A montane state forest in Puerto Rico's Cordillera Central protecting cloud forest, Sierra palm forest, and the headwaters of major island river basins.
Guilarte State Forest
Guilarte State Forest is one of the twenty forests that make up the public forest system of Puerto Rico, set in the eastern half of the island's Cordillera Central. The reserve is anchored by Monte Guilarte, the seventh-highest mountain in Puerto Rico at roughly 3,950 feet above sea level, and its boundaries stretch across parts of Adjuntas, Guayanilla, Peñuelas, and Yauco.
The forest protects two distinct ecological zones: lower subtropical Sierra palm forest on its mid slopes and a higher-elevation montane rain forest, or cloud forest, near the summits. Together these habitats shelter a notable share of Puerto Rico's rare flora and fauna, including several endemic and critically endangered species, and serve as the source region for important rivers on the island.
Beyond its ecological value, the forest is a focal point for outdoor recreation in central Puerto Rico, offering hiking, birdwatching, and overnight cabin stays in a setting shaped by cool mountain air, panoramic lookout points, and high-elevation forests that differ sharply from the island's coastal lowlands.
