island, a bit more overgrown. I would highly recommend much better footwear than sandals as the trail is fairly rocky and there are a plethora of hiker tripping roots spanning this track. About 1/3 of the way down you gain a fantastic view of the bay and coast line, with many glimpses the rest of the way down. There is a great selection of plant life, and many colorful butterflies, but I was surprised that there were not more birds. It helped to stand still for a bit to entice them out of their hides, but I didn't see many. I mentioned that this trail was a bit overgrown when I took it, as opposed to the nice wide and clear Lind Point trail. I brushed through some sections of tall grass, small palms, and all was good, except. There was one plant which was very prevalent on this trail. It looks soft and feathery, completely innocuous. It looks a bit fern like, flat leaves, about the size of an average hand, 12 or 14 side leaflets radiating out from a central spine. The leaves are all laying horizontally, somewhat layered. I am unsure of the common name, I lovingly called this bush/tree the "blood sucking hat tree" bush. Those soft leaves hide a host of the sharpest spines that I have come across. Simply brushing softly past the branches, and my arms and legs were punctured and bloody. I was in short pants and short sleeve shirt, but I don't think that anything short of Kevlar would have helped. Once you recognize this tree for what it is, avoidance was fairly easy, but a couple of times, watching my step, I had my ball cap pulled right off of my head and hovered there over the trail (hence the hat tree name).
Once you reach the beach, you will see a few jeeps. This beach is accessible by a fairly rough 4 wheel road from the Salt Pond area. The beach was rocky, peaceful, uncrowded and lovely. I snorkeled the east side of the bay to limited success. The visibility was not good the week I visited this beautiful island. Oh, one more warning. On the inland side of this beach, there is a rim of low lying ground cover, which I made the mistake of walking in. My shoes (luckily not in sandals) were covered in Cheerio sized burrs, nearly as sharp as the spines on the Blood sucking hat tree. Avoid this fauna at all costs, the burrs are a pain (literally) to remove.
The day I hiked this trail, I was the only one. I saw no other humans on the trail until the beach. By the time you seek this trail, the amazing clubs and trail crews might have widened it a bit, otherwise a machete would be a nice fashion accessory
Once you reach the beach, you will see a few jeeps. This beach is accessible by a fairly rough 4 wheel road from the Salt Pond area. The beach was rocky, peaceful, uncrowded and lovely. I snorkeled the east side of the bay to limited success. The visibility was not good the week I visited this beautiful island. Oh, one more warning. On the inland side of this beach, there is a rim of low lying ground cover, which I made the mistake of walking in. My shoes (luckily not in sandals) were covered in Cheerio sized burrs, nearly as sharp as the spines on the Blood sucking hat tree. Avoid this fauna at all costs, the burrs are a pain (literally) to remove.
The day I hiked this trail, I was the only one. I saw no other humans on the trail until the beach. By the time you seek this trail, the amazing clubs and trail crews might have widened it a bit, otherwise a machete would be a nice fashion accessory
Written January 17, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
zootenval
Okeechobee, FL463 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
One of my favorite hikes on STJ UP parking at the Reef Bay trail head on Centerline Road by 8 AM, in order to secure a parking space, and beat the mid day heat. Hike down Reef Bay Trail to Pertoglyphs (0.4 mile side trip), then to Reef Bay beach if you want, then over the Lamesur Trail to Little Lamshur Bay. After a brief rest/sip of water, head up the Bordeaux Mountain Trail, rising 1,100 feet in 1.2 miles. Then dow Bordeaux Mountain Road to Centerline Road, and back down to your car. If you do the Glyphs and Reef Bay beach, a little over 8 miles in all. Fit hikers can do this in under 4 hours with limited rest stops and photo ops. Fantastic...things to bring:
water - 16 oz per person per hour +1 extra
trail mix/sandwiches
sun block
bug repellent
kleenex
a couple band-aids
hat
sunglasses
poncho
camera
plastic bag
watch your step, as there are many roots, loose rocks and nasty :catch and keep" vines with painful thorns...
water - 16 oz per person per hour +1 extra
trail mix/sandwiches
sun block
bug repellent
kleenex
a couple band-aids
hat
sunglasses
poncho
camera
plastic bag
watch your step, as there are many roots, loose rocks and nasty :catch and keep" vines with painful thorns...
Written December 1, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vangen007
Olympia, WA227 contributions
Jul 2013 • Couples
Drove down the road to find a scenic view and came upon a drug deal. Scary and glad we made it out of there alive. May want to avoid the dirt roads that look like they are leading to know where.
Vangens
Seattle WA
Vangens
Seattle WA
Written May 15, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travilingpilot
Cleveland, OH56 contributions
Mar 2017 • Family
Start early in the morning and be ready for a good work out. The trail is challenging and steep but the view is totally worth it. Start from the top and have someone pick you up at the bottom if you can but if not I'd start from the bottom. Once you get to the second look out the best part is over and you could turn around unless you want to reach the road. But overall it is a great trail if you are willing to work for it!
Written April 4, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paula O
Fort Worth, TX4 contributions
Jan 2016 • Couples
Off the beaten path, but totally worth the effort. Wear good shoes. 1.2 miles each way. Recommend starting from the south end to finish going downhill.
Written January 19, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wm_Helene
Cheshire, CT147 contributions
Apr 2017 • Solo
Was at Little Lameshur with family and decided to explore up past the ruins. 40 minutes later I'd reached the second vista point on the trail, then turned back. Nice views. When I got done with my round trip I was glad I did it. It's not for everyone. We'd already hiked Rams Head that morning so it was a 3 Advil night.
Written April 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
adventurerelax
Boston77 contributions
Dec 2014 • Couples
We hiked this after going to little lameshur beach. There was a nice view at one point of lameshur bay. But when we got to the top there wasn't a view at all and you are on the road quite a bit until you get to Centerline. Not many taxi's out there so plan accordingly for your return trip home.
Written January 3, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heather C
Cincinnati, OH21 contributions
Oct 2013
We are in good physical shape and this was a challenging hike. The trail was very hot and steep with just a few views that were not that impressive. If you are just wanting a physical challenge this is your hike. If you're looking for some sort of stunning views this is not it. There are a lot of large spider webs covering the trail so watch for those. Also there are small and hard to notice hornets nests you can brush up against with out noticing and end up getting stung!
Written October 9, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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