Juan Diego Waterfalls Photo: Elena
What is a rain forest? In the case of El Yunque in Puerto Rico it is all about being the first mountain to face the wind and catch all the rain.
El Yunque is a cool, mountainous, tropical rainforest.
The Eastern side of the Luquillo Mountains, which has the El Yunque rainforest at the top elevations, gets most of the rain. . . "The true sub tropical 'Rain forest' occupies very little area in Puerto Rico, only a single, crescent shaped, band on the windward side of the El Yunque mountains. It lies wholly within the El Yunque National Forest Reserve. This life zone is characterized by an annual total of 3,400 mm of rain. Its' main features are the Sierra Palmsand a superabundance of epiphytes.". . . The trade winds blow from the north east and these mountains ( 3,500 ft elev. ) are in the north easternmost part of Puerto Rico. As the warm moist air rises when it meets the mountains and cools off, it dumps the rain...and intensifies the wind.
Getting to El Yunque: Best way: Rent a car! Uber can not drive you up into the reserve, they are not allowed. Many tours are available with pick up from San Juan. They vary. Half day only El Yunque, no real hiking. Or combine with Luquillo Beach (calm and beautiful) or the Bio Bay.. check moon schedule if contemplating the Bio Bay night tour. |
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Maintained by the US Forest Service, El Yunque offers a unique opportunity to visit a rainforest. Hours are 6 AM - to 6 PM. Phone numbers for US Forest Service (787) 888-1810 or (787) 888-1880. If you drive you need a prior reservation to enter your car. Otherwise there are many tours with pick up in San Juan. |
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EL PORTAL VISITOR CENTER Restoration has being done now. It is OPEN. Information, exhibits and store.
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PALMER TOWN: ENTRANCE TO EL YUNQUE
Visit the town of Palmer for exhibits, gifts. Restaurants and small shops in town.
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How the rainforest is created: The winds must rise when they meet the mountains. This rising of the air mass causes the air to cool and release rain on the windward side.
The native peoples made many a spiritual journey to the top of 'Yuquiyu'. It still feels very special at La Roca, Mt. Britton and Los Picachos peaks and an aura of mystery surrounds you in the cloud or dwarf forest! "According to Legend, the good spirit 'Yuquiyu' reigned on his mighty mountain-top throne, protecting the Taino people." |
The Cloud Forest on the La Roca Trail
Trail to La Roca. Photo Clay Humphrey
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At the very top of the mountain peaks the further increase of both wind and rain creates the dwarf or 'elfin forest'in which few species are able to adapt and cling to the wet soil. Often shrouded in fog, this is a particularly beautiful part of the forest, with its twisted and stunted trunks. Trail to La Roca. Photo: Elena Humphrey
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The intrigue of visiting the El Yunque rain forest is only partly in the observation of the varieties of plants that have managed to grow and adapt to the copious amounts of year round rainfall and winds near the top. The magic of El Yunque is in the pristine beauty, the sounds, the quietness and the serenity. |
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LA ROCA Lost in the mist on a cloudy day. A 2 hour hike further up from Mt. Britton. The trail to Mt. Britton starts from the parking at the top of the road. It is about 45 minutes up THE paved trail. |
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Starting at the Palo Colorado visitors center you can cross the street to walk around the dam, or go down the stairs to the little picnic gazebos and the long trail down to La Mina Falls.
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On the south side of the rainforest, up from Naguabo on the south spur of # 191. Highest lodging is Casa Cubuy Ecolodge and Sierra Palms.
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| National Park History:
This reserve was first set aside by the king of Spain, which then transferred to the federal government in 1898. How did the present lookout towers and trails first become established?
The Civilian Conservation Corps operated in the years between 1933 and 1942. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the CCC as part of the New Deal Initiative, a program to end the Great Depression. Through this federally funded program, 3,463,766 young men found employment and much needed food, clothing and shelter. Using little else than shovels and axes, the young men of the CCC completed recreation and conservation projects on public lands throughout the United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. They built roads and towers, developed recreational sites and trails, and engaged in forestry and wildlife improvements. In all of these sites, people today reap the benefits of the work done by the CCC |
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The forest hosts a number of unique plant and animal species such as the endangered Puerto Rican Parrot ( very rarely seen) and the tiny coquis (indigenous tree frogs) that serenade the evening hours. No dangerous snakes in Puerto Rico.
Drive to the very top of road #191 on the north side, through Palmer. You will find a sign with an arrow pointing to the Mt. Britton parking. The trail begins there.
The Mt. Britton lookout tower, on a small peak, is a great hike. 45 minutes up, less down. 3,088 ft. high. It is a wonderful overlook of the El Yunque Rain Forest, on a clear day you can see forever! On a cloudy day, with a little wind, the clouds are swirling around you. Great experience, well worth the hike up. There are 3 covered rest stations on the way up. The trail leads you up to a road, turn right on the road and walk a small distance up to the path marked Mt. Britton Tower.
| Mount Britton Tower is a favorite hiking trail with the tower destination and views over the mountains tops. |
Sunny days you can see forever, cloudy days the clouds swirl around and below you! |
NIGHT SYMPHONY |
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Above is a little Puerto Rican Tody ( todus mexicanus) , locally called 'San Pedrito'. Tiny little
birds, they travel through the woods in twos, chirping to each other
as they go from branch to branch, in sight of each other or in hearing
distance. They nest in holes dug into clay banks. Photo above: Father Sanchez.
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"The release of the Puerto Rican parrots into the wild is an essential step in the recovery program for this species, 690+ parrots are now living in the wild. Several Agencies release captive-bred Puerto Rico parrots (Amazona vittate) into the wild. They started in El Yunque in the 1980s, then added Rio Abajo State Forest in 2007. More recently, wildlife managers have begun to reintroduce a third population into the Maricao State Forest.
The Puerto Rican Screech-Owl is the only small owl found in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, measuring only 9 to 10 inches and weighs 4-5.5 ounces. It is grayish brown above, white below marked with heavy brown streaks and has no ear tufts.
Above: White cheeked pintail ducks. White-cheeked pintails are endemic to the Neotropical Realm. They are widely distributed and locally common in the Caribbean. Habitat: Slightly saline and fresh water lagoons.
The Puerto Rican woodpecker, the only woodpecker endemic to Puerto Rico, is a common and widely distributed species in Puerto Rico, mainly occurring in forests, coffee plantations, mangroves, palm tree ..
Above: Blue Heron. Shore birds found in Mangroves |
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