El Yunque National Rain Forest

Article below is from New York Times Travel Section. Talks about El Yunque National Rainforest. Thanks Alison for bringing this into my attention. :)

In Puerto Rico, a Rain Forest Full of Easy Adventure

By LISA W. FODERARO

Published: June 28, 2009

“I FEEL so small,” bleated Amelia, my 10-year-old, as she surveyed her surroundings in El Yunque National Forest inPuerto Rico. Not exactly the feeling a mother wishes to instill in a child on vacation, but in this case, it was the right response.

Compared with the diminutive leaves and blooms that had been unfurling back home in suburban New York, everything seemed super-size: giant ferns, majestic candlewood trees, towering stands of bamboo, coral-hued blossoms the size of grapefruits.

Set among the Luquillo Mountains in Puerto Rico’s northeast corner, El Yunque is the only tropical rain forestin theUnited States national forest system. Occupying a relatively modest 28,000 acres, but with more than 1,000 plant and animal species, El Yunque was an ideal choice for a family that wanted adventure — but perhaps not too much.

The trails are not only easy on inexperienced hikers, but also paved and well marked. (In some areas, where the terrain drops sharply from the path, there are even railings.) To the relief of our 7-year-old son, Sawyer, there are no poisonous snakes — or monkeys or large cats, for that matter.

In all other respects, El Yunque provided the full jungle effect. Mists drifted down verdant hillsides. Mysterious clicks, peeps and trills emanated from the canopy. Lizards skittered along tree trunks. Afternoon downpours erupted from thin air. And plant life emerged from every crevice: a simple rock face sported a fuzz of moss and a profusion of tiny ferns and other shoots.

Some of the more than a million people who visit the forest each year never leave their cars, taking in the roadside waterfalls and dense landscape from Route 191, the only road through the preserve.

“It’s a drive-through experience, with stops along the way,” said Carolyn Krupp, a Forest Service employee who manages the special use and lands program, whom I had contacted in advance of our trip in April.

And stopping is a must, starting at El Portal Rain Forest Center at the entrance to El Yunque. Visitors can explore interactive exhibits and watch a 15-minute video about the history and ecology of El Yunque. Alternating between English and Spanish, the video is narrated by the actor Benicio Del Toro, who grew up in Puerto Rico.

The video is the one place you are likely to see the iconic Puerto Rican parrot, an elusive electric-green symbol of the island whose numbers dwindled to a dozen or so in the 1970s, from a peak population of nearly one million. Now bred in captivity, the parrot has rebounded slightly, with 30 to 40 in the forest, but it is still one of the most endangered birds in the world.

From the center, it was a short drive — about two and a half miles — to La Coca Falls. We passed a cluster of souvenir shops selling skimpy beach towels imprinted with skimpily clad women. But mostly the road had us riveted to our windows, gazing up at thickets of bamboo.

It’s worth getting out at La Coca Falls to appreciate the massive rock face and its subtle cascade of four distinct streams. But don’t expect a solitary communion with nature: just feet from the road, the 85-foot-high falls is one of the most popular photo-ops in the forest.

Next up was Yokahu Tower, a round stone lookout 1,575 feet above sea level. Amelia and Sawyer had no trouble ascending the spiral staircase that led to a windswept observation deck 69 feet up. The broad vista stretched from the coast to the mountains, including El Yunque Peak — a forested circumflex poking through the clouds.

The name has an interesting story. Christopher Columbus, arriving in Puerto Rico in 1493, encountered the Taino Indians, who believed that their gods inhabited theLuquillo Mountains. Yuquiyu was the name of the “Good God” watching over them, as well as of the high peaks. But the Spanish explorers, through a sleight of mistranslation, came up with Yunque, which means anvil, and since the peaks are anvil-shaped, the name stuck.

A highlight of El Yunque is La Mina Falls, accessible by foot along a twisting trail. Of the two trails that will get you there, the gentler and better suited to young children is Big Tree Trail, not far from Yokahu Tower. It meanders through the shady heart of El Yunque. Moving at a moderate pace, you will reach the falls in about a half hour.

While you may not see many creatures (save a few lizards) along the path, you certainly hear them, especially the sonorous two-syllable call of the coqui, a tiny tree frog that trills “co-KEE.” The sporadic notes turn into a chorus as evening approaches or right after a rainfall.

When we arrived at La Mina, I found a flat rock, removed my shoes and dipped my feet in the water. Sawyer was content to climb on the rocks, while Amelia waded in up to her knees, trying not to slip. The late-afternoon sun bounced off the white spray of the falls, which were smaller than I imagined but had a pleasing roar.

We returned the next day and headed to the Palo Colorado Interpretive Center, where guides leave with visitors on hour long hikes. Most of the structures in this part of the forest were built during the Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Hundreds of Puerto Ricans enrolled in the corps to blaze trails, build picnic shelters and carve out roads

At 2,300 feet above sea level, the Palo Colorado area’s temperature averages an idyllic 73 degrees, while rain falls at a robust 100 to 150 inches a year (still far less than at higher elevations). Some of the most dramatic plant life is there.

While the guide had already left with his last group of the day, another employee pointed out some of the showiest specimens. Our favorite was the torch ginger (also called a torch lily), a perennial originally from Indonesia that features a big, rosy multipetaled flower atop a fat green stalk.

I also discovered the natural habitat of the impatiens, which is such a favorite among gardeners in the Northeast that my first reaction was, what are they doing here? It turns out they are just as lovely in the wild: the impatiens in El Yunque are pale pink, some growing more than two feet tall.

We were nearing the end of the road; our final stop was the Mount Britton Trail, which leads to another observation tower in the peak elevations of El Yunque. Known as a cloud forest, this section is the coolest, windiest and wettest of El Yunque. Its trees are stunted and gnarled, and dozens of varieties of orchids grow there.

The children were quickly running out of steam, however, and the pool at our hotel beckoned them more than an hour long uphill trek. Leaving them with my husband, Don, I set out alone — just 15 minutes, I promised — to get a taste of this strange ecosystem, one of four distinct microclimates in the forest.

I hiked for 10 minutes, then 15. Still no signs of changing vegetation. I would have to go much higher for any such payoff, I realized. Turning back, I consoled myself: at least we’d have reason to return some day.

Suddenly, a small flash of green tore across my line of vision. My chest thumped as I scanned the nearby brush. If it was the quasi-mystical Puerto Rican parrot, it was gone.

Wait until my poky children heard what they’d missed.