Bosque Estatal de Carite

Carite covers around six thousand acres of the eastern cordillera at up to nine hundred metres, high enough for the air to be genuinely cool and for dwarf forest and sierra palm to appear on the ridges. Its best known feature is Charco Azul, a pool on a mountain stream reached by a short easy trail, so blue it looks artificial and cold enough to shock. There are longer trails to the Nuestra Madre waterfall and along the ridges, a reservoir, and camping areas used by families at weekends. The forest's northern edge runs along Route 184 at Guavate, where the roadside lechoneras roast whole pigs, so most visitors combine the two.

History

The forest was established by a proclamation in 1935 and listed as a state forest on 1 July 1975 under the Law of Puerto Rican Forests, to protect the river basins of the Loíza, the Patillas and other rivers (Wikipedia, Carite State Forest).

The landscape

• Charco Azul - a startlingly blue cold pool at the end of a short trail.
• The dwarf forest ridges - sierra palm and stunted trees on the tops.
• Carite reservoir - the lake in the middle of the reserve.
• Guavate - the lechoneras on the road along the northern edge.

When to go

December to April is drier. Weekends are busy with families and Charco Azul can be crowded, particularly on Sundays when the pork road is also at full tilt; weekdays are quiet. The forest is markedly cooler than the coast, so bring a layer.

Good to know

Charco Azul is small and gets crowded, and the water is genuinely cold. Trail signage is limited and some routes have been closed since storm damage. There is no drinking water on the trails. The road through the forest is narrow with blind bends and heavy weekend traffic.

Nearby

Guavate and the lechoneras are on the northern edge; Cayey is fifteen minutes.

Key facts