Ever hiked Fish Bay to Reef/Genti Bay on the coastline?

54b · Post by **54b** » Wed May 23, 2012 2:17 pm

My family and another family are staying in a villa not far from the beach near the mouth of Fish Bay (kids age 5, 7 and

.

We'll have two cars, so we thought it might be fun to take one car to the top of the Reef Bay Hike trailhead, follow the trail down to Reef Bay, and then instead of going back up, just walk down the coastline back to the villa and go pick up the car after.

Anybody ever done it this way and is there anything particularly challenging about walking along the coast?

My thanks in advance.

toes in the sand · Post by **toes in the sand** » Wed May 23, 2012 3:10 pm

If your are wanting to hike around cocolobo point between Reef Bay and Fish Bay, we have attempted it from both directions. No luck either way. Cocolobo point is steep, the water has never been calm and the your options if you end up in the water or injured are zero.

We have hiked from Reef Bay and up the trail to the Petroglyphs and back to Marina drive. The hike from the trail at Reef Bay to Genti (or is it Parrot I always mix them up) is an ok hike. There are two rock scrambles, if the tide is up you will have to swim or at least get wet. If you are considering swimming along the way you will have to watch out for sea urchins. There always seems to be a heavy population all along the beachwalkk. The walk involves walking in very soft sand your feet will sink making it more difficult than walking on packed sand beach. It is hot with little shade. Make sure you know the trail up to Marina drive if you plan to exit the beach there to walk to your villa. It is not marked at the beach. Best part is that it is rare that we run into anyone on our hike.

Lovermont · Post by **Lovermont** » Wed May 23, 2012 4:06 pm

54b... forgive me, but whenever I see your name, all I can think of is HYDRATE. I just can't get it out of my head.

So, I've hiked that bit of coastline, but it was in the opposite direction. If you have a Trail Bandit map, you can sort of see what we did. We descended down to the beach on the Parret Bay Trail, and then hiked over to Reef Bay. It was all part of a very long hike involving a start finish at Lameshur, and hiking up L'Esperance and down Sieben Trail. There are some rocky scrambles, I was wearing Keens and got my feet wet. I can not speak re: the point between the Parret Bay Trail and Fish Bay. I suppose you could always hike up into the neighborhood on the Parret Bay Trail, and then walk through that neighborhood.

Nancy_B · Post by **Nancy_B** » Wed May 23, 2012 4:25 pm

We have done that hike - started at Fish Bay, hiked down, crossed the beach, rock scramble and then ended up at the bottom of Reef Bay Trail.

As Lovermont said, I think you can bypass the rock scramble but we didn't. That part was a bit challenging.

It was a fun hike but HOT and you definitely need to hydrate. I think too much for small kids.

ColumbiaSCTraveler · Post by **ColumbiaSCTraveler** » Wed May 23, 2012 4:47 pm

Not that I can give you any advice on this topic...HOWEVER, I hope we will see a TR from you in the near future! You are legendary, 54b! (Lovermont, I SO AGREE!!

)

samoka · Post by **samoka** » Wed May 23, 2012 7:01 pm

54b - If you are staying at the villa you asked me about it is easy to get to Reef Bay Trail - you take the private trail at the house to the beach and then follow thebeach to the trail - (go left when you get to the beach) - you can see the ruins and petroglyphs and be back in less than 2 hours - maybe 3 with the kids - you will need shoes for the rock scramble but you should check it out

54b · Post by **54b** » Thu May 24, 2012 5:58 am

Thanks to all, good info...and Samoka, I probably did forget one of our earlier conversations. After reading about Reef Bay more in a book, the terrain sounded a bit rough and as Lovermont alluded to, I was definitely not up for another depravation survival hike and actually wanted to make it easier on us. But as long as we enter from the Reef Bay side of that Cocolobo point, it sounds like we'll be good.

Hope to have decent TR for everyone when I get back...5th trip to the Rock, but first time taking kids. I've no doubts it'll be a different but just as memorable experience.

Steve S · Post by **Steve S** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:34 am

Jeff and Russ did a three part video 4 years ago. Find it here -

http://www.on-stjohn.com/2008/01/28/ree ... -part-one/

http://www.on-stjohn.com/2008/02/04/ree ... -part-two/

http://www.on-stjohn.com/2008/02/18/ree ... troglyphs/

toes in the sand · Post by **toes in the sand** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:53 am

Here are the links to the On-stjohn.com Reef Bay coastal hike 3 part video of the hike except they take it from Marina Drive to the Petroglyphs.
http://www.on-stjohn.com/2008/01/28/ree ... -part-one/
http://www.on-stjohn.com/2008/02/04/ree ... -part-two/
http://www.on-stjohn.com/2008/02/18/ree ... troglyphs/

edited to add;
oops, just a little late.

Chet · Post by **Chet** » Thu May 24, 2012 10:40 am

54b wrote:My family and another family are staying in a villa not far from the beach near the mouth of Fish Bay (kids age 5, 7 and .

We'll have two cars, so we thought it might be fun to take one car to the top of the Reef Bay Hike trailhead, follow the trail down to Reef Bay, and then instead of going back up, just walk down the coastline back to the villa and go pick up the car after.

Anybody ever done it this way and is there anything particularly challenging about walking along the coast?

My thanks in advance.

Let's break this down...Kids 5, 7, 8, and you want to bushwack your way around the rocky point? "just walk down the coastline back to the villa and go pick up the car after" - good plan, no risk! Just askin'.

"It might be fun...", and what's your pain threshold for "fun"? Think this through. This could be the beginning of Hell in the Carribean (P. J. O'Rourke meets Hunter Thompson)

Plan B: walk half way out Ditleff and take the trail to the right. It's a short walk to a beautiful beach.

54b · Post by **54b** » Thu May 24, 2012 11:53 am

Big thanks to Steve and Toes, that's basically it...our villa is very close to the starting point from Video 1. And the only possible concern I saw was the one rock scramble, but it looked doable, even for a five year old.

Chet, you're making far too much sense, let's be irrational here...of course this is NOT a good idea. Will my friends and the kids probably want to kill me for even suggesting it? Oh yeah. But after the trip is over and the blisters, heat exhaustion and utter disdain have abated, I think they will be glad they did it.

PJ O'Rourke meets Hunter S Thompson...more like Clark W. Griswold meets Caribbean Vacation.

"This is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy..."

usvi-on-line