Ascent of Pic Paradis on 2011-06-07| Date: | Tuesday, June 7, 2011 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Peak: | Pic Paradis | | Location: | Saint Martin | | Elevation: | 1378 ft / 420 m |
Ascent Trip ReportPic Paradis via Loterie Farm. Some beta for the folks visiting St. Maarten. First off, check TravelAdvisor for information on the high crime rate on this particular hike. Don't bring anything you don't mind losing. Because of this, I chose to climb up from the Loterie Farm, which is about half way up Pic Paradis. Driving to the top from the turn off to Loterie is probably only 3 or 4 minutes, but I didn't want to spoil my wifes vacation by dealing with hooligans. Loterie Farm will cost you 5 euros or 7 US dollars. They give you a very bad map, but it will suffice. Go through the gate, find a trial heading up the mountain on the right. I had the whole trail to myself. The Great Explorer waited in the restaurant. The person at the desk said that it would take 3 hours round-trip...I suspected it wouldn't take an hour. It was just about that. She also guided me to the western tower as the "High Point." When I got to the top, I realized that wasn't the case. When you reach the road, backtrack to the east and you will see a large trail heading up to a group of 4 or 5 towers. It takes about 5 minutes (if you go slow) to go up and back from the road. When I went up, the road was empty. When I came down just a few minutes later, there were three locals sniffing about a car that I heard drive behind me as I headed up. The locals must have been in the woods when I went past. I went over and made sure the couple was okay in the car, then headed back down. Views are nice from the top, you have to wander a bit to see them all (even though the guidebooks claim 360 degree views). This was my first country high point, so I was still excited to bag it. |
| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 1034 ft / 315 m | | Total Elevation Loss: | 50 ft / 15 m | | Route Conditions: | Maintained Trail | | Ascent Statistics | | Gain on way in: | 1034 ft / 315 m | | Gain Breakdown: | Net: 984 ft / 300 m; Extra: 50 ft / 15m | | Loss on way in: | 50 ft / 15 m | | Distance: | 2 mi / 3.2 km | | Start Trailhead: | Loterie Farm 394 ft / 120 m | | Time: | 40 Minutes | | Descent Statistics | | Time: | 20 Minutes |
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