Hiking for the view

The highest point on Tortola stands at 1,716 feet, yet well worth the climb for the views. Scaling

the mahogany lined trail up Sage Mountain, nestled in rainforest and elephant ear vines will be

quite a change from your beach and water-centered activities in the British Virgin Islands. More

than just views from the top, there are also magnificent views from lookout points along the way.

Sage Mountain National Park was the first conversation area in BVI. A generous Rockefeller

donation allowed for purchase of 86 acres of land from local farmers to establish the first of

many national parks in the territory. Farmland was reforested and white cedar and mahogany

trees have now naturally regenerated.

So much to see!

It will take about two hours to complete one of the 12 trails in the park and there’s a lot to

observe. The tall volcanic mountain range that sits in the middle acts like a natural barrier; a

dividing line, that creates two different climate zones. Rain falls mostly on the north side,

developing from the moist trade winds that sweep over the area. In fact, it’s said that the

mountain itself creates rain as the warm moist are rises from the east and south, and cools as it

crosses the mountain. The southern part of the park is mostly old pastures of dry forests.

There is a small area of about 30 acres that is so rocky it could not be cleared for farming. This

area retains the original forest species that were here before farmers cleared the land. This forest,

said to have been “untouched since the time of Columbus,” encompasses a landscape not found

anywhere else on Tortola with bullet wood trees, epiphytes (air plants), tree ferns, Manilkara,

mountain guava, heliconia trees and white cedars, (not cedars at all, they are flowering trees).

There were some original tree plantations, although those too have naturally reverted to native

plantings.

More Scenic Views

Over on the north coast overlook, a tower provides scenic views of Jost Van Dyke, another of the

British Virgin Islands, Tobagos, little Sandy Cay, the north coast, and St Thomas, part of the

US Virgin Islands. The Sir Francis Drake Channel of outlying islands strung between Virgin

Gorda and St. John, also on the American side, can be viewed from the Joseph R. O’Neal Trail,

which takes off as a detour from the trail to the peak.

A single path from the parking lot leads to the trails, which are all interconnecting. The access

trail which begins skirting the edge of Sage Mountain, is gravel-covered. The three-quarter mile

Rain Forest Trail is a Level 1 and easy to enjoy. Rose apple, redwood myrtle, Spanish oak,

and West Indian mahogany all border this route. Big elephant ears are prolific. Locals call one of

the more unusual trees on this trail & "stinking fish"