Charco El Pilón: River Hiking and Waterfall Swimming

The remarkable hike to and from Charco El Pilón in Puerto Rico’s Maricao State Forest is a challenging rocky, muddy 2 ½-mile scramble along -- and often through -- the "El Chorote” branch that arrives at the El Pilón stream. The forest is lush and shady, and the terrain is hilly and challenging. The payoff is a spectacular waterfall and swimming hole.

You’ll find the trailhead at the end of Route 362, high in the mountains in San Germán, Cabo Rojo, on the southwestern corner of the island. You can park in front of road barriers or alongside the road. The well-maintained trail immediately, just to the left of a little house, takes you down and then up a steep hill, and it’s game on!

Charco El Pilón is a 30-foot-high waterfall with a deep, clear pool beneath, perfect for swimming in (we kept our shoes on).

Here are a few tips to enhance your experience:

·        Start early to avoid the crowds and get a good parking spot. We encountered a guided group of at least 50 people on our way back.

·        Bring lots of water.

·        Wear a swimsuit!

·     Wear shoes with a good grip that you can get wet! I wore Hoka trail running shoes that drained easily and could be washed afterward. Bob wore hiking boots, which were more of a challenge to get clean.

INFO

Puerto Rico Day Trips
All Trails Description
All Trails – our hike

Map (Trailhead)

Hiking the Cliffs at Playa Sucia, Puerto Rico

You feel as though you’ve gone to the end of the earth when you stand atop the stunning cliffs rimming the peninsula beyond pristine Playa Sucia, the beach at the extreme southwest corner of Puerto Rico, and look out across the vast turquoise sea.

Most hikers who come here take the breathtaking 1 ½ mile trail that encircles the iconic lighthouse Los Morrillos. We did it, ourselves, a couple of years ago. (Here's the video) It was amazing!

But if you sneak off to the very left side of Playa Sucia (also known as Playuela), you’ll find a billy goat trail of about 2 ½ miles that gives you devastating beautiful views of the lighthouse from across the bay, with waves crashing into the cliffs below. You’ll also take in the crescent beach and the vast ocean beyond. The area is called Acantilados de Cabo Rojo, which translates to the Cliffs of Cabo Rojo. If you’re afraid of heights, don’t go too close to the edge! Otherwise, prepare to be blown away, by both wind and natural beauty.

There’s no shade, so wear sunscreen and a sunhat, and bring water to drink. But the most important accessory is your camera! We suggest you drop your beach chairs and swimsuits under a seagrape tree on the beach before hiking so you can cool off afterward with a dip in the warm waves.

INFO

Our Hike on the All Trails app

Map

Kayaking up the Guajataca River

We enjoyed a lovely morning kayaking on the Guajataca River with Planeta Kayak. We also hiked up a mountain to an abandoned railroad tunnel (used long ago for sugar cane, or caña) called el Túnel Negro (the Black Tunnel, for obvious reasons. Thank goodness for cellphone flashlights!).

Rio Guajataca (pronounced REE-oh Gwah-hah-TAH-kuh) is located on the border of Isabela and Quebradillas on the northwest coast of Puerto Rico. The leisurely trip cost $40 cost per person, which included double kayaks, paddles, life jackets, and a two-hour tour. Although the water was placid and the pace relaxing, adventure seekers enjoyed a chance to dump into the river from a rope swing!

Our tour guide Jose spoke in rapid Puerto Rican Spanish, so we didn’t catch it all. But we saw mangroves and other interesting tropical trees and plants, fascinating birds, and even a nest with chicks right along the water. We suggest you wear a swimsuit under your clothes, wear good walking sandals for the hike, which is short but challenging. Don’t forget sunscreen! And bring your own water bottle, because our guide brought a cooler but apparently forgot to fill it with water bottles for his guests.

All in all, it was a refreshing day, and we recommend it! Afterward, you can head to the nearby beach and enjoy an afternoon under the palm trees.

