Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rent conditions if you're a serious hiker, though you may well reach a park employee who
knows nothing at all about the trails.
At Las Casas de la Selva, managers can provide information and guides for long hikes
through Carite, including the six-hour trek through Hero Valley, which descends to a river
of slick boulders and is suggested for experienced hikers only.
Charco Azul Trail
HIKE
After several storms destroyed many of the trails here, rangers decided to clear and main-
tain only this one. It's also the most popular and the most easily accessible trail in the re-
serve. It leads to a hazy blue swimming hole and camping/picnic area of the same name. It
is an easy half-mile walk from Hwy 184, near the southeast corner of the forest. The swim-
ming hole is about 15ft deep at the center with a rocky bottom. It can be a madhouse on
summer weekends, but relatively lonely in the winter. Beyond the swimming area there is
another, far more sketchy trail which leads to the top of Cerro La Santa (2730ft), Carite's
highest point. You can also follow the water downstream to a different set of waterfalls and
some rocky scrambling.
El Radar Trail
HIKE
El Radar trailhead departs to the south, off Hwy 184 near the northwest corner of the forest,
and makes a steep, 1-mile climb to the peak of Cerro Balíos. If you look beyond the ugly
Doppler radar weather station, you'll be rewarded with vistas of the north and south coasts,
and hills that roll off toward El Yunque.
LECHÓN LINGUISTICS
»
Cuerito
- Smoky, crispy pig skin
»
Cuchifrito
- Deep-fried pork delicacies, including ears and tails
»
Morcillas
- Dark pork and rice-stuffed blood sausage
»
Coquito
- Puerto Rican eggnog, made from coconut milk and served around Christ-
mas
