Mountain Biking Water Island, US Virgin Islands

Mountain Biking

Water Island

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Not your run-of-the-mill biking scene, but fun none the less.

02/2004 - by Christopher Burk, Outdoor Travels

White sand beaches, crystal clear waters, a nice breeze off the ocean, not a cloud in the sky. Another perfect day in paradise. And what better to do on a day like that than go mountain biking.

Granted, mountain biking probably is not one of the first activities that come to mind during a cruise voyage through the Southern Caribbean. But why be normal? Isn’t that what makes vacation’s memorable, doing something different and unexpected?

My ride in St. Thomas was actually my second of the cruise. I got a chance to ride during an earlier port of call in St. Martin. Yes, I am now going against my earlier comment about doing different things while on vacation. Let’s face it, West Virginia winters will make anyone jump on every chance they have to get out and ride in the middle of February.

Although the ship officially docked in St. Thomas, we rode on Water Island (a lot less traffic there.) Water Island is a small island located in the harbor of St. Thomas. Its about 2 miles long by a mile at it’s widest point making it the fourth largest of the US Virgin Islands.

The island features several beaches, coves and rocky headlands. The large beach named Honeymoon beach is a local favorite. Although most people think of islands in the Caribbean as being lush tropical jungles, the US Virgin Islands receive very little rainfall therefore the soil is rocky and dry with acres of scrub brush.

Water Island gets its name from the numerous fresh water ponds that were once found there. These ponds were one of the few places in the Caribbean where sailing vessels could replenish their fresh water casks. Today the residents rely on roof top catchments and cisterns for the majority of their water supply.

The history of Water Island pretty much mirrors most islands of the area, anchorage for pirates or land for grazing livestock.

During World War II the military took over Water Island and started building a defense installation that was intended to protect military installations on neighboring islands. The fort included plans for barracks, gun emplacements, watchtowers and underground bunkers. The war ended before its completion. Several of theses have been converted into homes or villas.

In the early 1950’s Walter Phillips leased Water Island from the Department of Interior and converted the Army building into a hotel and villas. The hotel structure with tennis courts, recreation complex and marina still are present today but currently out of use due to damage from Hurricane Hugo and neglect.

Our adventure started from Fort Segurra, one of the remaining defense batteries located at the highest point on the island. From the top you have a wonderful view of the surrounding islands. After a quick riding lesson (remember we’re talking about a bunch of cruise ship passengers) we started off.

Now and then I get some grief from my companions who ride full-suspension bikes for not giving up my hardtail. After all even my 8-year-old son now has full-suspension bike so why do I continue to subject myself to the torture? Simple, a hardtail is all I’ve known so I don’t really notice the pounding. Half way down the first hill on Water Island I would have killed for any suspension. Sure, the trail was basically a dirt road, but it was a rocky, rutted road. Combined with a full-ridged bike, it was a wonder I didn’t rattle a filling loose.

Most all of our ride was along the local roads therefore the journey itself was rather unremarkable. We did stop at couple attractions along the way. Our first stop was at Deep Water dock in Flamingo Bay. The dock was built as an alternate spot for the supply ships from St. Thomas. However, before the dock was completed Hurricane Hugo forced sand into the bay making it too shallow for the ships to enter.

While standing on the dock we scored some bonus points with our guide. Apparently he isn’t the only one who has considered trying to reach a nearby buoy by riding their bike off the end of dock. None of us actually made an attempt but here’s a little pointer in case you ever think about jumping you bike into the water. Attach a PFD to either the handlebars or center tube. That way the bike will float and make it easier to drag back to the shore.

We also rode past the old Water Isle Hotel and Beach Club before stopping on the tennis courts to refill our water bottles. It was a rather symbolic gesture considering the tennis courts sit over the cistern for the hotel.

Unimproved road riding aside, we did get a chance to ride some single track before finishing our ride at Honeymoon Beach. There is a rather short path that winds around Elephant Bay before diving into the scrub brush and ending at an entrance to one of old military bunkers. At least that’s where the trail ended when I was there. The local riders are expanding the path. From what I saw, it looks pretty promising.

Would I consider Water Island a great place for mountain biking? It all depends on what you’re looking for. No it doesn’t have wicked single-track full of roots, rocks and other sundry obstacles but considering the bike I was on, that is probably a good thing. Besides, considering the varied skill levels you get from a group of cruise ship passengers, I’m not sure everyone could handle serious mountain biking terrain. In all I would say biking on Water Island was more of a tour than an adventure.

Trail snapshot

Trail: Not really much of a trail so to speak. Most of the riding is on unimproved (dirt) roads.

Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate. Since the highest point on the entire island is only 300 above sea level, climbing isn’t really an issue. Of course the roads can beat the heck out of you if you’re riding a full rigid.

Outdoor Travels Rating: 2 out of 5 bikes. The ride may not be tough but the scenery makes up for it.

Thumbs up

- Nice scenery

- Good local history from the guides

- Easy to navigate

Thumbs down

- Not real challenging

- Relatively short ride

- No beer at the end of the ride

Nuts & Bolts

Location: Water Island, US Virgin Islands

Directions: Take the ferry from the Crown Bay Marina on St. Thomas.