El Yunque National Forest (A Local’s Guide to Visiting)
El Yunque National Forest is a nature reserve located in the Sierra de Luquillo mountains. It’s the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System and gets over 120 inches of rainfall in a year.
Home to hundreds of unique plant and animal species, it features beautiful waterfalls, natural pools, hiking trails, camping areas, and historical sites.
As a Puerto Rico local, I’ve been there multiple times, and I know there is a lot to see and do. In fact, El Yunque is high on my list of the top Puerto Rico attractions.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through some things you should know before visiting.
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How to Visit
How to Get to El Yunque
Driving from Old San Juan will take you around 50 minutes taking PR-66 and PR-3. PR-191 is the main street that will take you from Rio Grande’s town center up to the forest’s gate.
🚗 Drive – Public transportation doesn’t reach El Yunque from San Juan. The best way to get there is to rent a car in Puerto Rico. You can use Discover Cars to compare rental car prices from multiple agencies.
🚎 Tours – Alternatively, private tour companies can pick you up at your hotel in San Juan. Check out some of the best El Yunque Tours on Viator, or see my guide to the best El Yunque tours.
🚕 Taxis & Uber – Taxis and Ubers cannot enter El Yunque for pick-ups or drop-offs. They drop you at the gate on PR 191 and you would need to walk to the rest of the forest, which is not practical. Even if you get someone to drop you off, you’ll have a hard time finding a ride back.
Reservations
The entrance to the most popular part of El Yunque, known as La Mina Recreation Area, works on a first-come, first-served basis.
The reservation system is no longer valid. Instead, visitors will be allowed in the park until reaching maximum capacity which is 200 cars.
If the parking lots are full when you arrive at the gate in PR 191, you’ll have to wait until new spaces open up. Arriving early or late in the afternoon is your best take during the high season. Note that the PR 191 gate closes at 5:00 pm.
Hours and Details
🎟️ Entrance – Free
🕖 Operating Hours – 8:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, closed on December 25 and days with dangerous weather conditions.
🚙 Parking – Available in designated parking areas. Limited capacity.
🖥️ Website – El Yunque National Forest
📍 Map It – Río Grande 00745
📞 Phone – 787-888-1880
🧑🏻🤝🧑🏻 Tours – It’s possible to visit El Yunque through private tours. Some great El Yunque tours are:
- Small-Group El Yunque Rainforest Vivid Day Tour with Transport
- El Yunque National Forest Half Day Tour
- From San Juan: El Yunque Rainforest Hiking Adventure
📍 New to Puerto Rico? Here are the popular places in Puerto Rico you need to visit!
Things to Do in El Yunque
El Portal Visitors Center
El Portal Visitors Center is the go-to place to learn about El Yunque’s history and importance as a research site. It’s also the place where you can see the endangered Puerto Rican parrot!
There is an interactive area for kids, as well as a small theater. You can also hike the trail behind the portal and get a brief experience of what you’ll find within the rainforest. El Portal costs $8 to enter. Currently, cash and cards are accepted as payment methods.
Hiking
El Yunque National Forest is a paradise for hiking enthusiasts, with numerous trails for all tastes. Some of the top trails are:
🥾 Mount Britton Tower Trail – Around 0.8 miles long, it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete, but it offers an amazing view of the surrounding forest from the viewing tower on clear days.
🥾 La Coca Trail –This challenging trail goes down the mountain into the Tabonuco forest, crossing three times the water, climbing over fallen trees, and walking through muddy paths until reaching the Mameyes River. People often get lost here, so make sure to follow the trail and visit only when it is dry enough.
🥾 Los Picachos Trail – You can access this trail of moderate difficulty through the Caimitillo Trail. Los Picachos is one of the longest trails in El Yunque, and it takes over 3 hours to do a roundtrip, but the landscape at the top will take your breath away.
🥾 Angelito Trail – You can access the Angelito Trail through PR 988. This is an easy trail of a 0.2-mile distance and it takes you to the Río Mameyes after a 10-minute walk.
📚 Concerned About Your Safety? Read the complete guide for staying safe in Puerto Rico.
🥾 El Yunque Trail – Starting in the Caimitillo Trail, El Yunque Trail is one of the most difficult in the forest, but the changes in altitude will allow you to appreciate the diversity of flora and fauna. The trail is 2.6 miles long and it takes around 4 hours to complete.
⚠️ As of October 2025, a part of the Caimitillo Trail that connects with El Yunque Peak is closed. El Yunque Peak can be accessed through FS 10, but the rest of the trail is open.
🥾 La Mina Trail – La Mina Trail goes down the mountain until reaching a 30-foot waterfall. Although temporarily closed for repairs, this is one of the trails with more traffic.
🥾 Big Tree Trail – Next to La Mina Trail, this 0.9-mile trail of moderate difficulty gets its name from the Tabonuco trees you can see in it. For now, it’s temporarily closed.
🥾 El Toro – El Toro trail takes you to one of the highest peaks between the Luquillo mountains in what’s considered one of the top Puerto Rico hikes. The challenging 2.3-mile trail ends at a peak with a beautiful view on clear days.
