Surfing and Exploring Puerto Rico
Part way up the road in El Yunque National Forest you will come across a busy parking lot on the left side of the road. The sign by the parking lot will read, Big Tree Trailhead La Mina Falls. This is the first of two access points to the ultra popular La Mina Waterfall. The second entrance to La Mina Waterfall is further up the road at Palo Colorado Information Center & Picnic Area, which has multiple trailheads.
On the far southwest tip of Puerto Rico you will find the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse, or El Faro Los Morrillos, standing on a scenic cliff. It began service on August 20th, 1882 and still runs today. The location is quite popular and the scenery is outstanding! You can visit the exterior of the lighthouse any day, but the interior is only open Wednesday through Sunday. Read more
The Double Waterfalls of Gozalandia, both an Upper and Lower Waterfall, make for one of the best waterfall trips in Puerto Rico. HOWEVER, DO NOT GO OUT THERE WITHOUT A GPS AND OUR MAPPED COORDINATES. Take advantage of our map because Gozalandia is on the top of the list for hard places to find without a GPS. However, if you take our map with you it should be a walk in the park. Read more
Cueva Ventana, also known as the Window Cave is a MUST DO for anyone looking to explore Puerto Rico. It offers up a once in a lifetime experience. Read more
Evan Geiselman of New Smyrna Beach Florida placed third in the 2013 Rip Curl Pro Puerto Rico held at Jobos Beach in Isabela. He was in first place until the final two minutes of the heat when Cody Thompson of Jacksonville Beach Florida and Andrew Doheny were each able to catch a set wave that pushed them past Evan. Read more
Indicators is located in Rincon, along the most popular strip of beach in all of Puerto Rico. The most noticeable landmark letting you know you are at Indicators is the Rincon Lighthouse, which we have pictured below. The surf break is located at the bottom of the lighthouse’s southern cliff. There is a small gazebo type of structure within the Rincon Lighthouse Park, which will give you a great overhead view of the break. This elevated position should also help you decide if the conditions are good enough to paddle out. Read more
While visiting El Yunque National Forest you should be sure to visit the Palo Colorado Recreation Area. This area is home to more things to do than any other area in El Yunque. Palo Colorado acts as the hub to multiple trailheads, picnic areas, restrooms, lots of parking, a visitor center with guided tours available, rivers, waterfalls, and historic pools.
Check out our map below for a detailed GPS location of the Palo Colorado Recreation Area. In addition to the Recreation Area we have the trailheads, parking, and other points of interest marked. In addition to the map we have pictures that should give you a good idea of the Palo Colorado Recreation Area layout.
Parking is plentiful and available to both the south and the north of the Visitor Center. Parking on the north side will put you right next to the visitor center and the restrooms. The parking lot on the south side offers more spaces and a sunnier area. Read more
La Mina Trail is one of two hiking trails that lead to the extremely popular La Mina Waterfall of El Yunque National Forest, the other one is Big Tree Trail. However, La Mina Trail starts out in an area that provides many other things to do compared to that of Big Tree’s Trailhead.
The Trailhead to La Mina Trail is located at the Palo Colorado Recreation Area, which is the hub to multiple hiking trails, the visitor center, rivers, and picnic areas. One of the other benefits to this location is the amount of parking available. There are multiple lots, with parking on both the south and the north side of the Palo Colorado Visitor Center.
Once you have parked you will find a couple access points to La Mina Trail. The hiking trail will take you past a few picnic areas and then lead you down along the same route that the La Mina River flows. This trail does not have as many twists and turns as the Big Tree Trail, but is about the same overall distance. Read more
