El Yunque (Puerto Rico)
Mountain in Puerto Rico / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about El Yunque (Puerto Rico)?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
El Yunque or El Yunque Peak (Spanish: Pico El Yunque) (Taíno: Yukiyu[1]) is a mountain located fully within the boundaries of the El Yunque National Forest, part of the U.S. Forest Service, which is the only tropical rainforest under the U.S. Forest Service jurisdiction. It is located in the municipality of Río Grande.
El Yunque | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,080 m (3,540 ft) |
Parent peak | El Toro |
Coordinates | 18°18′38″N 65°47′29″W |
Naming | |
Etymology | Yúcahu phonetic Spanish transliteration of Taíno possibly meaning 'white land' and/or El Yunque meaning 'the anvil' in Spanish due to the shape of the mountain range when seen from the south. |
Geography | |
Parent range | Sierra de Luquillo |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | Hike |
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.