Hiking
Holywell National Park
By far the most relaxing way to experience the Blue Mountains is to drive up to Holywell National Park. Situated just an hour outside of Kingston at Hardware Gap on the Blue Mountain ridge, Holywell is a beautiful and peaceful place to spend the day. There is a solar-powered visitor centre; picnic sites with fire pits and shelters; toilets; camping sites; and well marked trails. The park is maintained by friendly rangers who are happy to chat about the park and are full of useful and interesting information.
Catherine’s Peak
Catherine’s Peak is famous in Jamaica as the location of a mountain spring that supplies much of Jamaica’s bottled natural water. The trail head is in the Jamaica Defence Force’s camp at Newcastle on the road to Holywell and just a 45 minute drive from Kingston.
The Blue Mountain Peak
The hike to the peak of the Blue Mountain should be on the to-do list of every visitor to Jamaica. The track is well marked and not too steep, but it is a long walk and people who are less than fit might find it difficult. The most popular way to hike to the peak is to spend the night near Penlyne Castle at either Jah B’s or Whitfield Hall, and start out in the early hours hoping to reach the peak by sunrise.
