El Yunque National Forest

Trail Package #5 - Mt. Britton Trail

Location

The trailhead is located on PR 930 approximately ¼ mile west of the closed gate at the upper (southern) end of PR 191, km 13.0 in the EYNF El Yunque Recreational Area. Limited parking is available on the left (south) side of PR 930 just before the trail sign, and/or adjacent to the gate at the end of PR 191. Cars must be parked well off the road, not blocking the road or trailhead, and should be locked with any valuables secured in the trunk or carried along on the trail.

Trail Description

The Mount Britton trail is 0.8 miles (1.3 km) in length, rising from 2,493 feet (760 meters) to 3,087 feet (941 meters). Hiking time is 40 minutes one-way. This trail is mostly cement and asphalt paved with some graveled sections. The level of difficulty ranges from easy at the beginning, to challenging near the peak.

Starting at the Forest Service Mount Britton trail sign, the trail ascends rapidly through the Sierra Palm forest, crosses two rushing mountain streams and then intersects with Forest Service Road 10 (closed to public vehicle traffic). The hiker turns right and continues along this road for approximately 500 feet, where it intersects with the remaining portion of the trail. The trail leads steeply upward through the Cloud Forest until it reaches Mount Britton peak and the Mount Britton Tower. Constructed of stone, the tower was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Both tower and mountain are named for botanist Nathaniel Britton who with his wife and colleague, Elizabeth Knight Britton identified a substantial amount of the native and endemic tree and plant species of the Luquillo mountains in the 1920s. On a clear day the tower’s observation deck affords the lucky hiker a panoramic view of the surrounding forest, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the southeastern and northeastern coastal plain.

Hikers who choose not to return the way they came, can take the Mount Britton Tie # 19 (0.3 miles/0.5 km) to its junction with the El Yunque trail and proceed downward to its junction with the Baño de Oro trail which exits at PR 191, km 12.3 just up from the Palo Colorado Information Center, and walk south (up) to the gate at the end of the road to regain their cars. This should take approximately 1 ½ to 2 hours.

USDA Forest Service - El Yunque National Forest
Last Modified: Tuesday, 16 December 2008 at 14:17:18 EST