table rock

So nice we went twice. Great picnic/adventure spot. Kids loved it. It's just enough for a family with small kids the hike in wasn't too strenuous and there are lots of safe little bathing pools. Locals were very friendly.

I usually visit after hiking the Vermont Trail. I liked going for a swim in the pool at the bottom. Since the Christmas Eve storm that pool is gone, filled in with sand and rocks. There used to be be several streams of water over the table. Now there is just one. The trail led to a jump point, and I jumped, but I came back lower down, fording the river, taking my hiking boots off to do so. It's difficult to believe that this stream had several hundred times its volume during the storm, maybe more. I could see how high it was by the debris it left. It was an incredible volume of water that washed people and animals out to sea, overnight, with no warning whatsoever. Most people couldn't make the jump now to the table, and like Trinity Falls, that became only two falls after hurricane Tomas, Table Rock is probably no longer a picnic site for Vincentians.

Table Rock is a traditional place for a picnic for Vincentians. At the lower end though is a pool where you can shed your clothes and go for a refrshing dip. I do that now after hiking the Vermont trail. It was a Vermont woman who showed me the pool and I'm very grateful to her. She pulled off her top and jumped in, reminded me of what it's like to be young. Vermont is one of he few inland towns that sees tourists heading to the Vermont Trail. They don't actually get that many tourists and rarely on foot like me. Table Rock is worth a visit. You can't see it by the road, but there is sort of a parking space and a path that leads there. It's easy to miss, but ask anyone in town, and they will tell you how to get there. It's worth a stop in your travels.

Table rock and the water fall are beautiful! From Table Rock a 20 minute hike will take you to a 3 tier waterfall, where you can swim. The pools are quite small, but very refreshing.Make sure that you go in a group 4 to 6 is recommended, wear shoes that you don't mind getting wet, and use a LOCAL guide from the area that will walk with you all the way and show you the trail. (This area is very secluded - so take the same precautions that you would if visiting an out of the way place at home).DO NOT use the trail if you are infirm, afraid of bugs / nature. DO NOT try and find your way by your self.DO NOT try to visit the water fall if it looks like it is going to rain heavily.DO NOT take items that you would be upset about if they fell into the river / got wet!Take water and a snack - the location is so pretty you may want to stay longer than you anticipated...If you go with a local taxi make sure that they will provide a guide service all the way - a lot of the taxi drivers will just drop you off and expect to sit in their car whilst you explore by your self!If you ask at the Queensbury Post office or North Leeward Tourist office they will help you find someone to take you. I personally recommend that you use a local guide rather than a tour operator. My friends and I went with Monty a rasta from Queensbury village. Before we started our tour he asked a friend to get some breadfruit (picked from his own tree a few days earlier) and salt fish. When we got back from the hike to the waterfall we had bread fruit from the fire with salt fish and red Juicee (full of sugar and colour but delicious). We sat on the rocks and watched the river whilst we cooled our feet, and ate a west indian staple. It was wonderful!Pair this with a visit to the Nature Trial to watch the parrots in the afternoon, and drinks in Marties Rum shop in Buccament on the way home.