Bosque Estatal de Maricao

Maricao sits high in the western mountains and catches enormous rainfall, and the result is the most botanically diverse of the island's forest reserves, with hundreds of tree species, dozens of them found nowhere else, growing on serpentine soils that produce unusual plant communities. It is also the heart of the coffee country: the slopes below are planted with shade-grown arabica and the town holds a coffee festival each February. A squat stone observation tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s stands on the ridge, and on a clear day the view reaches the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean on the other. A fish hatchery in the valley raises native species for the reservoirs.

History

The forest was created by a proclamation of Governor Arthur Yager on 22 December 1919, and with 10,803 acres it is the largest unit of the island's state forest system (Wikipedia, Maricao State Forest).

The landscape

• The stone observation tower - a 1930s lookout with both coasts in view.
• The endemic trees - species found only in this forest and on these soils.
• The coffee slopes - shade-grown arabica on the hills below.
• The fish hatchery - raising native species in the valley.

When to go

December to April is drier, though this is the wettest reserve on the island and rain is likely in any month. The coffee festival in Maricao is in February. Mornings are clearest for the tower view; cloud usually arrives by midday.

Things to know

It rains here constantly and trails are muddy and slippery most of the year. Facilities are minimal and the reserve office keeps short hours. The mountain roads are narrow, winding and slow, and the drive from San Juan is long. Trail maintenance has been patchy since the hurricanes.

Nearby

San Germán is 45 minutes south; the coffee haciendas are on the surrounding slopes.

Key facts