19. Bordeaux Mountain Trail

Length: 1.2 miles. Time: 1 hour down, 2 hours up. Difficulty: 3-4. There is a 1,200-foot difference in elevation from top to bottom.

Trailhead: To walk down, start on Bordeaux Mountain Road 1.7 miles southeast of Centerline Road. To climb up, the path begins to the right of the Lameshur Bay trail (Hike 17). Follow the directions of the stone wall upwards.

As a practical matter, it makes more sense to climb up, rest and walk back down.

Yes, it is a tough walk, but the trail follows an old plantation road that oxen with heavy loads had to climb from the Lameshur Bay estate to the Bordeaux estate at the top. The grade is steady but not overly steep.

For the first 0.2 miles, the walk also is part of a 4WD road leading to a ranger's house off to the right. Soon you'll come to a 1-person stone seat, the first of several built along the trail. You'll also pass from dry forest to moist forest, spending a lot of time in the sun.

The trail emerges at Bordeaux Mountain Road across from the Bordeaux sugar plantation built between 1790 and 1820. Part of it was demolished during the construction of the road, which links Centerline Road with Coral Bay.

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