Bosque Estatal De Guajataca, Isabela

Need to hike for about 40 minutes. Bring shoes instead of flipflops if you can. The first turn, go right toward #5, otherwise you'll end up in the parking lot again. The stairs are in pretty bad shape but if you get down, you feel well worth it. I only saw a few trash en route, thank you, good mannered hikers.

This was one of the nature reserves on the island I had never visited. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw how well kept it is, only compared to El Yunque. What I mean is in terms of the available parking, available information posted around for the visitors, how well kept and labeled the trails are. I was a bit disappointed (4 ⭐️s only) to see the office/visitor center closed, even though it said that day they were supposed to be working. But no surprise here, after witnessing the same situation in other natural areas on the island (see other reviews). In the afternoon we did see a DNER Ranger and I was able to ask a few questions. FYI...After 5pm the area is closed (access is still available) but you will get a parking ticket if they see your car there. We followed the main trails (1, 5, 6) to go to Cueva del Viento. It's worth the trek. I believe. those trails are good for kids 5 yo and older, most of them are flat no requiring too much effort. Coming up from the cave back to the trail can be exhausting. As you can expect, wooden stairs in this type of environment don't last, but this day they could be used with some precautions. We climbed to the observation tower. Again, very nice to see well kept resting areas and informative stations throughout the interpretative trail. Lots of butterflies flying around, lizards all over the place and, although shy, several species of birds.

The drive into the park is on tight narrow roads. The warning sign recommends driving with your windows down and honking the horn at each corner - recommended. Two cars can not pass each other in places, take your time. We came in from the Isabela side - the road past the information center was closed, so don't plan your day out as a through trip to San Sebastian. Hiking trails are generally well formed and wide. Mid week we only saw two other people the whole time. The Cueva del Viento is closed, the stairs are in disrepair, and rotten, however I have read that people have still gone down. I would recommend been really careful if choosing that option. The guy at the information center recommended the the Cueva Quintin Rivera which is a cave past the del Viento. About 1 hour hiking one way verses 40 minutes. Take Vereda #1 to Vereda #21, walking past Cueva del Viento. The trail dropping down to Cueva Quintin Rivera is not as wide and a little rough and could be slippery after rain - more of a trail than a path. The Cueva Quintin Rivera is a through cave that will bring you out overlooking a forest. While not long or deep, it is pristine cave that doesn't get a lot of visitors. If you go all the way through (5 minutes) there is another cave on the left behind the large tree roots. This is a large cavern with light streaming in from a hole up top. Return the way you have come to get back to the car park. As of March 2022 the observation Tower is also closed.

Walking the forest trails it's something else. So good for morning walks. Flora and fauna observation. Very good experience.

Beautiful forest, it has tons of trails numbered and with signs. It's a pretty easy path even with rain during the trailit rained so recommend ponchos if you see the day cloudy. Definitely go with good shoes some of the rocks are slippery on the trail. My only compmain is of course nothing new the DRNA is not giving maintenance to the place so, be careful with all the wood that iss there, some are broken, rotten any dark spots, don't stand there.