Fish Bay

TThe Great Sieben Trail on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, is a historical route connecting the L’Esperance Road at Estate Sieben to Fish Bay and approximately .9 miles long taking about 30 minutes to hike. This hand-built colonial road has stood the test of time, with many of its stone retaining walls still in good condition. The trail descends through a shady, moist forest, offering a glimpse into the past and a unique nature experience. It winds through the Fish Bay Valley, passing by the remnants of the Sieben Ruins and the once standing Baobab Tree, although in 2022 it lost a fight with local pests and is no longer living. Very sad to see it reduced to dust after surviving centuries, hurricanes, etc. Exotic plants were brought from Asia to plant in a local garden and brought with it a weevil that killed the tree, thought to have been planted by Danish slaves hundreds of years ago after they smuggled seeds across the Atlantic Ocean.

The terrain of St. John is mostly mountainous, and between the mountains are valleys. When it rains, water seeking its lowest level flows and seeps down the hillsides of the valleys and makes its way down toward the sea. In the Virgin Islands, these rain-collecting temporary valley streams are called guts.

When it rains hard, water rushes down the guts taking with it soil and sediment that have collected during dry periods. The bottoms of the guts are left as bare rocks. Along the edges of the guts, plant life grows profusely due to the abundance of water available to them. These gut environments are usually tropical and jungle-like.

Some of the most accessible and beautiful guts are in the Fish Bay area. Most often hiked are the Fish Bay and Battery Guts, which come together at an elevation of about 200 feet in the Fish Bay Valley.

These are difficult and challenging hikes and should only be undertaken by those with good fitness levels and who possess knowledge of rock scrambling techniques. It’s extremely important to exercise the utmost caution. The rocks may be slippery, and the ways out of the gut and back to civilization are limited. Do not attempt this (or any) hike alone!

The Fish Bay and Battery Guts, along with the Living Gut in Reef Bay and the Guinea Gut, are the only south-side guts that have some degree of permanent water. Pools and waterfalls along the gut provide homes for several species of freshwater fish, crabs, and crayfish.