Planeta Kayak

Rio Guajataca

Map

Surviving the Hike to Survival Beach

We survived the hike to Survival Beach in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, but never made it onto the sand! After navigating jagged volcanic rocks and boulders, sweating through steep ascents and descents, picking over roots and peering into caves, and dancing around high tide on the sand, we found the actual Survival Beach to be inaccessible, cut off by the sea. Still, the hike was lovely, and the rugged vistas glorious!

Hiking the Guajataca Tunnel: Butterfly Meadows, Crashed Boats and Ocean Cliffs

Amazingly, the actual Guajataca Tunnel was the least interesting part of this hike. And the tunnel was fantastic! But, as always happens when you’re as open to new discoveries, we found so much more.

Get all the details and dazzling pictures in our blog.  

LINKS: 

Guajataca Tunnel: https://www.puertoricotravelguide.com/guajataca-tunnel-quebradillas-puerto-rico/ 

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/uRJ5p5z3WMDMK5pi6

Finding the Elusive Guaniquilla Tunnel

One of the items on Bob’s Cabo Rojo bucket list was finding the Túnel de Guaniquilla (Guaniquilla Tunnel). We had both seen tourist accounts on TripAdvisor and other websites about how horrendously difficult it is to find, and mixed reviews on whether the search was worth it. But Bob was determined. It turns out that these people were making the mistake of seeking it as a drive-by tourist attraction. So imagine our delight when we decided to hike in Punta Guaniquilla Nature Reserve, and Lisa spotted the tunnel on the AllTrails app map!

Read the entire blog and enjoy pictures at https://messysuitcase.com/index.php/2022/03/08/guaniquilla-tunnel/.

We Went Too Far! Lost in the Cueva del Viento

Our exciting hike into the Cueva del Viento (Cave of the Wind) took a potentially disastrous turn when we ventured too far into the pitch-black cave and couldn't find our way out.

We found ourselves grappling with very dark thoughts as we walked in endless circles, listening to bats screech overhead and willing our flashlights not to stop working, while we looked for anything familiar to help us escape the cave.

The Cueva del Viento is found at the end of a popular trail in Guajataca State Forest in the northwestern town of Isabela, Puerto Rico. If you go, make sure you take a good flashlight, tell someone where you are going, and don’t go in too deep.

We thought the rickety stairs down into the cave were the dangerous part.

We were wrong.

LINK:

Cueva del Viento

Hiking Fuerte Caprón in Guanica Dry Forest

Hiking Fuerte Caprón in Guanica State Forest

Found at the end of one of the most hiked trails in the Guánica Dry Forest, Fuerte (Fort) Caprón offers a sweeping vista of the Caribbean Sea, the village of Guánica below, and the mountains surrounding gleaming Guánica Bay.

This pretty fort was built in the 16th century by the Spanish, and later used by U.S. troops after the Spanish-American war. It has a chamber tucked underneath that offers shade and the opportunity to examine decades worth of colorful graffiti.

We hiked to the fort, walked the trail that encircles it, then continued up the trailhead for a 5.7-mile hike. It’s a steady uphill hike on the way out, without much shade and no facilities. Bring lots of water (we suggest freezing a couple of bottles in advance) and lunch or a snack, and wear sunscreen and a hat!

You are rewarded on the descent with spectacular views in the last mile.

The hike is one of many in the Guánica State Forest, also known as El Bosque Seco de Guánica, a United Nations International Biosphere Reserve. It’s one of the most extensive tropical dry coastal forests in the world, totaling around 9,000 acres.

LINKS:

Map to trailhead: https://goo.gl/maps/UtWda2dCrfvkrRM77

Discover Puerto Rico: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/profile/fuerte-capron/8380

Guánica Dry Forest: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/article/visit-guanicas-dry-forest

All Trails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/puerto-rico/west-region/fuerte-trail

Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/qcHbG8qbkRNFPGEs6

Hiking Laguna Guaniquilla: Best. Hike. Ever.

We came to see the rocks in the Laguna Guaniquilla. (That's pronounced Gwah-nuh-KEE-yuh) But we found so much more, including huge jagged rock formations rising from a lake, massive hidden caves, secret beaches with startling vistas, sleeping frogs, and crab armies.

