Cerro de Punta or Cerro Punta is the highest

peak Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-d ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, rising to above sea level.As of February, 1981, the

US Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...

reports the height as 1,328 meters. (See
''Geographic Names Information System: Feature Query Results.''
United States Geological Survey. 13-FEB-1981. Retrieved 22 August 2013.) However, Gousha (1995) and Metrodata (1998) report the height as 1,338 meters. (See

Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico en Bayamon. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Matematicas. Retrieved 22 August 2013.) The

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

is part of the Cordillera Central and is located on the town boundary between the

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Ponce and Jayuya in the central region of the main island of Puerto Rico.

Location

The

is part of the Cordillera Central and is located on the border between the municipalities of Ponce and Jayuya. The access road to the point closest to the highest elevation is from PR-143 on the borders of the municipalities of Ponce and Jayuya. It is part of the Toro Negro Forest Reserve, and it has been described as "an alpine runt." It is located on the western end of the Toro Negro State Park. The mountain is just north of east-to-westbound Route 143. It is located at coordinates 18.172458 and -66.591839W. The nearest populated place to Cerro de Punta is ''Urbanización Vega Linda'', located 3.3 miles (5.3 km) away.

Geology

Unlike many

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

mountains, Cerro de Punta is not a

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

but simply the highest point in the Cordillera Central. Cordillera Central is the central mountain range that divides the island by running in an east–west fashion.

Best view

The view from atop Cerro de Punta is said to be "the best view in all of Puerto Rico". On a clear day, it is possible to see virtually the entire island, including as far as

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

, which is over 75 miles (120 km) away. There are a number of radio and television transmission and re-transmission towers just off the top of the mountain.Brandon Stephens, Marion Smith, and Alan Cressler. ''Cerro de Punta.'' Published by Brian Killingbeck. ©2005.
There is an observation platform at the top of the mountain.

Wildlife and flora

The mountain is home to an abundant amount of wildlife, lush vegetation, flowering shrubs and trees, and numerous

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

s. The mountain is covered by Sierra palm trees. Various plants, including some endangered species are found here, such as the endangered

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

'' Elaphoglossum serpens'' which is found only on this mountain and nowhere else in the world,USFWS
Recovery Plan for Puerto Rican Endangered Ferns (7 spp.).
January 1995. and Cook's holly (''

Ilex cookii ''Ilex cookii'' (Cook's holly or ''te'') is a species of plant in the family Aquifoliaceae. It is endemic to Puerto Rico. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. Conservation This tre ...

'') or ''planta de te'', which is only found here and in neighboring Mount Jayuya.

Nearby roads

The area consists of many steep mountains. The nearest road is PR-143, which is a winding two-lane mountain road that must be travelled very slowly as it is not possible to see traffic coming from the opposite direction for any significant length. Off Route 143 is the road that actually leads to the mountain's top. Route 143 can be accessed via the better-traveled Route 10. Route 143 is part of the Ruta Panorámica. For your safety, driving in Puerto Rico sign.jpg, Driving in mountain roads tips View of roadway that leads up to Cerro de Punta.jpg, View of roadway from Cerro de Punta

Hiking and access trail

A nearby inn called Hacienda Gripiñas, has a trail that leads to the top of the mountain. Hacienda Gripiñas was a coffee plantation, but has been turned into a country inn. In 2010 it still grew some coffee. The inn operates under a contract with the Government of Puerto Rico. The trails, however, are not well marked and often suffer damage from storms. While people can hike their way to the top of the mountain, there is a paved road that leads to the very summit. The

Toro Negro State Forest Toro Negro State Forest (Spanish: ''Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro'') is one of the 21 forests that make up the public forests system in Puerto Rico. It is also Puerto Rico's highest cloud forest. It is in the Cordillera Central, Puerto Rico, Cord ...

has 12 miles (19 km) of hiking trails some of which lead to the top of Cerro de Punta.

Gallery

View from Cerro de Punta, highest point in Puerto Rico.jpg, View from Cerro de Punta, highest point in Puerto Rico Paved road for climbing up to Cerro de Punta, Puerto Rico.jpg, Paved road for climbing up to Cerro de Punta Cerro de Punta plateau.jpg, Antennas at Cerro de Punta Cerro de Punta, highest point in Puerto Rico.jpg, Lookout area at Cerro de Punta's summit Cerro de Punta as seen from Mercedita Airport, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC02952).jpg, Cerro de Punta as seen from Mercedita Airport, Ponce, Puerto Rico Cerro de Punta as seen from the Caja de Muertos, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03691).jpg, Cerro de Punta as seen from Caja de Muertos, Ponce, Puerto Rico Cerro Punta Puerto Rico.JPG, Cerro de Punta as viewed from Ruta Panorámica

Notes

References

External links

Cerro de punta photos from Panoramio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cerro de Punta Mountains in Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce, Puerto Rico Barrio Anón Tourist attractions in Ponce, Puerto Rico Jayuya, Puerto Rico Highest points Geography of Puerto Rico