Exploring Nature
With hundreds of species within 29,000 acres of green forest, El Yunque is a destination nature lovers can’t miss. The forest allows visitors to enjoy immense biodiversity including endangered species like the Puerto Rican parrot, which the USDA Forest Service has protected since 1968.
El Yunque also has four types of tropical forest including the Tabonuco Forest, Palo Colorado Forest, Sierra Palm Forest, and the Dwarf Forest, which means you’ll see different plants and vegetation depending on the altitude.
Observation Towers
El Yunque National Forest features two observation towers that allow visitors to soak in the view of the surrounding Puerto Rican mountains. The first one is the Yokahú Tower and the second is Mount Britton Tower, which you can find at the end of a 45-minute hike.
Zipline Canopy
Besides hiking and bathing in breathtaking waterfalls, adrenaline-seekers will love to know that private companies surrounding El Yunque offer ziplining tours in the foothills of the park. Search Viator’s top ziplining tours in El Yunque, to add more adventure to your trip or book a tour with Rainforest Zipline Park.
Horseback Riding
Hacienda Carabalí offers popular horseback riding tours around El Yunque and Rio Grande’s beach. This is a great tour to see El Yunque if you’re not a fan of hiking. For something a little more thrilling, check out its ATV tours.
🛎️ Need a hotel? Exploring El Yunque in one day is close to impossible. You can stay in the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort, to spend a few days discovering El Yunque and other great nearby attractions in Luquillo, Fajardo, Vieques, Culebra, and Naguabo.
Waterfalls
🌊Juan Diego Falls – Considered one of the best Puerto Rico waterfalls, Juan Diego Falls are not visible from the main road. You have to hike 5 minutes uphill following the river through a muddy trail, before finding the main fall and its natural pool.
🌊 La Mina Falls – A 30-foot waterfall surrounded by the Tabonuco Forest. The reopening of La Mina Falls is set for 2026.
🌊 La Coca Falls – La Coca Falls is visible from the main road and you can climb through the rocks to take a closer look at it and get a beautiful picture.
🌊 Las Pailas – Born from the rivers of El Yunque, Las Pailas in Luquillo is a waterfall that forms a natural slide between rocks.
🌊 Las Tinajas – On the south side of El Yunque, you will find Las Tinajas waterfall, and Charco El Hippie, popular for its Taino petroglyphs and cliff diving activities.
👉 Local Tip: Always check the weather before swimming in the rivers and falls of El Yunque. Since it rains constantly the area is prone to flash flooding.
Camping
Staying a night in El Yunque will be the highlight of your visit. The park has designated areas for camping, but the Forest Service has yet to announce when these areas will be open to the public.
You also have to ask for a special permit to stay through the USDA Forest Service’s website.
Yet, you’ll find plenty of campsites surrounding El Yunque where you can spend the night. For more information, see my full guide to camping in El Yunque.
History of El Yunque
The Taíno
It’s believed El Yunque represented a sacred mountain to the Taíno on the island and that the name of the mountain might be related to the word Yuke, which meant “white lands” for the Taíno.
📍 Don’t miss – Taíno petroglyphs carved in rocks along Rio Blanco in the southside of the forest in Naguabo, close to El Hippie swimming hole.
The Spanish Era
1500s – The Europeans established mines surrounding El Yunque and Sierra de Luquillo.
1600s – The forest became an area for coffee and timber production.
1876 – King Alphonso XII proclaimed 10,000 hectares of the Luquillo mountains a reserve, becoming one of the oldest reserves in the Western Hemisphere.
The American Era
1898 – Puerto Rico becomes a commonwealth of the United States.
1905 – The name changes to Luquillo National Forest under the supervision of the National Forest Service.
1933 – The Congress creates the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a group of locals responsible for reforestation and building roads and recreational facilities through the Luquillo mountains.
📍 Don’t miss – Baño Grande Historical Site and Mount Britton Tower created by the CCC.
1935 – The name changes to Caribbean National Forest with more than 20,000 acres of land.
1940s – The peak of El Yunque serves during World War II as a radar site.
1976 – Now called the Luquillo Experimental Forest for being a research site, El Yunque becomes part of the United Nations International Network of Biosphere Reserves.
1989 – Hurricane Hugo causes great damage to the ecosystem of El Yunque.
1998 – Hurricane Georges strikes the island.
2003 – The reserve celebrates 100 years.
2007 – The Caribbean National Forest name changes to El Yunque National Forest.
After Hurricane Maria
In 2017, Hurricane Maria, the most destructive hurricane in Puerto Rico in decades, caused massive deforestation in El Yunque National Forest. It affected wildlife and endangered species like the Puerto Rican parrot. Later Hurricane Fiona in 2022 also affected the area. As a consequence, some areas of the forest are off-limits to the public.
Tips for Visiting
Arrive Early
Although the reservation system for El Yunque is no longer in place, visitors are only allowed in the park until reaching its maximum capacity.
