Reef Bay Hike without National Park Service?

[chicagoans]

Procrastinating led to calling too late to do the Reef Bay Hike with the NPS. (We're on the waiting list but it's unlikely we'll get to go.)

Our group of 6 is fairly athletic - we've all done 8 Tuff more than once. So I'm thinking we can hike both ways, knowing that we need to carry plenty of water.

Any feedback on this? Any other boat companies we can use for the trip back to town? Tips on parking at the trail head? (We're staying in Coral Bay.)

Many thanks!

[watergirl]

I've done the Reef Bay Hike several times with and without the NPS tour guide.
So here goes:
Advantages of going without tour:
1. You can walk at your own pace. The NPS tour is geared to accommodate everyone, so they walk at a snail's pace and take very frequent rest stops which if you're in good shape you don't need.
2. You can spend as much time as you like at the petroglyphs, at the beach, or take a side hike to visit other ruins/beaches/views.
3. If you go when there isn't a scheduled tour, you'll have the trail mostly to yourselves. Quite peaceful.
Disadvantage:
1. The walk back. Uphill all the way. And if you're tired from swimming and snorkeling, it can be brutal. What kept me going was thoughts of a smoothie from the truck on Centerline.
Advantages of tour:
1.The rangers are pretty informative, pointing out various flora and explaining what some of the ruins are as well as talking about the history of the area.
2. The cool boat trip back to Cruz Bay.
Disadvantage:
1. See #1 above.
Parking at the trailhead isn't a problem if you get there early in the morning. Most people who walk the trail do so with the Park Rangers.
If you guys are all in good shape you should be fine.
Good Luck!

[chicagoans]

We loved doing this hike! Doing it round-trip really was no big deal. In fact it seemed easier than the Johnny Horn trail which we did a few days ago. The only big huge bummer is that someone stole our bag that we had left at the intersection of the petroglyph trail and the reef Bay Trail. It was one of those KYSS bags that is supposedly theft proof. I had locked it around a tree trunk and left it there for our return trip. It had 2 gallons of water and all our lunches. So our hike back up was very dry and we were hungry! The worst part was that my car keys were in there. Luckily the rental place had another set but it is their only other set. Also lucky is that the car was not taken because it was parked right by the trailhead.

Anyway we weren't going to let that ruin our day. It was a great hike! Really not that hard and we saw a ton of cool stuff. I'll include it all in a trip report when we get home.

[parafins]

When I get a chance to return I want to try hiking from Lamesur Bay to the rock carvings, then down to the bay and back. Would that be a easier hike?

[RickG]

I prefer the hike from Lameshure since there is a beach at both ends. BUT IT IS HOT, bring a lot of water and take your time. The trail is pretty exposed to the east, so you're in direct sun in the morning. You can visit Europa Bay, but don't plan on swimming as it is very exposed.

Cheers, RickG