Believe me – hiking on a vacation is never high on my to-do list. But when I found out that there was a hike called Mermaid’s Chair during my recent trip to St. Thomas, I couldn’t resist.
Maybe it’s the little girl imagination within me that says mermaids exist.
Maybe it was the excitement of hiking to the western-most point of the island.
Or the thrill of doing something completely different than my norm and getting out of my comfort zone.
Whatever my reasons initially were, the bottom line is that as soon as I learned about it, I knew that I was going to hike Mermaid’s Chair.
A Note on Tropical Hikes
Hiking Mermaid’s Chair wasn’t my first tropical hike. In 2015, I hiked down the tallest sea cliffs in the world on Molokai, Hawaii.
Whenever you hike in the tropics, always over-pack on the water. The humidity in the air and harsher sunlight will squeeze more sweat out of your pores, leaving you thirstier than you can imagine.
People train to hike K2 and Everest, but often overlook the seemingly easier tropical hikes. Make sure you’re prepared, especially if you’re coming from a non-tropical environment.
What is Mermaid’s Chair?
The Mermaid’s Chair trail is a 3.6 mile out-and-back hike to one of the most unique strips of land in the Caribbean. Mermaid’s Chair is a strip of land that separates the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
If you’re a photographer, Mermaid’s Chair is a place you can’t pass up.
If you want to see a unique corner of St. Thomas and have stories to tell, this is for you!
Getting to Mermaid’s Chair Trail
One of the most unique aspects of hiking Mermaid’s Chair is that it starts at the entrance of a gated community.
Do NOT take a taxi to the hike, unless you make arrangements for the driver to pick you up a few hours later…and you TRUST the driver. The hike is in a remote, locals-dominant area of the island.
Set your GPS for the Preserve at Botany Bay, located on the westernmost part of St. Thomas. From downtown Charlotte Amalie, head west on Brewer’s Bay Road until it turns into Fortuna Road. Follow Fortuna Road until you come to the Preserve gated community.
Keep in mind that your GPS might cut in and out as you wind your way along the more remote parts of St. Thomas. When in doubt, take a screenshot of the directions on your phone or have a physical map/directions.
Once you reach the Preserve at Botany Bay community, you’ll see a little guard stand to the left of the gates. Park along the road close to the gate, taking care to ensure your vehicle isn’t still in the driving lanes.
Approach the guard gate, let the guard know you’d like to hike to Mermaid’s Chair, and be ready to sign your life away.
Since you’ll be walking through a private community, you’ll need to provide your name and contact information to the guard, and smile for a picture with his iPad.
Although it might be annoying to provide this, keep in mind that you’re hiking to a remote area of the island with no cell service. Consider providing correct information, just in case.
The guard will give you a half-sheet of paper with a map to Mermaid’s Chair, along with more rules that you’ll have to abide by. Most of the rules are common sense, but the one that stung me was “no drones.”
Although I was planning on breaking that one rule, I wound up not having cell service anyway.
Conditions of the Trail and “Chair”
The Mermaid’s Chair hike is only 3.6 miles out-and-back, with the first half of the hike on a paved road/sidewalk.
The paved portion of the hike is hilly and often wet from the daily rainfall, so take care to avoid slick sections.
Once you reach the dirt road, watch out for ATVs and other vehicles. Although the paved road ends, there are still a few houses dotted along the trail with driveways that open up right to the trail.
Aside from being hilly and steep, the trail itself is fairly easy to navigate and beautiful.
Items to Bring to Mermaid’s Chair
When hiking to Mermaid’s Chair, keep in mind that you’re heading to the most western point of St. Thomas, with little reception and no services available. Here are a few things to bring to Mermaid’s Chair:
*Sunblock: even when you get to Mermaid’s Chair, there isn’t a lot of shade available. You’ll want to reapply your sunblock after your hike, as you will most likely sweat it all off.
*Water: no matter what time of day you choose to hike Mermaid’s Chair, you’ll need plenty of water.
*Camera: how many other places can you walk between two oceans? No matter where you point your camera, you’ll be rewarded with Insta-worthy shots.
*Flashlight: the sun rises and sets quickly in the Caribbean, so if you choose to watch the sunset from Mermaid’s Chair, you’ll need to have a light to guide you back to your vehicle. Don’t rely solely on your cell phone’s spotlight, but bring a headlamp or small flashlight.
*Towel: whether you take a dip in the water or need a non-sandy place to lay out your stuff, a towel is essential to have when you arrive.
*Shoes with grip: you can hike Mermaid’s Chair in flip flops, but you’re definitely going to struggle on the trek back to your vehicle. I’d recommend shoes with grip, like these Tevas that I wore, so you can scramble up the boulders, walk along the shells, and survive the steep trek back to your vehicle without slipping out of your shoes.
Things to Keep in Mind
As mentioned above, the sun sets quickly in the Caribbean. If you want to watch the sunset from Mermaid’s Chair, give yourself plenty of time to get there and in position. In total, allow yourself about 2 hours to enjoy the journey and views.
As with any other place in the world where bodies of water collide, rip tides and unpredictable currents are ever-present. Heed the warnings for the currents that circle Mermaid’s Chair.
Weekends tend to be crowded, so if you have the option to hike to Mermaid’s Chair on a weekday (like I did), you’ll be more likely to have the entire place to yourself.
If you start your hike to or from Mermaid’s Chair at 8am, noon, or 4pm, you might be able to hitch a ride from the property’s local “shuttle service.” Honestly, it’s a really nice guy that drives an ATV around to pick up and transport residents, but he’ll give you a lift along the paved routes if you’re able to catch him.
Don’t remove any shells or items from Mermaid’s Chair. People have been building hoodoos along one of the sea cliffs, but leave the rocks and shells alone. If everyone takes one shell or makes a single hoodoo, after a while there won’t be anything original left to enjoy.
I loved my time in St. Thomas and hiked to Mermaid’s Chair on my last evening in the Caribbean. There’s something magical about feeling like you’re standing on the edge of the world, with nothing but blue waters and equally blue skies surrounding you.
As I hiked around to the little coves, I felt like a pirate looking for treasure. Trust me – you’ll love it here, too!
Have you ever heard about the Mermaid’s Chair hike before? Would you go on this hike if you were in St. Thomas?
Sharing is caring! Please show some love by sharing on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Thank you!
PIN ME
