El Yunque National Forest

El Yunque National Forest in eastern Puerto Rico is the only tropical rainforest administered by the US Forest Service, setting it apart from every other unit in the national forest system. Established in 1903 under President Theodore Roosevelt, its protected status actually predates that: the Spanish Crown placed the forest under royal protection as early as 1876, making it one of the oldest managed forest reserves in the Western Hemisphere. Across roughly 115 square kilometers, the forest layers lowland rainforest into cloud forest, hosting around 240 tree species, dense fern undergrowth, and the endangered Puerto Rican parrot found nowhere else on Earth. Marked trails lead to waterfalls including the popular La Mina Falls, and historic stone observation towers offer sweeping views toward the Caribbean coast. By early afternoon, clouds typically roll through the canopy — the mist and filtered light give the forest a genuinely otherworldly atmosphere.