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St. John Off The Beaten Track
The Lind Point Trail begins at the parking
area behind the National Park Visitors Center and leads
to the beaches at Salomon and Honeymoon Bays. Hiking time
is approximately 45 minutes and the maximum elevation gained
is 160 feet at the Lind Point Battery Overlook.
 Excerpted
from St. John Off The Beaten Track ©
2006 Gerald Singer
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The Lind Point Trail passes through two classes of
island environments, cactus scrub between Cruz Bay and Lind Point
and dry forest on the wooded slopes of Caneel Hill east of Lind
Point. In colonial days, this area was known as Estate Lindholm
and was dedicated to the cultivation of cotton.
After crossing a dirt road, the trail rises gradually in elevation
and follows the eastern shoreline of Cruz Bay. Here the track
is lined by tangles of night
blooming cerius, a cactus-like
plant that once a year produces a magnificent white flower
that opens at night and closes before sunrise the next morning.
The flower is followed by the production of a delicious red
fruit that tastes something like a kiwi.
About a quarter mile from the trailhead, the path splits into
upper and lower branches. The upper trail will be to your right
while the lower trail continues straight ahead. Both trails
access Salomon and Honeymoon Bays. The lower trail is slightly
shorter and less hilly, than the upper trail, but does not
pass the Lind Point Overlook as does the more scenic upper
trail.
The upper trail gains elevation through a series of switchbacks
and then continues north toward Lind Point, the headland that
defines the northern extremity of Cruz Bay and the northwestern
corner of the island. When you get to Lind Point, a loop trail
on your left leads to the Lind Point Battery Overlook.
During the era of the Napoleonic wars, England, along with most
of Europe, had united against Napoleon and his revolutionary
government in France. Fearing for the security of her West
Indian colonies, Britain turned her attention to the Danish
West Indian islands of St. Thomas and St. John. If the French
took control of these islands, they would undoubtedly use the
strategic harbors of Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas and Coral
Bay on St. John to set up bases from which Tortola and the
rest of the British West Indian colonies could be attacked.
It was a likely scenario. Denmark never had a strong military
presence in the Caribbean and St. Thomas and St. John could
easily have fallen prey to the French. The British decided
to make the first move. They sent a fleet of warships to St.
Thomas, whereupon the Danes surrendered before a single shot
was fired.
British troops occupied the Danish West Indies on two separate
occasions, once in 1801, for almost a year, and then again in
1807, this time remaining until 1815. In order to secure Cruz
Bay harbor, the British built a battery (fortification) on Lind
Point. The “English Fort” as it was called by the
inhabitants of St. John at the time, was no more than a semicircular
terrace supported by a stone retaining wall upon which cannons
were placed to defend the harbor. The cannons are no longer there,
but the retaining wall remains. In place of the weaponry, there
is now a wooden bench where you can sit and enjoy a view of busy
Cruz Bay Harbor backdropped by unspoiled tropical scenery.
From Lind Point, the trail turns right, or east, and follows
the northwestern coastline though a dry forest environment. Many
of the rock formations along the hillsides are covered by epiphytes
(air plants), such as bromeliads and anthuriums. Other rocks
bear intricate designs created by lichen growing on the surface
of the stones.
The Salomon Bay Spur Trail intersects the upper and lower Lind
Point trails about a quarter mile from Lind Point. This trail
descends to the western end of Salomon
Beach. A second spur
trail connects the eastern end of Salomon Beach with the lower
Lind Point Trail.
For those not going to Salomon Bay, the Lind Point Trail continues
straight ahead intersecting the Caneel Hill Spur Trail further
east. This trail intersects both the lower and upper Lind Point
trails before crossing the North Shore Road (Route 20) near
the entrance to the National Park housing area. The spur then
continues up the mountainside to an elevation of 300 feet where
it meets the Caneel Hill Trail.
East of the Caneel Hill Spur intersection, the Lind Point Trail
descends to the beach at Honeymoon
Bay near a large tamarind
tree. Cross over the dirt road to get to the beach. This road
heads east towards the Caneel
Bay beach and the Caneel Bay
Resort.
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