El Yunque or El Yunque Peak (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Pico El Yunque'') (

Taíno The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The ...

: ''Yukiyu'') is a mountain located fully within the boundaries of the

El Yunque National Forest El Yunque National Forest (), formerly known as the Caribbean National Forest (or ''Bosque Nacional del Caribe''), is a forest located in northeastern Puerto Rico. While there are both temperate and tropical rainforests in other states and terri ...

, part of the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...

, which is the only

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are dense and warm rainforests with high rainfall typically found between 10° north and south of the Equator. They are a subset of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28° latitudes (in the torrid zo ...

under the

jurisdiction. It is located in the municipality of Río Grande.

Background

Awesome view form the Three Peaks in El Yunque

The peak itself, standing at above sea level is not the highest in Puerto Rico or even the Sierra de Luquillo range where it is located. It is however the most famous peak due to its curious shape, its natural environment and history, and for its cultural importance to the Taino people. The peak is nearly always covered in thin mist and due to its high humidity, a quick shower develops during some afternoons. The hike to the top from the Mina Falls is not challenging yet it takes almost hours. This peak is located on the El Yunque massif which also contains other smaller peaks such as Mount Britton, Juan Diego Peak and the Roca del Yunque which is a rocky peak close to the summit of El Yunque. El Yunque massif itself is part of the Sierra de Luquillo. The highest point in the Sierra de Luquillo is El Toro (

for ''the bull'') located in the municipal boundary between Río Grande and Las Piedras, which lends its name to the

El Toro Wilderness El Toro Wilderness () is a federally designated National Wilderness Preservation System unit located within El Yunque National Forest (formerly known as the Caribbean National Forest) on the Sierra de Luquillo in eastern Puerto Rico. El Toro, ...

Climate

El Yunque is classified as having a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

Köppen climate Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author a ...

type 'Af', along with surrounding areas, approximating a

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring c ...

at the peak. The average temperature of the park is 70 °F, and seasonal variation virtually nonexistent. The rugged area can receive over 200 inches (5080 millimeters) of annual rainfall and is the rainiest of all US national forests.

Access

It is accessible via Mt Britton trail near the end of PR 191, which starts in PR 3 in the small town of Palmer. The best access from San Juan is via PR 66 toll express in 1 hr. which exits to PR 3. At the end of PR 191 in El Yunque there is a loop that goes to the entrance of the Mt Britton trail - close to El Yunque peak. It is one of the few places close to this trail with about 15 parking spots. This trail is mostly paved and leads to the Mt Britton tower, the Three Peaks (Tres Picachos), the spur trail, and finally El Yunque peak with communications systems (towers) and then a small tower in the peak. The main road PR 191 has a gate at the end and after this there is a maintenance road to El Yunque and then the closed section of PR 191 which is about 3 hours long - a road that is being reclaimed by the forest and is closed due to a massive landslide. There is also the entrance the Tradewinds trail - possibly the longest trail of the park, which ends in El Toro Peak. Its summit provides views of the other peaks of El Yunque, the vast rainforest below, and the rest of the island. The river in PR 191 called Quebrada Juan Diego is just below this peak and has a trails, waterfalls and ponds.

Gallery

File:El Yunque Puerto Rico.jpg, Morning mist in El Yunque rainforest by El Yunque peak. File:Pico El Yunque.jpg, El Yunque massif with Pico El Yunque, Roca El Yunque and Mount Britton. File:View of El Yunque from Britton Tower in Puerto Rico.jpg, El Yunque view from Mount Britton Tower. File:Puerto Rico El Yunque 4.jpg, El Yunque from the north. File:Flickr - ggallice - Window to El Yunque.jpg, El Yunque from Yocahu Tower. File:Top of El Yunque, from the Yokahú Tower, an observation tower built in 1963.jpg, Los Picachos (left) and El Yunque (right) covered in fog. File:Northeast Ecological Corridor and El Yunque National Forest.jpg, El Yunque from the Northeast Ecological Corridor. File:El Yunque close-up.jpg

References

External links