Los Picachos

 4/5

Getting there: Drive a little under an hour from San Juan to get to the entrance of El Yunque National Forest. Having your own car is ideal, but you can also book a tour. Reservations used to be required to enter this area of the forest, but that is no longer the case. They only let in 200 cars at a time, so getting there early is a good idea. You’ll drive all the way to the end of the recreation corridor, taking a one-way road that will take you to the trailhead. Find a place to park on the road.

General Info: The trail to get there is initially the same that leads you to Britton Tower, Roca El Yunque, and Los Picachos. There are multiple signs that will show you which path to take. To get to the peak, you walk the Britton Tower trail until you get to the service road, then you take the nearby trail near the Britton Tower spur trail. There will be signs pointing you in the right direction. You can also hike from the Caimitillo picnic area. To get to Los Picachos peak it should take about two hours one way.

Heads up: Be careful when walking, the path can get slippery when wet. If it is raining, enjoy the journey because there won’t be much of a view at the top. This hike is harder than the rest in the recreation corridor, know that you will face very steep sections of trail, especially near the peak.

Pros

The rainforest is beautiful and the most scenic place to hike on the island.
There’s a chance of seeing endemic birds.
The view from the top is beautiful.

Cons

Getting caught in the rain here is common.
This is a difficult hike.