Arriving later in the day during the weekends and high season means you’ll have to wait until visitors inside leave the rainforest. Booking an El Yunque Tour guarantees you don’t miss out on the experience.
Wear Hiking Boots
Since it rains daily on El Yunque, the hiking trails get muddy and that, added to elevation, can make it hard to move around.
If you’re planning to explore some of the best Puerto Rico hiking trails located in El Yunque, then a good pair of boots will help you conquer the territory.
For more clothing advice, see my full guide to how to dress for Puerto Rico.
Pack Snacks
If you decide to go hiking through some of the longest trails, bring a backpack with enough supplies to keep you going for a few hours. Just remember to take your trash with you.
Pack an Extra Change of Clothes
You won’t be able to resist the waterfalls, but going around in wet clothes can ruin the rest of El Yunque’s experiences, so bring an extra change of clothes or swimwear. Bring a rain jacket too to keep yourself dry during the common showers.
Learn about other things you need to pack here.
Wear Sunscreen
Although in some parts the foliage is thick enough to barely let some sunlight through, you’ll still manage to get tanned in the tropical forest, so make sure to pack your sunscreen.
Explore Other Areas
Many travelers spend their visit to El Yunque in La Mina Recreation Area in PR 191, and who could blame them?
But, the areas of the tropical rainforest that are in Naguabo, Canovanas, and Luquillo, also offer great trails, rivers, and landscapes. Las Tinajas, Charco El Hippie, and El Toro Peak are a few of them.
Drink Tons of Water
Don’t let the cloudy day fool you. It’s easy to get dehydrated in El Yunque, so make sure to carry enough water along with your snacks, and don’t drink the river’s water.
Bring your Asthma Inhaler
For those who have chronic asthma, bringing along your asthma inhaler is a good idea. Besides the obvious strenuous activity, the high altitude, the humid atmosphere, and the spores in the air might trigger your asthma during your visit.
Want more local tips for visiting Puerto Rico? Check out my full list of Puerto Rico travel tips here.
Puerto Rico: A Local’s Travel Guide
$29.95Learn how to explore Puerto Rico like a local. This is a practical handbook expertly crafted to help you get the most out of your time in Puerto Rico.
FAQs
What is special about El Yunque?
El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the United States National Forest System and is home to hundreds of animal species, including the Puerto Rican parrot. The forest also consists of 4 different types of forest with vegetation that visibly changes with altitude.
How much does it cost to visit El Yunque?
Visiting El Yunque is free, the reservation system is no longer in place.
Is El Yunque one of the Seven Wonders of the World?
El Yunque is not one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but the rainforest is one of the 28 finalists of the New 7 Seven Wonders of Nature, chosen by the public vote.
How long does it take to walk El Yunque?
Exploring La Mina Recreation Area in El Yunque can take a complete day, but walking the different trails of the forest and visiting all its areas through the different cities can take at least a week.
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Now you are ready to visit El Yunque! Don’t miss these other fun things to see and do in Puerto Rico to make your trip even better!
Hello
I’m trekking El Yunque during mid-week in March 2024.
How bad are the cars backed up on a Wednesday at 12pm?
Whats the likelihood of me getting into the park between 12p-1pm?
Do we need a 4×4 car, or any car will do?
Is Luquillo Beach inside El Yunque?
When entrance gates close at 5pm, does it mean people in the park can still exit? (some parks close the “Enter” gates, but still allow people inside to Exit)
Thanks so much!
Hi Ed! You don’t need a 4×4 in El Yunque. Although curvy, all roads are paved so any car will do. Getting inside on a Wednesday at 12 pm shouldn’t be as tedious as on the weekends, and mid-March is already less crowded than in the winter high season. So, you should be able to get inside without much waiting. However, if you’re planning on hiking on any of the routes of El Yunque, I’d recommend arriving earlier to be able to do multiple things besides hiking and to start before the hottest hours of the day. It’s also more likely that you arrive before the crowds. You should be out of the gate by five Park rangers and local police enforce this. If you stay longer, you could potentially get fined or locked up. If you still want to do something after 5 pm go to Angelito Trail, or Puente Roto. They are all open after 5 pm, are located within El Yunque, and are outside the PR 191 gate. Luquillo Beach isn’t inside El Yunque, but it’s a short ride away.
how long does it take to go down to the largest water pool?
Hi Janet! There are multiple pools/ rivers you can visit in El Yunque. The hike to Juan Diego Falls, one of the most popular ones, is about 5 minutes. The hike to Mamayes River on the Angelito Trail is about 10 minutes and in Puente Roto, it’s 2 minutes. If you’re referring to Baño Grande (the man-made pool), the walk from the main road takes a minute.
Was there few years ago totally loved it!!
We will be there start of June 2023 with some of our girl scouts. We have one parent with fibromyalgia which can make some activities difficult however we really want to hit at least one waterfall to swim. Which waterfall and trails would you suggest that are not too strenuous. Also, trying to get our tickets but apparently missed the 30 day order deadline, how hard is it to get tickets when it opens the day ahead option?
thank you for this, great info!!
We love el yunque
Great detailed information. Thank you