The Best Hiking Trail on St. John
What if I told you that in less than a mile hike from the Leinster Bay shoreline, you can experience the most breathtaking 360 degree view of St. John, the British Virgin Islands and the Sir Francis Drake Channel … all the way to Virgin Gorda on a clear day, would you go?
Perhaps St. John’s best kept secret is a spur off of the Johnny Horn Trail called the Murphy Great House, also known as the Windy Hill Ruins. If the innumerable shades of blue surrounding Waterlemon Cay doesn’t take your breath away, the sheer magnitude of this stunning panorama will. On the hill, you’ll be spittin’ distance from Tortola and Great Thatch Island as the channel below is appropriately called The Narrows, the closest distance between the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
The history of this location is fascinating. James Murphy was the largest plantation owner and sugar producer in the history of St. John. His estate included a vast 1,245 acres which housed 591 enslaved workers. What’s left of his Great House is perched high on the hilltop, however the most unusual site lies just below: a guardhouse where a reported 17 soldiers were tasked with ensuring that the slaves didn’t run away. The remains of an arched wall, a cannon hole, makes for an iconic photo op.
The foliage-lined pathway offers peeks of stunning scenery in all directions. So if you only have time for one of St. John’s 30+ hiking trails, consider the Murphy Great House essential.
