El Yunque National Forest

The only tropical rainforest in the United States National Forest System, El Yunque encompasses approximately 28,000 acres of the Sierra de Luquillo mountains in northeastern Puerto Rico, receiving over 200 inches of rain annually at its highest elevations. The forest contains four distinct forest types stratified by elevation: tabonuco, palo colorado, sierra palm, and the rare elfin woodland (cloud forest) at the summit, where wind-stunted trees draped in mosses create an otherworldly landscape. This compact forest harbors extraordinary biodiversity, including 240 tree species, 50 native orchid species, and 150 fern species.\n\nEl Yunque is the last refuge of the critically endangered Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata), once numbering in the millions but reduced to just 13 individuals in the wild by 1975. Other endemic wildlife includes 13 species of coqui tree frogs, whose distinctive "ko-KEE" calls create a chorus that fills the forest each evening, along with the Puerto Rican boa and over 60 bird species.\n\nVisitors explore the forest via 24 miles of maintained trails, including the popular La Mina Trail to La Mina Falls and the challenging El Yunque Peak Trail ascending to 3,494 feet with panoramic views. Ancient Taino petroglyphs speak to thousands of years of human connection with this sacred forest. The forest's proximity to San Juan makes it one of the most accessible tropical rainforests in the world, drawing over one million visitors annually.