Cerro de Punta or just Cerro Punta is the highest peak in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

, rising to above sea level.As of February, 1981, the

US Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and ...

reports the height as 1,328 meters. (See
''Geographic Names Information System: Feature Query Results.''
United States Geological Survey. 13-FEB-1981. Retrieved 22 August 2013.) However, Gousha (1995) and Metrodata (1998) report the height as 1,338 meters. (See

Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico en Bayamon. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Matematicas. Retrieved 22 August 2013.) The

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

is part of the Cordillera Central and is located in the municipality of Ponce.

Location

The

is part of the Cordillera Central and is located on the border between the municipalities of

Jayuya Jayuya (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 10 barrios and Jayuya Pueblo (the downtown and administra ...

and Ponce. The access road to the point closest to the highest elevation is from the municipality of Jayuya. It is part of the Toro Negro Forest Reserve, and it has been described as "an alpine runt." It is located on the western end of the Toro Negro State Park. The mountain is just north of east-to-westbound Route 143. It is located at coordinates 18.172458 and -66.591839W. The nearest populated place to Cerro de Punta is ''Urbanización Vega Linda'', located 3.3 miles (5.3 km) away.

Geology

Unlike many

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...

mountains, Cerro de Punta is not a

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...

but simply the highest point in the Cordillera Central. Cordillera Central is the central mountain range that divides the island by running in an east-west fashion.

Best view

The view from atop Cerro de Punta is said to be "the best view in all of Puerto Rico". On a clear day, it is possible to see virtually the entire island, including as far as

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

, which is over 75 miles (120 km) away. There are a number of radio and television transmission and re-transmission towers just off the top of the mountain.Brandon Stephens, Marion Smith, and Alan Cressler. ''Cerro de Punta.'' Published by Brian Killingbeck. ©2005.
There is an observation platform at the top of the mountain.

Wildlife and flora

The mountain is home to an abundant amount of wildlife, lush vegetation, flowering shrubs and trees, and numerous

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

s. The mountain is covered by Sierra palm trees. Various plants, including some endangered species are found here, such as the endangered

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...

Elaphoglossum serpens ''Elaphoglossum serpens'' is a rare species of fern that grows only on Cerro de Punta, the highest mountain in Puerto Rico. The fern grows at one location, where there are 22 known specimens. It was federally listed as an endangered species of th ...

'' which is found only on this mountain and nowhere else in the world,USFWS
Recovery Plan for Puerto Rican Endangered Ferns (7 spp.).
January 1995. and Cook's holly ('' Ilex cookii'') or ''planta de te'', which is only found here and in neighboring Mount Jayuya.

Nearby roads

The area consists of many steep mountains. The nearest road is

PR-143 Puerto Rico Highway 143 (PR-143) is a secondary highway that connects the town of Adjuntas to the town of Barranquitas. Route description Heading east from Adjuntas, PR-143 runs through the northern border of the municipality of Ponce, before ...

, which is a winding two-lane mountain road that must be travelled very slowly as it is not possible to see traffic coming from the opposite direction for any significant length. Off Route 143 is the road that actually leads to the mountain's top. Route 143 can be accessed via the better-traveled Route 10. Route 143 is part of the

Ruta Panorámica The ''Ruta Panorámica'' (Scenic Route), officially the ''Ruta Panorámica Luis Muñoz Marín'' (Luis Muñoz Marín Scenic Route), is a network of some 40 secondary roads which traverse the island of Puerto Rico from west to east along its '' Co ...

. For your safety, driving in Puerto Rico sign.jpg, Driving in mountain roads tips View of roadway that leads up to Cerro de Punta.jpg, View of roadway from Cerro de Punta

Hiking and access trail

A nearby inn called Hacienda Gripiñas, has a trail that leads to the top of the mountain. Hacienda Gripiñas was a coffee plantation, but has been turned into a country inn. In 2010 it still growed some coffee. The inn operates under a contract with the Government of Puerto Rico. The trails, however, are not well marked and often suffer damage from storms.Archived.
/ref> While people can hike their way to the top of the mountain, there is a paved road that leads to the very summit. The

Toro Negro State Forest Toro Negro State Forest (Spanish: ''Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro'') is one of the 21 forests that make up the public forests system in Puerto Rico. It is also Puerto Rico's highest cloud forest. It is in the Cordillera Central region of the isl ...

has 12 miles (19 km) of hiking trails some of which lead to the top of Cerro de Punta.

Gallery

View from Cerro de Punta, highest point in Puerto Rico.jpg, View from Cerro de Punta, highest point in Puerto Rico Paved road for climbing up to Cerro de Punta, Puerto Rico.jpg, Paved road for climbing up to Cerro de Punta Cerro de Punta plateau.jpg, Antennas at Cerro de Punta Cerro de Punta, highest point in Puerto Rico.jpg, Lookout area at Cerro de Punta's summit Cerro de Punta as seen from Mercedita Airport, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC02952).jpg, Cerro de Punta as seen from

Mercedita Airport Mercedita International Airport (AIM, ''Aeropuerto Internacional Mercedita'') is a public use international airport located three nautical miles (6 km) east of the central business district of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The airport covers ...

, Ponce, Puerto Rico Cerro de Punta as seen from the Caja de Muertos, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03691).jpg, Cerro de Punta as seen from

Caja de Muertos Caja de Muertos (; also in English: ''Coffin Island'') is an uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico, in the municipality of Ponce. The island and its surrounding waters are protected by the Caja de Muertos Nature Reserve, bec ...

, Ponce, Puerto Rico Cerro Punta Puerto Rico.JPG, Cerro de Punta as viewed from

Notes

References

External links

Cerro de punta photos from Panoramio

* ttp://www.guidetocaribbeanvacations.com/puerto_rico/cerrodepunta1.htm ''Cerro de Punta Climb, Puerto Rico.'' (A climber's Dairy) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cerro de Punta Mountains of the Caribbean Mountains of Puerto Rico Jayuya, Puerto Rico Mountains in Ponce, Puerto Rico Tourist attractions in Ponce, Puerto Rico Barrio Anón Ponce, Puerto Rico Highest points Geography of Puerto Rico