Everyone loves St. Maarten for its beaches, restaurants and nightlife, but we might take the chains of green mountains for granted – we know we at the Health & Beauty do! That is why we have decided to take advantage of the over 20 miles of hiking trails that our island has to offer – and we’re taking our fellow adventurers along for the hike.
There are so many hiking trails on The Friendly Island, from coastal strolls to hikes in the hills, some leading to untouched beaches, others to glorious views of St. Maarten and other neighbouring islands. So, let’s go explore. Happy hiking!
This week’s heavenly hike takes us to the border between the Dutch and French sides of the island. The Bellevue hike is one of the most popular hikes on the island for its relative ease and panoramic views – plus, it’s a great workout!
Several trails lead to the cell tower, but we opted for the one that starts at the roundabout by the causeway crossing the Simpson Bay Lagoon. On a Thursday morning, around 6:30am, there is still ample parking space, but we can tell that other happy hikers had the same idea by the number of cars already present in the parking lot.
Though clumsy hikers should beware of the loose rocks, the hike itself is not too strenuous. Most of the trail is pretty steep, and depending on the trail, adventurers might have to climb some rocks to make it to the top of the hill.
The first bit took us up the hilled and rocky terrain. We decided to keep left so that we could take the right trail back down. We passed many different trees and plants, crossed an old slave wall, marvelled at the magnificent views and climbed rocks, until we reached the concrete road that leads up to the cell tower, from where hikers are treated to panoramic views of St. Peters, Marigot and Cole Bay.
It took our little hiking group about one hour and 10 minutes to complete the approximately two-mile roundtrip. Then again, we ran into fellow adventurers and took in the views, before making our way to our well-deserved breakfast. All in all, the heavenly Bellevue hike is not to be missed!
