Cinnamon Bay Trail
St. John

Now, we're starting to do some real walking.

8. Cinnamon Bay Trail

Length: 1.1 miles. Time: 1 hour, one way. Difficulty: 2-3. Trailhead: The trail starts from North Shore Road (Rt. 20) just to the left of the Cinnamon Bay plantation ruins, about 100 yards beyond the campground. It connects with the Centerline Road (Rt. 10).

Another popular trail, but unlike the neighboring self-guided path with virtually the same name, this is a true hike.

The moderately steep ascent follows an old Danish plantation road through a moist shady forest. It comes out on the Centerline Road, requiring a return descent or a pickup.

The first few minutes of the walk are the worst. The old plantation road is steep and fairly open to the sun at the start but then the climb moderates but remains steady all the way to the top.

You'll soon cross an old drainage gut and encounter an old iron post. The post marks a turn to the America Hill Trail leading uphill to an old crumbling estate house, once used as a guesthouse.

An old metal pot for boiling sugar is near the decrepit house; it is dangerous to enter.

Continuing on the Cinnamon Bay Trail to Centerline Road, You'll encounter a number of switchbacks and a couple of good overlook points.

At Centerline Road, if you're brimming with excess energy you can walk another 0.9 miles east to reach the Reef Bay trailhead, the park's most popular trail.

However, since the round-trip Reef Bay hike is a steep 4.4 miles, most people never combine the two.

If you do climb Cinnamon Bay Trail, walk to the Reef Bay trail, make the Reef Bay hike and return to your vehicle on North Shore Rd., you will have traveled a total of 8.4 miles, which will take most of a day.

And will you be tired!

Return to St. John Hiking Trails Listing