L'Esperance Trail

Highlights

• Historic Danish road connecting Centerline Road to Reef Bay

• Ruins of L’Esperance estate: horse mill, estate house, sugar factory and rum still

• Moist forest with genip, guava berry, bay rum and mango trees, transitioning to dry scrub

• Seiban Estate ruins

• Panoramic views over Fish Bay and the south shore near stump of the historica baobob
  

Trail statistics

Description

The L’Esperance Trail descends the west side of the Fish Bay valley along a historic Danish road. From the trailhead on Centerline Road to the beach below is about 2.6 miles, dropping steadily through moist forest where genip, guava berry, turpentine, bay rum and mango trees line the path. After crossing a stone bridge over Fish Bay Gut, a spur leads to the L’Esperance estate ruins: stone foundations of the estate house, a horse mill, sugar factory, rum still and remains of a slave village. Continuing downhill the landscape becomes drier; cattle grazing in the past encouraged wild tamarind and thorny cassia to dominate. A second spur visits the Seiban (Sieben) Estate, where crumbling walls and a rum still sit near the site where a historic baobob tree once stood, grown from seeds brought by enslaved Africans and surviving until 2021. Beyond, the trail traverses rocky gullies and emerges near the Reef Bay Trail. Because most of the route faces west and lacks shade, hikers should wear sun protection, carry plenty of water and expect a 2–4‑hour journey. The National Park Service warns that backcountry trails like this are steep and can be slippery, so sturdy footwear is essential. Those who persevere are rewarded with a walk through both natural and cultural history culminating in a swim at Reef Bay.