I absolutely love exploring this island. My son Dalton is almost five years old, so he has finally reached an age where he enjoys exploring and hiking with me. I brought him to check out the Water Catchment trail the other day. He thought it was pretty cool, and I think you all will too.
The trailhead for the Water Catchment trail is located on Centerline Road (Route 10) about a mile-and-a-half from the roundabout in Cruz Bay. There is a small pull-off with room for a few cars.
The trail is only .4 miles from the road to the water catchment area. It’s downhill most of the way, which means it’s uphill most of the way back. The trail is well maintained, although there are a few rocky areas. This is definitely a sneakers or sandals with straps hike. I would not do this in flip flops. It’s getting pretty hot, so it’s always best to bring a bottle of water.
The trail starts off pretty wide. You will walk downhill for a few minutes before you come to a fork. Take a right to go to the Water catchment trail. If you took a left, it would lead you to North Shore Road (Route 20).
Now you may be wondering what exactly this is. The water catchment area was used for the Caneel Bay Resort when it was open. The actual catchment area consists of a large, fenced-in basin that collects rainwater in a large holding tank. Water from the Caneel Bay desalination plant, which is still in operation, was also pumped up into this tank. The water from the catchment area was filtered and chlorinated before it was brought into the resort. The catchment area is located high above the resort, so when the water flowed down into the property and its buildings, it had all the water pressure it needed to serve the resort adequately.
Check out this video to see how large this area is.
Looking for information on other hiking trails? Please visit www.explorestj.com/hiking.
Are you looking to learn more about the island? Perhaps you want to check out this spot or another lesser-known island spot? Consider taking an island tour with ExploreSTJ.com. Learn more at www.explorestj.com/tour.
Your son is getting so big. It must give you so much joy to raise him on STJ despite the issues of dealing with ‘island life’.