Gros Piton Hike - St. Lucia Climbing

Anytime the Southern Caribbean is on showcase, an image of the iconic Pitons will be displayed. They are located on the west coast of the island nation of St. Lucia. With nearly 3,000 feet of near vertical rise out of the sea, the pyramid shape of Gros Piton and Petit Piton are powerful displays of topography, and to a peakbagger, something that must be done. The highest and most climbed is Gros Piton but Petit Piton is even steeper with occasional ropes for climbing. Tourists of all types make an attempt to summit, with a surprising number turning back. The trail gets steep, with the entire upper half a stair climber...like huge steps, often on slippery rocks or roots. But the trail is helped with many handrails, well built steps and no exposed cliffy areas. If you are not huffing and puffing too hard, the hike can be an enjoyable visit through some interesting tropical terrain. A fee and guide is required to hike with you to the summit. For most, this will be an annoying necessary requirement. Ours was a teenage kid that I could only classify as a little prick. He was trying to rush us so he could get an additional run up that day. We did it round trip in 3 hours and he definitely neglected to tell us there were two summit viewpoints. I overlooked this piece of information before visiting, so I just thought the views were overgrowing toward Petit Piton. Most go to the higher south peak but if you take a left trail near the top to the north peak, a view of Petit Piton is the best view of all.

We came from Castries via cruise ship. You could rent a car but for a decent price, you can pay a service to pick you up at the dock and drive you the 1.5 hours across the island. Most of the driving route doesn't look changed in the last 50 years. We used Real St. Lucia Tours and had a nice ride in a BMW to the trailhead and back.

Gros Piton - St. Lucia

Caribbean Travel