The Bay Path, St. Eustatius: The Walk Between the Two Towns
A cobbled route down the cliff that was the island's main street for two centuries.
Why Go
The Bay Path is the pedestrian route linking Upper Town on the cliff to Lower Town on the shore, and for most of Statia's history it was the busiest thoroughfare on the island. Everything landed at the warehouses below and everything sold, taxed or shipped in the town above had to travel it, on foot or on a donkey. It takes about ten minutes to walk down and rather more to walk up, and doing it once is the difference between seeing Oranjestad as two places and understanding it as one.
The Experience
The path drops from beside Fort Oranje down the face of the cliff in a series of switchbacks, cobbled in places and repaired in others, with the sea and the warehouse ruins opening out below as you descend. It is steep but not difficult, and the surface is uneven. Halfway down the perspective is the best in the town — the fort above, the ruins below, and the anchorage stretching out where hundreds of ships once waited to load. The vegetation on the cliff is dry scrub and the path is unshaded. At the top it enters Upper Town beside the fort; at the bottom it arrives among the ruins of the warehouse strip. The road for vehicles takes a longer, gentler route around. The path also explains a fact that puzzles people looking at the island from a boat, which is why anyone built a town on top of a cliff at all. The answer is defence and weather: the shore flooded and was raided, and the cliff was safe. The cost was that everything had to be carried up.
What to Try
Walk it in both directions at least once — down in the morning to Lower Town and back up in the late afternoon when the cliff is in shade, which is the sequence that respects the gradient and the sun. Pair it with the museum in Upper Town beforehand so the ruins at the bottom mean something. Nearby, Boven National Park at the northern end of the island is the other walking on Statia, covering the dry hills and the northern coast with trails through the reserve. Hill Top View Bar and Restaurant and the Fresh Market are the practical stops in the surrounding district. The St. Eustatius Animal Welfare Foundation is here too. Beyond that this is a route rather than a destination, and its value is entirely in the walking of it. Do it in both directions if you have the time. The descent shows you the ruins arriving one by one below; the climb back shows you the anchorage widening behind your shoulder, which is the view the people who built the town actually had.
Insider Tip
Walk down, not up, on a hot day — then take the road back if the climb does not appeal. There is no shade anywhere on the path, the cobbles hold heat, and visitors who decide to walk up at midday after lunch in Lower Town remember it. Late afternoon puts the cliff in shadow and makes the ascent genuinely pleasant, and the light on the ruins below is better then too.
The Practical Stuff
The Bay Path runs from beside Fort Oranje in Upper Town down to the warehouse strip in Lower Town, taking about ten minutes down and fifteen to twenty up. It is steep, uneven and completely unshaded, and it is a pedestrian route only — vehicles take a longer road around. There are no facilities on the path itself; both ends have restaurants. Boven National Park in the north of the island is the other walking area and has its own trails. Statia is a special municipality of the Netherlands using the US dollar, with English the everyday language. Access to the island is by small aircraft from St Maarten. The island is in the hurricane belt, roughly June to November.
Common Questions
What is the Bay Path?
The pedestrian route down the cliff between Upper Town and Lower Town in Oranjestad. For two centuries it was the island's main thoroughfare, carrying everything between the warehouses and the town.
How long does it take?
About ten minutes down and fifteen to twenty up. It is steep and uneven but not difficult, and it is completely unshaded.
Can you drive it?
No — it is a pedestrian route. Vehicles take a longer road that loops around between the two halves of the town.
When is the best time to walk it?
Down in the morning and back up in the late afternoon, when the cliff is in shadow. Climbing it at midday is memorable for the wrong reasons.
What can you see from it?
The best perspective in Oranjestad — the fort above, the warehouse ruins below, and the anchorage where hundreds of ships once waited during the free-port years.
What else is nearby?
Boven National Park at the northern end of the island has the other trail network, covering the dry hills and the northern coast.
Pair It With
- Boven National Park Guide — The other walking, at the island's northern end.
- Hill Top View Bar & Restaurant Guide — The stop at the top of the climb.
- Fresh Market Guide — Water before you start down.