This is a long video, but worth every second if you're up for exploring and new experiences. Strap on your hiking boots, grab a water bottle, and join us on the hike!

Cabo Rojo Lighthouse Hike: Limestone Cliffs and Jaw Dropping Views

A hike in the nature reserve around the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse (Los Morrillos) served us up spectacular vistas, with stomach-dropping white and red cliffs, fascinating rock formations, crystal-clear Caribbean Sea and even cacti!

Easy Hikes to the Top of the World

Vermont has an endless bounty of hikes, from the challenging Appalachian/Long Trail that traverses the entire state, to short hikes with big rewards. All of them are steep, because these are the Green Mountains, after all!

Here a couple we enjoy that can be done with the kids, or with people in your party who aren’t used to long hikes. Both will reward you with outstanding views for not too much effort. Don’t forget to pack your binoculars or a camera!

Hike to the Top of Okemo

There’s a short hike to the top of the Okemo Mountain Road that gives you an awesome vantage point with less than a mile of hiking. You can hike through dense, magical woods up a steep, rocky trail, or you can hike up a relatively easy road. At the top you have a mountain-top view from the Okemo Peak that lets you gaze down upon the Village of Ludlow, Lake Rescue, and mountains all the way to New Hampshire. You’ll see the ski lift and can climb to the top of the Fire Tower (if you’re not afraid of heights). It’s less than a mile round trip. There are some pull-offs with scenic views on the way down. Learn more.

Directions to the Trailhead:

Turn left on Route 100, then left at the end. Make a right onto Okemo Mtn Rd. Drive up to the Okemo Lodge, continuing up the private road to its left (OPEN from late spring to late fall). This road will switchback straight up the mountain for about 4-5 miles until you reach the top. You’ll be able to park at the end and either walk on the road or go up the trail to the left.

Echo Lake Vista Trail

Children as young as five can successfully navigate the hike up the Echo Lake Vista Trail. It’s steep but not brutal, and the views of Echo Lake, okemo Mountain, and the whole area from the top are breathtaking. there’s a nice rock there where you can relax and enjoy a snack. It’s only 1.5 miles round-trip. Learn more.

Directions to the Trailhead:

The trail is located at Camp Plymouth State Park Distance. Go north on Route 100 (turn right from Benson Point), North, then turn right onto Kingdom Road at the Echo Lake Inn, follow 1 mile to Boy Scout Camp Road, and turn left to Camp Plymouth State Park. Park for free in a parking lot on the right before the road crosses the creek. The trailhead is past the cabins on the right, or you can go farther on the road and access the trail by old wooden steps that take you through an ancient cemetery.

White Rocks: Trip to the Top

Messy Suitcase is back exploring! Right now we're in Vermont, where Bob hiked to the top of White Rocks National Recreation Area! Follow along with Bob as he hikes straight up the mountain.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail

OK, so we can’t go to movies. We can’t go to restaurants. We can’t explore new cities, make new friends, photograph churches, practice Spanish, soak up the culture. But we can get outside and explore nature!

So while we have been living in Grandma’s condo in Mechanicsburg, PA, this Spring and summer, we at Messy Suitcase have been spending a lot of time on foot exploring the Appalachian Trail here. You can access an interactive map to get info about the trail in your region, if you live in the northeast United States.

Here are a few facts about the AT

Total Length: 2,190 Miles

Number of States the ATTraverses: 14

Approximate Gain/Loss in Elevation: 464,500 Feet

Visitors Each Year: 3 Million

Here in Cumberland County, the trail has its lowest, flattest stretches, but there are still some hills to climb. Much of it runs along the Conodoguinet Creek.

How to Hike Safely in the Age of COVID-19

We have several rules we follow when hiking. We wear lightweight gators around our necks to pull up for use as masks should we pass anyone. We start early (to avoid heat) or hike during off-peak times because NO ONE else bothers to mask. We move well off the trail to let people pass. We wear long pants because of ticks. We are gluttons when we pass wild black raspberry or wild raspberry patches.