Bosque Estatal de Maricao

This forest of more than 10,000 acres lies along the Ruta Panorámica south of Maricao, and the drive is spectacular, with sharp curves snaking over ridges as the mountainsides fall away into steep valleys. As you make this drive, you will see places to pull your car off the road at trailheads that lead into the woods or traverse down steep inclines.

Curiously, few of the trails are maintained or mapped by the DRNA. In fact, guides to Bosque Estatal de Maricao are difficult to come by, both at the department's office in San Juan and in Maricao. So if you are coming here to hike, get yourself a topo map of the area from a map supplier in the USA, or ask an island bookstore to order one from the USGS.

While the landscape is generally categorized as high-mountain rainforest, scientists note that the 845 species of plant here are less 'exuberant' than they are in a tropical rainforest such as El Yunque. Birds are the most studied fauna here, with 44 identified species. Tanagers, cuckoos and warblers are some of the remarkable types spotted in the forest.