As part of my effort to motivate visitors and locals to take full
advantage of the natural beauties of this island, I place this one,
my first GEOCACHE, at the highest peak of Puerto Rico. Cerro Punta
scrapes the clouds ceiling of the island at 4,389 feet above sea
level. From here explorers will be able to pamper themselves with a
good share of breath taking views. Just getting to the peak,
whether driving or hiking is an experience to remember. There is
many ways to approach this geocache, but I strongly recommend all
explorers to take your time and enjoy this hunt. Contact the local
agency in charge of managing the natural resources; they go by the
name of “Departamento de Recursos Naturales” and get a camping pass
at the “Toro Negro” forest (N 18º 10.436 / W 066º 29.371.) There
you can enjoy their countless waterfalls and natural pools, and
then continue with your search.
The Toro Negro forest consists of about 6,736 acres of a very
rich collection of natural wildlife and geographic diversity. There
is about 9 rivers and numerous rock walls that would tempt you to
spend hours and hours of rock climbing. From the campground at Toro
Negro Forest to the cache, there is about 11.3 miles with a total
altitude gain of 1,789 feet. If you are not in your best hiking
shape, you can always just drive your car all the way up to the
peak and then just climb some stairs up to the summit. If you do,
you will have to drive right next to the Famous Cerro Maravilla (N
18º 09.198 / W 066º 33.246), which just as the beautiful viewing
platform south of his summit (N 18º 09.075 / W 066º 33.238), it
should be a must stop before going for my CACHE. If you want to
drive all the way to the summit, you will need to take Highway 52
from San Juan to Ponce and just before arriving to Ponce take the
exit in the town of Juana Diaz. You’ll need to take the exit of
route 149 and drive for about 45 minutes uphill until you reach the
scenic route, road 143. Once you reach route 143 make a left turn
heading west. To make sure that your turning at the right place,
just look for the little gas station that also works as a
“lechonera.” Once you are in route 143 west, just follow the road,
enjoy the views, smell the fresh air and monitor your GPS unit
because you will drive by a big dirt parking lot (N 18º 10.177 / W
066º 35.269) which is about half a mile from the summit. If at this
point you still feel a need for adventure, just park and hike the
last mile up to the summit.
Small note on cache maintenance: Local relative
will assist with maintenance. Contact details on file with
geocaching.com.