Tektite Trail

Tektite Trail is a 1.3-mile out-and-back from Lameshur Road to a west-facing view over Great Lameshur Bay. Allow about an hour. The narrow, rocky path climbs near the start, eases along the ridge, then drops toward the bay. It’s a good pick for a short hike with a view and a bit of history; don’t come expecting a flat walk to the beach.

Cabritte Horn Plantation ruins sit beside the route about 0.2 mile in. Roughly a quarter-mile farther, you reach a fork: turn right for Tektite and the bay view. The other branch continues along the ridge to Cabritte Horn, a separate outing, so leave that higher cliff viewpoint out if you’re keeping this short. Tektite’s final stretch descends about 75 feet to a west-facing opening toward Great Lameshur Bay and Reef Bay. Turn around there and retrace the same roughly 0.65-mile corridor. At the end, frame the blue water with the green hills and scrub to show the sweep of the bay without stepping off the route.

The trail takes its name from the underwater Tektite research program. In 1969, four marine scientists lived for two months in a habitat 50 feet below Great Lameshur Bay, studying the marine environment and how people handled isolation. NASA, the Navy and the Interior Department took part in the project. The habitat itself isn’t visible from the trail, but the bay you’re looking across is where the work took place.

Start on the south side of Lameshur Road at its first switchback. The approach includes an unpaved section, and parking is limited to small roadside pullouts; don’t count on finding space for a group. Dogs are allowed on the trail on a leash no longer than six feet, but pets aren’t allowed on park beaches.