Pitons — mountain
Image by mimi_s from Pixabay

Pitons

  • Elevation786 m
  • 2 min read
  • 13.807° N 61.070° W
  • UNESCO World Heritage
  • UNESCO natural beauty

Interesting facts

  • Two endemic shrubs grow only on the summit of Petit Piton, which also shelters the rare pencil cedar, a juniper of the Caribbean.
  • The volcanic system has been dormant for at least 20,000 years, yet a blast from deep underground shook the area in 1766.
  • Gros Piton is about three kilometres wide at its base, three times the width of the slenderer Petit Piton.
  • Healthy coral covers almost 60 percent of the site's marine zone, and a single shallow survey found 168 species of fish.
  • Hawksbill turtles feed inshore beneath the peaks, while whale sharks and short-finned pilot whales pass in the deeper water offshore.
  • The two peaks can be seen from virtually every part of Saint Lucia and have long served seafarers as a landmark.
  • The triangles on Saint Lucia's flag, designed by the artist Dunstan St Omer in 1967, are widely read as an image of the Pitons.
  • Petroglyphs, shell middens and a megalith in the area record the Amerindian people who lived here before European settlement.
  • The endemic birds of Gros Piton include the Saint Lucia oriole and the endangered Saint Lucia black finch.
  • The peaks stand at the edge of the Qualibou Depression, a collapse structure about 7 km across in which the town of Soufrière lies.

Why it is worth it

The Pitons are the image most people have of Saint Lucia: two steep, forested spires rising almost directly from the Caribbean on the island's south-west coast. Petit Piton reaches 743 m and Gros Piton about 798 m, and the two are joined by the ridge of Piton Mitan. They are volcanic plugs, the hardened cores of old volcanoes, now left standing as the softer rock around them eroded away. Gros Piton is the second-highest peak on the island after Mount Gimie. Together with the surrounding land and sea, they form the Pitons Management Area, a World Heritage Site of 2,909 ha, inscribed in 2004.

The protected area includes a geothermal field with sulphurous fumaroles and hot springs, a reminder that the volcanic system is still active beneath the surface. The mountains are covered in tropical moist forest that gives way to wetter forest higher up, with patches of dry forest and stunted elfin woodland on the summits. At least 148 plant species have been recorded on Gros Piton and 97 on Petit Piton and the ridge, including eight rare trees. Gros Piton supports around 27 bird species, five of them endemic, along with native bats, reptiles and amphibians. The area is designated an Important Bird Area.

Hiking Gros Piton is the classic way to experience the mountains. No climbing gear is needed. The trail starts at the village of Fond Gens Libre, where trained local guides are assigned and are required; the round trip is about 6.5 km with some 730 m of ascent. The lower half is an easy walk and the upper half a steep climb through forest. At the top, the views reach Saint Vincent to the south and Martinique to the north. Most hikers take three to four hours or more. Petit Piton was first climbed in 1878 by Abdome Deligny; from its top Dominica, Martinique, Barbados and Saint Vincent can be seen.

The town of Soufrière lies just north of Petit Piton, which stands in the middle of Soufrière Bay. The mountains are so central to the island's identity that its best-known beer is named after them. Start early to avoid the heat, and carry plenty of water.

Getting there

The Pitons lie between the towns of Soufrière and Choiseul, with Gros Piton about 5 km south of Soufrière. Castries, the capital, is about 22 km away by straight line. The nearest airport is Hewanorra International (UVF), about 15 km away by straight line.

On these lists

The Most Beautiful UNESCO-Listed Mountains 7The Most Beautiful UNESCO-Listed Natural Wonders 38The UNESCO Sites of Exceptional Natural Beauty 77The Most Beautiful Mountains 91The Most Beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Sites 557The Most Beautiful Natural Wonders 580

From the encyclopaedia

The Pitons are two mountainous volcanic plugs, volcanic spires, located in Saint Lucia. Petit Piton is 743 m (2,438 ft) high and Gros Piton is 798.25 m (2,618.9 ft) high; they are linked by the Piton Mitan ridge. Piton means mountain peak in French, so Petit and Gros Piton respectively refer to the smaller and larger peak. The Pitons are a World Heritage Site, 2,909 ha in size, and located near the town of Soufrière.

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13.80708, -61.07036per Wikidata