The MH

There are a handful of hiking trails within a short distance from Maho Bay Camps, the next one we'll suggest would be the Maria Hope trail. Those of us at Maho (and probably the rest of the island) lovingly just call it "the MH" - usually said with a slight groan of displeasure.

It should be noted that this is NOT an easy trail by any means, it is entirely up hill with no flat areas and a fairly steep grade. If this already sounds unappealing I'll have an alternative suggestion at the end. This trail can also be used as a means to get to the Reef Bay trail head on Centerline, which could lead to the trail to Lamsure, to Saltpond, to Coral Bay & back up the Johnny Horn trail from Coral Bay over to Annaberg then back up the driveway to Maho. If all of those trails are planned as one giant loop for the day then you're in for a challenge! Leave early and bring tons of water. We don't have a name for the entire loop yet, somehow.

You'll start the day by filling your water bottle at Registration or buying plenty of Gatorade at our Maho store, you'll need it! Next you'll walk down the Goat Trail next to Housekeeping and land yourself at Big Maho beach. Walking the beach or the road past the new National Park facilities at the West end of the beach will bring you to the start of the hill to Cinnamon Bay. Walking on the road to the first big hairpin turn to the right you'll see a cement wall in front of you with the letters "MH" spray painted in white. And so starts your uphill battle! Supposedly the trail is .8 miles long, though it will feel more like 8 miles. The best news of the entire hike is that there is an incredible viewing point, as seen below. The tiny white spots are Maho tents, along with Big Maho & Francis Bay. In the center picture you can see Sage Mountain and the West End of Tortola in the distance.

For further details or a little motivation to try this trail just stop by the kitchen and ask for Crispin, our Executive Chef. If he's not in the kitchen then you'll probably find him on the MH, he loves hiking it for exercise just about every morning.

*Alternative* Simply hike the opposite direction! Start at Centerline road and hike down to Maho Bay beach. Think about trying this if you're on the way back to Maho from Cruz Bay or Coral Bay and someone can just drop you at the trail head. That or kick your kids out of the Jeep and tell them to meet you back at Camp if they're being too rowdy in the car!

Whatever your intentions, please be sure to read a detailed history of the trail by Gerald Singer before setting out; it will give you quite a different perspective as you hike.