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La Ruta del Lechón LbNA #63911

Owner:Wisconsin Hiker
Plant date:Jan 5, 2013
Location:
City:Guavate
County:Puerto Rico
State:Puerto Rico
Boxes:1
Found by: Not yet found!
Last found:N/A
Last edited:May 15, 2016
Last checked/found: 5-JAN-13

Location: ocrahC luzA. To get there from San Juan, take Highway 52 (toll road) south and take exit 32 (Guavate).
Make a left and head up PR 184. A parking lot is located on the right side of the road at 17.8 km on PR 184.

Time: ~30 minutes round trip, or longer if you stay to play in pool or explore (PLUS time for lunch at a lechonera!)

Terrain: Rolling broken asphalt trail, mostly shady

We strongly advise looking for this box in conjunction with lunch at a lechonera, either before or after finding the box. The best time to visit Guavate is on a weekend or holiday (but some lechoneras are open during the week) and you should aim to get there around noon or soon after, as it is an extremely popular day trip for the locals as well as visiting tourists.

Route 184 in the heart of Puerto Rico’s Sierra de Cayey mountain range features a variety of activities for those looking to experience countryside culture with true Puerto Rican flavor and mesmerizing vistas close to nature. The first stop along the route is Guavate, famous throughout the island for its distinctive “lechoneras”. Lining both sides of the road, these open-aired eateries offer the ultimate Puerto Rican dish – lechón asado – savory suckling pig roasted on a spit and served with traditional favorites like rice and pigeon peas, yucca (cassava), morcilla (blood sausage), tostones, turkey, chicken and several other dishes. Choose a spot and get in line. You’ll see side dishes in warming plates and the lechon on the cooking spit, ready to be served. Don’t worry if you are unsure about what to order, someone in line or one of the servers will help you out. Place your order and watch as they hack up the pork with a machete; it’s quite a sight. Then feast on all that tasty food!

OK, after you’ve eaten lunch (or scoped out the places on your drive past so you can return for a post-hike meal), continue driving until you reach the parking lot located on the right side of the road at 17.8 km on PR 184. On the other side of the road you’ll see a green gate. Enter here and walk through the picnic area to get to the trailhead. The trail leads directly to ocrahC luzA, the perfect place for a reinvigorating dip. Named after its bluish hue, the natural pool’s refreshing waters flow from brooks that start high in the adjacent mountains and continue to trickle downstream through the trail. As you walk along the trail toward the pool, enjoy the lush vegetation and cross 2 concrete bridges. Then keep a lookout for the next bench on the right. About 20-30 feet behind the bench is a tall dead(?) tree with upraised roots. Under these roots you’ll find your own little lechonera. Please be sure to rehide it well so it can serve future customers!

Continue walking for only 2-3 more minutes to get to the pool & small waterfall.

We live quite far away, so we’d appreciate an email to let us know how the pork is faring. Thank you!

Hike length: 1 mile