The Best Hikes of El Yunque (The Caribbean National Forest)

In warmer months, I usually try to avoid hiking in the rain as much as possible. Sometimes I’ll even cancel a trip if the chance of precipitation exceeds twenty percent, just to avoid slogging thru the mud with raingear on. What good is raingear that repels the falling water, and then creates a humid, tropical microclimate on the inside from my body’s exertion?

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One of the most spectacular views on the El Yunque Trail in the Caribbean National Forest.

This branch was laid out across the trail. We picked it up to make sure it wasn’t covering a trap that headhunters set up.

The trail surface can vary between pavement and gravel to dirt and rocks, so boots are recommended.

Flowers like these are growing right on the trail in some places, providing a short intermission between green, green, and green.

But when the chance came up to actually go hiking in a rain forest, I didn’t hesitate, not for a second. My immediate thoughts were of huge snakes and mudslides and Michael Douglass. I was going.

What is it about rain forests that attract us outdoors-types? Maybe it’s because we know it’s going to be raining, and for once, it’s part of the attraction, a positive image. The thought of rain falling in the rain forest brings about a sort of calm, not unlike thinking about a waterfall. It’s no wonder they sell audiotapes like “Sounds of the Rain Forest.” When was the last time you saw them selling “Sounds of rain in the Catskills?” That’s because rain in the Catskills is not a welcome weather event. Ever.

It was this train of thought that led me to The Caribbean National Forest in Puerto Rico, the only tropical rainforest within the US Forest System. El Yunque, (which is how we’ll refer to it from here on in, as that’s how it’s known locally), is one of the oldest protected reserves in the Western Hemisphere, and contains three-quarters of the island’s remaining virgin forest.

Hiking here is a unique experience, starting with the fact that it’s the only National Forest that’s not located within the continental US. An hour’s drive from San Juan, El Yunque is a 43-square-mile section of the Sierra de Luquillo mountain range. It’s unique location and topography is responsible for the 100 billion gallons of water that fall from the sky here in any given year. That’s more than 200 inches of rain. For comparison, Mt. Olympus in Washington receives almost 200 inches of rain per year, and is considered to be the wettest place on mainland USA.

The rainforest’s habitat is responsible for the huge diversity of plant life located within these 28,000 acres. There are dozens of varieties of palms, more than 200 individual types of fern, and 80 varieties of orchid. The lower elevations alone have 23 native tree species that haven’t been found anywhere else on earth, one of the reasons the UN declared it a Biosphere Reserve back in the 70’s.

The wildlife is just as fragile and diverse, starting with the Endangered Puerto Rican Parrot. With less than 50 left in the forest, don’t plan on seeing one! Wherever these timid birds hang out, you can bet it’s not near the hiking trails. The only difference between the Parrot and the Puerto Rican Boa is that you probably don’t want to see the Boa, unless you’re one of those fearless types that are comfortable being around 9-foot long snakes in the wild. You’re not going to see one of those hanging around one of the rain shelters either.

But there is plenty of wildlife, including numerous bird species. Sometimes you just need to hang around a quiet place on the trail for a little while to see them. Other creatures might be just hanging around. Lizards are everywhere. If you hear something making noise in the forest, it’s a lizard. The giant forest snails don’t run fast enough to make that kind of noise. But you’ll see plenty of those too.

The flora and fauna of the forest is safe, for the most part, unless you’re trying to get a cool photo of a Boa around your neck. There are a few plants that are poisonous, but not much of a problem if you’re staying on the trail. There have recently been a few reports of rabid Mongoose attacks though (which I swear I’m not making up), so no petting the friendly mongoose kids.

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