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St. John Off The Beaten Track | 
 enlarge | Creator: Dean Hulse
Publisher: Sombrero Publishing Co.
Category: Book
Buy New: $88.94
New (1) Used (6) from $19.99
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 326129
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 0.7
ISBN: 0964122014
EAN: 9780964122017
ASIN: 0964122014
Publication Date: September 1, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
This unique, captivating guide takes you where no other guide book can - to the little known, hard to reach, out of the way and easy to miss parts of this special island in the U.S. Virgins. Other guidebooks can tell you where to stay, eat, shop, or rent a car. But Off the Beaten Track takes you off the road and on to the islands many hiking trails, telling insider stories as you go. Then it takes you off the trails, scrambling up rocks, walking the shoreline, and wandering up and down lush green guts. It will also lead you to the best snorkeling, the lesser-known beaches old plantation ruins and much more. Mr. Singer is an enthusiastic storyteller and much history and culture is shared along the way. A 30-year resident, he lets you in on many places that other locals wish he wouldn't mention, preferring to keep these spots to themselves. Indeed his guide brings these places to life and takes the reader back in time to the action, adventure, history, struggle, strife, work, and play that spawned the colorful personality St. John is known for even today. The book has everything you need to keep you busy, enthralled, and moving about. Enjoy the full color photos by St. John photographer Dean Hulse and illustrations by Natasha Singer. Read it before you go. Pick your adventures. Bring the book with you. And, once on the island, use it both to decipher the hints left behind by a culture now vanished as well as to enjoy the beauty of this pristine paradise, nearly impossible to find elsewhere today.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Not for the timid June 24, 2007
We have spent many years sailing in the Virgin Islands, and St. John has always been a favorite. This book is a great guide to where the good snorkeling is, where the good beaches are and to the St. John Trail system. It is also an excellent guide to information on this island that I have not found anywhere else nor in our somewhat *extensive* Virgin Islands library we have accumulated over the years.
That all said, this is not a book for the timid. If you want to really see this island, it takes some sweat and some work. Many of the beaches and snorkels described in this book require some work you the reader's part to do the hike, scramble along the shoreline or get to the spots described. On St. John, this in many cases is not a simple task. You will need to your own transportation if you are staying on the island and you will need to be prepared for a serious hike up steep hills carrying your gear to get to many of these places. If you are coming by boat you will need to be able to plan a bit of an expedition to get to the bays and beaches listed. In many cases, it will entail a hike from the most popular anchorages to the spots listed.
We like it like that. The snorkels are worth it - and would describe most of them to be non beginner-cruise-shipper-with-life-preserver sorts of snorkels. You should be prepared for a bit of exertion but the results will be well worth it. You should also not do these alone (of course, never snorkel alone).
All in all, great background on the island and good information on the stuff that most tourists never see. This is not a book for tourists, but a book for travelers - if you get the distinction. If you do, this book is highly recommended.
 Disappointing for 2005 July 6, 2005
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I could not get past the lack of photographs which would have depicted what the author was discussing. The book is filled with drawings, some look like the refrigerator art we all collect when our children are in elementary school. It was like reading an article discussing colors and all the pictures were in black and white. The book discusses plants and there is no photograph of the plant. There is one section in the middle with approximately 6 to 8 photographs. I wanted to see photographs of the stinging wasps and the poisonous plants. I didn't find them.
Hidden Treasures of St John May 21, 2003
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
I thought I had seen it all. Then I found St John Off the Beaten Track. Gerald Singer has chosen to share the hidden treasures of St John. St John is full of history, plantation ruins, nature walks. They will make your trip special.
Snorkelers Guide to Paradise January 30, 2003
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
As marine aquariasts and avid snorkelers, this book led us to the greatest snorkeling spots and some beautiful secluded beaches. Our favorite was Yawzi Point and Little Lameshur Bay. We arrived at 10:30 and were among 4 people on the beach. The waters were turquiose and the beach beautfully sandy like Trunk Bay but without the crowd. We enjoyed the right side of Yawzi Point accessible from Little Lameshur as the waters were calmer than the left hand side with similar reef to explore. Leinster Bay/Waterlemon Cay was another great find. The thing the book didn't mention was to hang your bag as Mongooses can unzip and will eat your lunch! The best, most useful book out of the three we bought. The maps are terrific as well.
Very helpful November 13, 2002
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Mr. Singer does a terrific job of detailing St. John's numerous hiking trails. He even gives concise, clear directions on how to get to each one. Thanks to him, we found our way to the America Hill trail with ease, and I must say the view from that vantage point was certainly worth the arduous hike up that mountain! He even gives advice on the best snorkeling spots as well as snippets of St. John history. After perusing this book, you feel as if you've been to St. John even if you never have! An absolute must for properly and thoroughly exploring the island. The only drawback is the lack of color photographs of the vegetation he describes. Also, the maps are very helpful.
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