Caneel and Margaret Hill Trail

Excerpted from St. John Off The Beaten Track

Margaret Hill Ascent
The 2.4-mile Caneel and Margaret Hill Trail begins (or ends) at the entrance to the Caneel Bay Resort on the opposite side of the North Shore Road (Route 20). The trail ascends 840 feet in the course of a little over one mile to reach the summit of Margaret Hill. From there it continues on to Caneel Hill and then down to Cruz Bay near the Mongoose Junction parking lot.

This is a highly recommended walk! The Margaret Hill ascent is shadier, cooler, and not as steep as the Caneel Hill ascent. As soon as you leave the paved roadway behind and enter the lush tropical forest, you cannot help but be overwhelmed by the serene natural beauty of the environment.

Notice the mottled bark of the commonly seen genip tree and the smooth and shiny trunks of the guavaberry and pepper cinnamon trees right at the beginning of the trail. There is also a lovely stand of teyer palms.

You will soon come to a stone wall, which lines one side of the trail. Growing along the wall are anthuriums and strangler figs.

The first National Park information sign you come to will direct you to the right and up. To the left are the remains of a now overgrown spur trail leading to a section of the Water Catchment Trail.

As you gain elevation, views of the north shore and outer cays begin to open up through the foliage. This will be your signal to watch for a large approximately ten-foot tall triangular rock on the high side of the trail that is covered with beautiful native orchids.

Further up the trail are two separate spur trails both leading to the Water Catchment Trail, which at one time was a road used to connect the North Shore Road to Centerline via the Caneel Bay reservoir. It is now a walking trail, which runs between the Caneel and Margaret Hill Trail and Centerline Road.

At the higher elevation spiny bromeliads with their long green serrated leaves can be seen in profusion along the trail.

Bromeliad lines section of trail

Continuing along the Caneel and Margaret Hill Trail you will come to another large rock reminiscent of the orchid-covered one below. At this point the trail becomes rather steep and rocky and leads to a scenic overlook with a view to the north. It is only a few minute walk from this overlook to the top of Margaret Hill.

The Margaret Hill summit provides a fairly good view to the south, but the really spectacular overlook lies about fifty yards further down the trail marked by a National Park Service sign. Climb up on the large flat rock and enjoy!

Shortcut to the overlook
(If all you want to do is get to the Margaret Hill overlook and prefer not to take such a long hike, you can begin your walk at the entrance to the Water Catchment Trail at Centerline Road. Walk down to the spur trail. From there it is only a short walk to the overlook.)

View from Margaret Hill Overlook

The trail continues
From the Margaret Hill Overlook the trail descends to the saddle between Margaret and Caneel Hills where there is a large tamarind tree and a wooden bench where you can take a breather in the shade. The trail than ascends to the summit of Caneel Hill and then runs back down to either Cruz Bay near Mongoose Junction or by taking the Caneel Hill Spur toRoute 20 across from the National Park housing area near Asolare Restaurant and the trail to Honeymoon Beach. For details on this section of the trail see the Caneel Hill Trail page.

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