Kicking off a New Year! SW Coast hike Guam.

Kicking it off with a long day. We had friends suggest we all check this out on New Year’s day. I had read and contemplated doing this trip but never had the drive, unless we were going to share the experience with others.

The trail begins at Nimitz Beach Park in Agat, Guam and follows the coast line for 8 miles south to the village of Umatac, Guam. When I thought, “this can’t be that tough, there’s no significant elevation change”; I couldn’t have been more wrong. What takes the place of elevation change is the knee to waist deep water for approximately half the trip! 

Nonetheless, it’s 8 miles (the local guide book says it’s only 7.5) which isn’t the worst as long as you pack accordingly. We packed sandwiches and plenty of water and did just fine with a break at this creek mouth to eat. 

Views and incredible scenic features in the form of geological formations, beaches, bays and volcanic platforms make for wonderful photo opportunities. The trip includes the destinations of many, more traveled, short hikes such as Talafaik Bridge, Sella Bay (and the old Spanish bridge), Cetti Bay and Fouha Bay. In addition to these terrain and views, there’s wildlife! Sharks, dolphins, birds, monitor lizards, crabs and more all can be found along the shores and clifflines. 

The hike itself! As stated, much of it is in the water. You step right in at Nimitz park and proceed for a while, passing some private waterfront properties.   Later you find yourself continuously transiting from sand to rock and over some small boulder sections. Be sure to have shoes that offer traction… dive booties actually proved to work very well for some in our group although, I’m not sure I’d want to do 8 miles in those. While best to attempt at low tide it can be done at higher water levels, just be sure to protect your gear as there can be some deep holes of water to traverse. With deeper water holes come plenty of places to take a dip and cool off. The most spectacular to me was the mouth of the river at Cetti Bay. The water was vibrant blue and deep enough to jump into!  As you proceed down the trail to the village of Umatac the trip wraps up at Fouha Bay and the iconic “Fouha Rock”, known in Chamorro legend as the birthplace of mankind.

One of the most exciting aspects of this hike are the views and virtually untouched landscape not normally seen on those shorter hikes.

That about wraps it up; enjoy some more pics below!

Hope you enjoy travelling with us. Remember, pack it in, pack it out and leave no trace! And don’t forget to follow us on instagram @apogeeadventure