Live Life. Travel.

Hiking to the Top of the World in Puerto Rico
By Tara Miller

At first we couldn't see anything at all—just a blanket of clouds below us. We had just hiked 2 ½ miles up the El Yunque trail to the Mount Britton lookout tower and were now above the rain forest. The temperature was at least 10 degrees cooler than it had been below and we welcomed the change after the 40 minute hike up to the tower. We were wet with both sweat and rain from the hike up. The wind whipped the clouds through the sky and occasionally allowed us a glimpse at the rain forest hidden below.

When most people think of Puerto Rico they imagine sunning on the beach sipping a rum runner with the occasional swim in the crystal blue water. Don't get me wrong, we did that too. But today our group decided to conquer El Yunque. The Caribbean Nation Forest, know as El Yunque, is the only tropical forest in the National Forest System and an adventure we could not pass up. Although El Yunque is the smallest of all national forests (28,000 acres) it contains more individual species of trees (142 species) than any other national forest, many of which are 100 times bigger. Our time was limited so we started early. It was the Friday after Thanksgiving and we had plans to watch the UT v. ATM game in Old San Juan later that afternoon.

Against the recommendation of our hotel concierge, we decided to rent a car early Friday morning and guide ourselves through El Yunque. We were staying at the Wyndham El Conquistador in Fajardo only about 15 miles from El Yunque, and of course the concierge recommended we take their Rain Forest Tour followed by a Shopping Tour, etc…no thanks. The directions from the hotel sounded easy enough—west on 3, south on 191, so armed with our Puerto Rico guide book, off we went.

We drove past the El Portal Tropical Forest Center, a building that houses a rain forest exhibit and offers visitors information for a nominal fee, because our guide book explained that we could find trail maps further up the road for free. The jungle grew denser as we worked our way up the winding mountain road which was sporadically blocked by a fallen tree or mud slide. It was hard to believe that only a few miles away was the ocean. At about kilometer 8 on 191 we came to La Coca Falls. There is a small parking lot just before the falls on the right so we parked there and walked. From the parking lot you can see the water cascade over the slippery, moss covered rocks and the more adventurous can climb to the base of the falls. We stopped, took a few pictures, admired the beauty, and journeyed on. We were ready to hike and wanted to get a jump on the crowded tour buses that lurked behind us.

As we continued up, we past The Yocahu lookout tower and again at the recommendation of the guide book drove past to the next parking area at The Center. There are 2 large parking lots here, an information booth, restrooms, and a little store. The trailheads to both El Yunque and Big Tree originate here. We chose the Big Tree trail which leads down to La Mina Falls as our first hike. El Yunque is managed by the US Forest Service who has paved the trails making the hikes accessible to people of all ages and abilities. I would highly recommend packing a picnic as picnic areas are nestled all along the Big Tree Trail. The ecosystem of the rain forest is indescribable. Beneath a towering canopy of trees, some as old as 1,000 years, giant ferns arch their graceful fronds as bromeliads and epiphytes sprout from every nook and cranny of host trees. We could hear the rain above us, yet rarely felt a drop and the little coqui frogs chirped providing us a pleasant melody as we made our way down the path. After maybe 30 minutes of easy hiking we arrived at La Mina Falls. Note to self—next time bring my swim suit. Children and adults alike were splashing in the clean mountain stream and having a ball. The Big Tree trail actually continues past the falls and back out to the road about 1 km from the parking lot, but instead we chose to head back up the way we came.

Our next goal was the El Yunque trail up to one of the many observation towers. Unfortunately, our time was running out and so instead of hiking the entire El Yunque trail from the parking lot, we continued up 191 to the dead end, left the car and started our second hike. To tackle the entire El Yunque you really need a full day and more food and water than we had planned for so we opted for the cliff notes version.

This hike was significantly more difficult than The Big Tree with steep, slippery steps and switchbacks. The Mount Britton tower looked like an old castle, grey stone, stairs that wind around the inside of the building, dark and damp. The view from the top was worth every step, a giant ocean of white clouds hiding the rain forest we had just emerged from. Standing above and observing the clouds that had rained on us all morning emphasized the amount El Yunque receives annually, more than 15 feet of rain a year. The wind had picked up too and was whipping the clouds across the lush greenery below. On a clear day from the top of the tower I'm sure you can see for miles, but fate did not grace us with a clear day so instead we watched in amazement as clouds swirled below us.

The El Yunque trail actually continues further up the mountain to other observation towers, but we had a football game to watch so we headed back down the trail to the car. Although the hiking was awesome, I have to admit that my favorite part of the day was our after hike meal. Earlier, on our way up the mountain, we noticed a small restaurant (for lack of better words) on the side of road that claimed to have the best piña coladas in the world and seeing as how I am a piña colada connoisseur I had to try one. A Puerto Rican man grilled chicken and pork shish kabobs while another fried tacos (they were more like empanadas but they called them tacos) as we sipped piña coladas. I'm not sure if I was just famished, but everything tasted delicious and yes, the piña coladas lived up to their claim!

I will definitely venture back to El Yunque and finish the things we left undone. I would love to spend a few days hiking through all of this National Forest, camping, picnicking, swimming and exploring. During this visit time did not allow us to discover all that El Yunque had to offer, but I will go back.

**All Photos by Tara Miller

If You Go

For information on El Yunque visit:

www.fs.fed.us/r8/caribbean/index.htm

www.wyndham.com

Wyndham El Conquistador Resort

1000 Conquistador Avenue

Fajardo, 00738

Puerto Rico

787-863-1000

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