Hiking Trails Map off Road # 191. The North Side El Yunque Mountain
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AT PRESENT YOU MUST HAVE A PRIOR RESERVATION TO ENTER THE UPPER PARTS OF THE FOREST. You can get a reservation the day before (maybe) on their internet site. It is for a private or rental car, doesn't matter who is in the car. The Forest Service controls how many cars can go up to the upper half of the road. This eliminates over crowding and keeps visitors safer. Uber is not allowed to go in. Taxis are not allowed to go in. To walk up from the access control gate is many miles uphill. If you are in a car you can drive all the way up to the Mt.Britton parking and hike up. Otherwise, you can hike in the lower forest, the 'wet forest'. Angelito Trail is good. The private trail for guests at the Rainforest Inn is good. You can only access the real rainforest and the exquisite cloud forest by hiking from the parking near the top of road #191, with your permit to enter the control gate. The El Toro trail, is at the top of road #186, does let you reach the cloud forest, no permit needed. The road crosses many little waterfalls and rivers. Very scenic but swimming is risky due to flash floods. It is a long hike in on the El Toro Trail and there are no forest rangers in this area. Parking is not secure. CAMPING IS NO LONGER ALLOWED IN THE NATIONAL FOREST. When you get to the top, just before going over the bridge, there is a little path to the left that leads to a nice pool to swim in. Then go further up the road to the picnic shelters. There is path UP the mountain from the picnic area but it is not well maintained. You will pass a guest house on the right just before reaching the the top of #191, south side. |
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View from El Yunque Peak tower to the Mt. Britton Tower ( hike up) looking south Photo: Elena
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Los Picachos Peaks.
Photo: Elena
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EL YUNQUE NATIONAL RAIN FOREST |
TRAVEL GUIDE TO PUERTO RICO |