carambola tide pools

If you stay at the Carambola resort, go for the hike, which is an excellent way to get your morning exercise. The pebble beach that you reach at the end of the trail is very scenic and a good photo/lunch venue, but be prepared--there is not much shade. We left the resort at 9am, took a good long rest/snack at the cliffs, and returned by 11:30 feeling happy about it all.We were surprised to see that outfits were running jeep tours down to this site, in contrast to the (free) hike. NOT worth it! The pools are among some very rough, dangerous cliffs and frankly they're so small we don't know why people were risking the climb over wet rocks, apparently just to say "I did it." In our view this is inappropriate exploitation of a wild site.

The hike was ok, and the tide pools weren't anything to write home about. Look up online how many folks have drowned there before you make that trip.

The hike wasn't awful but the climb to the actual tide pool was dangerous. The sea was powerful and I could feel the waves crShing against me and pulling on me as I climbed along the rocks. I was terrified but stupidly pushed myself. Once over the rocks the tide pool was not that impressive. I'd never do it again.

A hike to the Caramabola Tide Pools is an excellent activity, and will take a minimum three hours of your time, but it is well worth it. I would suggest sturdy trail shoes for the hike, and water shoes for the tidal pool. Carry snacks and water. We began our hike from the Carambola resort. The trail begins with fairly strenuous climb but then settles into more rolling terrain. The views from the trail over the ocean are fantastic. The last part of the trail follows a jeep path down to the rocky beach. The tidal pools are towards the west end of the beach. Take care as you maneuver along the rocks at the waters edge to enter the tide pool. Watch the incoming waves and time your movement accordingly. You'll be rewarded with calm, clear blue pools of water. Carry snorkel gear to enjoy all the small and colorful fish.This is on our favorites list from our visit in St. Croix!

There is a 2-3 mile hike to get there and it is not for the faint of heart. Much of the trail is uphill and on a narrow and rough path but my 57 year old Aunt with heart trouble was able to make it with proper hydration and frequent rest stops. Make sure you take food and water and start early! The pool and view are incredible.

Romantic stop on the Tan Tan jeep tour. I've been to this secluded spot 5-6 times & never been disappointed . Slightly tricky climb over shell path . The tide pools were created by a old inactive volcano & large tidal waves from the tides.

We were staying at the Carambola so thought we might as well do this while we were here. Allow at least an hr each way for the hike. It was not extremely difficult but was arduous for an overweight, 50-something year old, pencil pushing, smoker! When we finally arrived at the destination, we discovered that even a mt goat would have a difficult time reaching the tide pools, however my friend who is in worse shape than me, did have the fortitude to risk his life and make the treck to the pool. He said it was nice and I believed him! In all seriousness though, A young man did die there in Dec, 2014 when he got washed out to sea.....there is a make-shift memorial for him on-site, so please be careful!

Very beautiful remote spot. Be careful scrambling up/down the rocks on the beach. If you look very carefully, you can find a few seashells.

I've seen several reviews, including one on the St. Croix Hiking Association website, that claims this hike takes 45 min average to reach Wills Bay. I would say 45 min is a fair assessment if you A) hike regularly (which I don't) and B) begin the trail INSIDE the Carambola resort. Personally, it took my boyfriend and me about 90 minutes to reach the bay. We stopped a few times, typically after completing a steep incline and to wait out some rain, but we kept a steady pace and it still took us much longer than expected. All of this is to say, give yourself WAY more time than you think you'll need.To get here, you'll need to drive to the Carambola resort on N Shore Rd. Once you reach the guard gate, tell the guard you're interested in doing the hike and he'll direct you where to go. Parking is available to the left of the gate, in a grassy lot to the left of the driveway (the closer lot is for employees). Once parked, walk up the driveway a bit and you'll see an unmarked white post; continue on and you'll reach the "Trumbull Trail (2.7 mi)" sign shortly. The trail is narrow but well-marked for the most part.THINGS TO NOTE:1. There were a couple spots where we were unsure of which direction to take. Best advice: trust your gut. There are orange flags placed intermittently along the trail; if you stop seeing them for an extended period of time, then you know you've gone the wrong way.2. Towards the end of the hike, you will reach a juncture marked by white trash bags tied to a tree, and the trail will widen noticeably (I think this is the road the Tan Tan jeeps take) - go RIGHT from here. It rained the day we did the hike, so we just followed the direction of the stream.3. Boyfriend wore shorts for the hike, which was fine, but there is a section of trail that is completely overgrown with grass and branches going every which way. I would err on the side of caution and wear pants just in case, especially since there are ants EVERYWHERE. They crawled all over our shoes/legs as we hiked.4. Can't stress this enough: give yourself more time than you think you'll need. Like I previously mentioned, it rained when we went and at one point, we had to wait out the worst of it. We started the trail around 2 pm and returned at 5 pm, and the only people we met along the way were heading back. Although there was still light out when we completed the trip, we were definitely the last ones on the trail that day.5. I alluded to this earlier, but there are two trail heads: one for guests of the resort (a shorter overall trail), and one for everyone else. We didn't intend to cut through the resort on the return hike, but we weren't paying attention and before we knew it, we were crossing the bridge onto resort grounds. You may think this is shorter/easier than going back to the original trail head, but the resort is large and you still have to climb the stairs from the resort parking lot and back up the steep driveway to reach your car.Coming from two nonathletic non-hikers, this trail is absolutely doable. There were a couple of steep areas, but overall the hike isn't very arduous, just long. It was worth it to have a beautiful secluded view of Wills Bay. We did not attempt to hike further west to the Annaly tide pools. The tide was way too strong and the risk wasn't worth it, but you can still view them from the shoreline. I would recommend this hike for anyone with an adventurous spirit and time to spare!

A young man was killed by a wave ...a helicopter was deployed for a day to retrieve his body from the sea ...felt very sad for his family who came for a vacation ...extream caution must be paid if you insist to get there...suggest to take a tour guid.

These tidal pools should be treated with great caution. I am at Carambola Marriot and today a person drowned...swept away in the ocean from the tidal pools.

Here's the how to guide to hike to the tide pools:Drive to the Carambola Beach Resort and tell security at the gate that you're going to get some lunch.Wear some decent footwear because if you decide to wear flip flops or sandals you're going to cut your feet up.Walk to the western part of the resort and look for the tennis and basketball courts. I suggest pulling this up on google maps with satellite view so you can see their exact location. Once you find them continue walking towards them and on the right you will see a brown bridge and a sign that says Trail. The entrance to the trail is overgrown but the trail itself is fairly clear.Apply bug spray, and then apply some more bug spray.The walk is roughly 40-45 minutes one way. There are orange markers throughout the trail marking the trail as well as marking for hazardous spots like roots and stumps. When you get to the Jeep trail there's a tree with a garbage bag tied to it. Turn right onto the Jeep trail and that will take you to the tide pools.Make sure you leave yourself enough time to get back while there's still day light so be mindful of what time the sunset is.

Starting your hike at renaissance trail head you start going straight up.... Watch out for hermit crabs and slippery conditions. Once reaching the beach the tide pools are a short hike over some rocks but an awesome picture opp and great swim. Plan for at least a 2 hr round trip adventure

We did not hike to this, but took the TanTan jeep tour and stopped here. Caught it at high tide and enjoyed watching the waves crashing over the rocks and into the pools. Loved sitting in the tide pools as the water cascaded around us!

The hike in was over two and 1/2 miles. The pools are lovely but he rocks are very dangerous and especially when a rouge wave comes over them.