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Excerpted from St. John Off The Beaten Track The Ditleff Point Trail begins at the Fish Bay Road and follows the ridgeline over the headland to the rocky cliffs at the tip of Ditleff Point. The distance is about three-quarters of a mile and the grades are moderate. The maximum elevation gained will be approximately 100 feet. Directions |
Although the road is privately owned and goes through private property, it has become the traditional access for Virgin Islanders to get to the beach at Ditleff Point. Hopefully in the future, if this parcel is developed, the traditional access will be honored. Remember, though, that this is private property. If you choose to go here you will be doing so at your own risk. For now, however, the owners are not restricting access, and the Ditleff Point Peninsula is still pristine and natural.
From Fish Bay Road to Ditleff Beach (North End)
The Ditleff Point Trail follows the old road through a cactus scrub environment.
The predominant vegetation is the scrubby wild tamarind, catch-and-keep,
century
plants, acacia, and pipe
organ cactus.
At the top of the first small hill you will have your first view of Ditleff Beach, which will be on the western side of the point.
As the trail descends, you will pass through an area of the coarse and fragrant maran bush. This was used in the past as a pot scrubber and deodorizer. Most of the bigger trees in this area are mampoo trees. Look for air plants and wild orchids growing in the trees and rocks.
At the bottom of the hill you will find the intersection of two trails. The one to the right, or west, leads to the northern end of Ditleff Beach.
Ditleff Beach
(West)
Ditleff Beach is a small protected bay with a stretch of shoreline consisting
of sand and broken up pieces of coral. Hurricane Marilyn brought back
the sand that Hurricane Hugo took away, and a new layer of sand extends
past the vegetation line. One can now relax in soft sand and still enjoy
the shade produced by the maho and seagrape trees that line the beach.
The Ditleff Peninsula protects the bay from the easterly tradewinds, and the water near the beach is generally calm. The bottom of the bay is seagrass and sand. Because the beach faces west there is strong afternoon sun.
This is one of the few sand beaches on the island that is still relatively private and secluded and is a wonderful place to spend the day relaxing, exploring, picnicking, swimming and snorkeling.
A Coastal Walk
From the beach it is possible to walk along the shore towards a dramatic
rocky point. An extensive fringing reef protects the coast and beach from
the action of southeasterly swells coming in from the Caribbean. This
shallow reef also creates a series of small tide pools. You can often
observe small fish and crustaceans within this miniature environment.
Further south along the coast there is a narrow shallow passage between the peninsula are some large offshore rock formations where small fish and marine creatures can be observed. There is a beautiful and dramatic view through this passage.
Northeastern Coast
Returning to the first intersection on the main trail, the left or eastern
trail leads to an overlook with a view of the eastern coast of Ditleff
Point, Fish Bay, Cocoloba Cay, and the pristine southern coast of St.
John all the way to the Ram Head peninsula. From this overlook there is
a steep and slippery path to the shoreline below, where there are a series
of small sand and coral rubble beaches. The first few beaches are behind
the back reef. The water is shallow and unsuitable for swimming. However,
by walking and rock scrambling north (left, looking out at the water)
toward the inner harbor, you will reach an area of deeper water where
you can enjoy a nice private swim. The difficult access to this part of
the Fish Bay coast insures your privacy.
Be extremely careful scrambling the rugged and rocky path from the main trail to the water's edge.
The Saddle Area
The main Ditleff Point Trail continues south along the ridge. You will
go up a small hill and then down again. At the next low point there is
another trail intersection. The trail to the east goes to the rocky beach
on the Fish Bay side of the point. The trail to the west goes to the southern
end of Ditleff Beach. The ruins of an old house, partly hidden by bush,
can be found near the beach, just south of this path.
At the trail intersection on the ridge, it is possible to stand in one spot, and by turning to the east or to the west, have an entirely different perspective of the environment. Facing the strong tradewinds to the east, the sea is dark blue and deep, often with whitecaps and breaking waves. To the west, the bay is protected, its turquoise waters calm and shallow.
The beach at the end of the left, or eastern, spur is exposed to the tradewinds and can have breaking surf. The foliage is low, pushed down by the pressure of the almost constant winds. You may notice that much of this low-lying vegetation is seagrape, which has adapted to this rugged environment by remaining low and shrub like. Sea grape trees in calmer areas, like those on the calm western side of the peninsula, can grow into rather tall trees.
This beach offers fantastic views, excellent beachcombing, and cool, clean, refreshing breezes.
The exposed coastline, shallow reef, and breaking waves, however, make the beach unsuitable for swimming.
From the saddle to the point
The main path continues up again. Nothing grows tall here. The wind keeps
the plant life low. Maran bush and thorny acacia line the trail.
This path is rarely traveled, and you will surely pass through many spider webs made by the harmless golden orb spider.
At the top of the hill, the old bulldozed road ends in a turn-around. The path, however, continues south into the bush where the native frangipani with its beautiful and extremely fragrant flowers grows in abundance.
When the trail emerges from the forest, you will arrive at a sun-drenched and windswept clearing. The predominant plant found here is the barrel cactus, which bears edible pink fruit.
On the east are sheer cliffs. There are two places where you can stand at the edge of the precipice and experience this remarkable and dramatic view. Strong breezes blow in from the sea and the sky is often filled with seabirds riding the rising air currents.
As you approach the point, the trail begins to deteriorate. You can still make your way over rocks and cactus and through patches of guinea grass to the tip of the peninsula. This point of land is now called Ditleff Point. In the past it was known as Rendezvous Point, and pronounced "REN dey who".
The View
The panorama from the top of the point is spectacular. To the east you
can see the entire southern coast of St. John, including Ram Head, Salt
Pond, Kiddle and Grootpan Bays, the Lameshur Bays, the White Cliffs, Reef
Bay, Fish Bay and Cocoloba Beach. Looking south and west you can see St.
Croix, Frenchcap Cay, Buck Island off the coast of St. Thomas, Dog Island
and Dog Rocks, Little St. James, Great St. James, St. Thomas, Bovocoap
Point and Rendezvous Bay in its entirety with its inner bays of Hart,
Monte, Klein and Ditleff.