Ram Head Trail St. John: A Detailed Hiking Guide
With nearly two-thirds of St. John protected as national parkland, the island is full of incredible opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors including incredible hiking and snorkeling (here’s our favorite 11 sites!).
My husband and I love day hiking and have traveled all over the world in search of the best trails. Some of our favorite hikes in the Caribbean so far include Pic Paradis in St. Martin, the Jack and Isaac Bay Preserve Trail in St. Croix, and the Hooiberg Trail in Aruba.
And now, we’re excited to add Ram Head Trail on St. John to that list. It truly impressed us! Here’s all the information you’ll need to make it happen including the spur trail to avoid!
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Quick Overview of the Hike
- Hiking distance: 2 miles roundtrip
- Hiking time: 90 minutes as long as you do not accidentally take any of the spur trails
- Difficulty: moderate
Ram Head Trail Parking + Map
Ram Head Trail St. John
Rent a Jeep (here is the car rental company we love!) and drive to the Salt Pond Bay parking lot to park.
If you are coming from Coral Bay on Centerline Road, take a left on Route 107 and follow it down PAST Concordia. Once you pass Concordia, the road will turn sharply right and the dirt parking lot for Salt Pond Bay will be on the left.
The parking lot fills up quickly, so get there early. You also want to get there early because the hike is mostly exposed to the sun and it gets HOT.
Salt Pond Bay Beach parking lot
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Step-By-Step Hiking Experience
After you park, walk 7 minutes down a dirt path until you reach Salt Pond Bay Beach (which is a great snorkeling site!).
Salt Pond Bay Beach is a beautiful crescent-shaped beach with gorgeous clear water.
Salt Pond Bay Beach
Walk all the way to the left side of Salt Pond Bay Beach (as you face the water) and you will come across a well-marked side path that will lead you to the Salt Pond.
Yes, it actually produces salt! See the photo below.
Check it out and then make your way back to the main rocky shoreline trail.
Side trail to Salt Pond
Salt Pond
Continue your hike along the water’s edge until the very end of the shoreline, and then the trail turns left inland.
Ram Head trail along the shoreline
After you turn left inland, you will navigate the path up and down a few rocky, dirt-path hills.
Ram Head hiking trail
After about 15 minutes, the trail will abruptly end at Blue Cobblestone Beach.
We snorkeled to the right of the beach on our return hike from Ram Head, which was incredibly refreshing after getting all hot and sweaty.
Alternatively, wait to snorkel until you get back to Salt Pond Bay Beach on your return hike, which is the much better of the two snorkeling sites.
Blue Cobblestone Beach
Blue, grey, and white rocks at Blue Cobblestone Beach
Walk all the way to the left END of the beach (as you face the water) where you will pick up the trail again as it makes its ascent up the hill.
Important Tip: About halfway down Blue Cobblestone Beach, you’ll see a well-marked spur trail. My husband and I mistakenly thought it was part of the Ram Head Trail, so we followed it up a very steep incline, only to watch the path disappear in places.
We ended up bushwhacking through thick vegetation and spider webs (complete with giant spiders) just to find our way back. That detour set us back almost 50 minutes, left our muscles screaming, and tested our marriage, lol!
Spur trail off of Blue Cobblestone Beach. DO NOT FOLLOW IT! Keep walking to the END of the beach to pick up the Ram Head trail again.
Once we navigated our way back down to the beach, we come across some other hikers and followed them to the end of the beach. The trail picks back up here as it winds its way upward toward Ram Head.
This is the CORRECT Ram Head trail off the Blue Cobblestone Beach
Now, the fun part.
As we made the gentle ascent, we passed by multiple gardens of Turks Head Cacti (also known as Barrel Cacti). They have these little pinkish-red fruits on top that you can supposedly eat.
We did not try it, but I read it tastes like Dragon Fruit.
Turks Head Cacti on Ram Head
We hiked past a deep ravine and crashing waves right before we reached the summit.
Deep ravines on Ram Head hiking trail
The breeze feels amazing as you get to the top, especially with the intense sun!
Wow, our effort was rewarded with stunning panoramic views!
Ram Head is apparently the site where slaves tragically leaped to their death to avoid recapture and torture during a slave rebellion in the 1700s.
Coastal views from Ram Head
Panoramic views from Ram Head
What to Bring
Water Bottle
The sun is brutal, and the hike is mostly exposed with very little shade. Bring that water bottle and hydrate!
Trail Runner Shoes
You will need to navigate over dirt trails and rocks. Do not wear flip-flops. I wore my trail runners, which worked out great.
Snorkeling Gear & Daypack
After this hot and sweaty hike, you will be thankful for that refreshing swim and snorkel afterward. I wore my bathing suit under my clothes and brought my Zomake daypack to store my snorkeling gear as I hiked. You could snorkel at Blue Cobblestone or Salt Pond Bay after the hike.
Hat & Sunscreen
There is not much shade. Wear a hat (love my ponyflo!)and lather up with sunscreen. I personally use Elta MD UV Clear sunscreen.
Final Thoughts
My husband and I really enjoyed hiking the Ram Head Trail until the point we took that spur trail and got lost for 50 minutes. If you follow my instructions though and stay on the correct trail, this is an incredibly enjoyable day hike!
Looking for more outdoor activities? Check out my St. John Snorkeling Guide on all 11 sites we visited!
If you are just in the beginning stages of planning your St John USVI getaway, then don’t miss my guide on the Top 12 Things to Do in St. John and the Best Places to Stay in St. John.
And if you want to know how to piece all the amazing St. John activities together, check out my ultimate 9-day St. John itinerary!
Ram Head Trail
I’m Nichole, the author of all the blog posts on Enriching Pursuits. Think of me as your geeky discerning travel friend who dives deep (Google Page 20, forums, travel groups deep!) to uncover the best ways to enjoy exceptional outdoor adventures and foodie experiences.
My husband and I are experienced snorkelers, day hikers, and casual cyclists who also love delicious street food, an incredible glass of wine, and the occasional Michelin-starred meal.
Balancing full-time careers, we cherish every second of our vacation days and love sharing tips to help you do the same. If this sounds like your kind of travel, subscribe below or drop me a note with any questions. I’d love to hear from you!
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Questions about the Ram Head trail?
Let me know in the comments below!
This was really helpful! Thank you. What a great and very unique hike!
Thank you so much for reaching out. I’m really glad to hear you found this guide useful. Happy hiking.
This is the best guide to hiking Ram Head that I have seen. My wife, 11 year-old daughter and I have lived in St. Thomas for 11 years and we’ve done a lot hiking both in St. Thomas and St. John (Brown Bay, Reef Bay, America Hill and Lind Point). However, I must admit, that we too took the wrong spur trail on the way to Ram Head and gave up. As we have a holiday weekend approaching, we plan to try it again. I really appreciated the clarity of your guide and the photos. I also was impressed with your snorkeling guide. Great information, thanks.
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide that kind feedback.
That was the only hike we did on St. John. We mostly snorkel. I want to check out the Reef Bay Trail on our next visit. I appreciate the suggestions on the other trails. I’ll have to check those out too.
I’m glad to hear we are not the only ones who took that spur trail! It was super confusing. My husband was a little grouchy after all that wasted time and effort, so we almost ended our efforts right there. Luckily, we saw some hikers further down and found the “correct” trail.
I hope this guide helps you and your family enjoy this special trail. If you have the time, report back if it went well the second time around 😊 Enjoy the holiday weekend! I certainly wish I was in St. John right about now. We have some snow in our forecast. 🥶