El Yunque wheelchair friendly

[surran12]

Does anyone happen to know how wheelchair friendly El Yunque is? My MIL will be with us and have her wheelchair and scooter with her would she be able to get around any of the El Yunque paths? What other options might others suggest besides a beach in San Juan? Thanks for any advice.

[Lard Greystoke]

Does anyone happen to know how wheelchair friendly El Yunque is? My MIL will be with us and have her wheelchair and scooter with her would she be able to get around any of the El Yunque paths? What other options might others suggest besides a beach in San Juan? Thanks for any advice.

 

I was there a couple of weeks ago and did several of the trails at the deep end (La Mina, El Yunque). Not wheelchair-friendly and a challenge for a reasonably fit person. As far as I know none of the hiking trails are handicapped-friendly.

 

I didn't happen to visit El Portal (visitor center) this time so can't vouch whether it's accessible. It seems like a new facility, so maybe so.

 

The only substitute for a trail that I can think of would be to drive all the way to the end, to the Mt Britton parking area, which I think should link up with a paved stretch of Rt 191 closed to regular traffic but which does lead all the way up El Yunque and is pretty scenic (and steep). Unfortunately I think you would have to fight regular traffic for a little ways in order to reach it, and I did not check whether a) it's smooth enough for a scooter (suspect so), and b) whether you can get a scooter around the barrier blocking traffic. Plus, it's a long way to go for a maybe.

[ISurfTooMuch]

I'm on my phone, so browsing their site is a bit of a chore, but they do have a number listed. I'd give them a call and ask.

 

http://www.fs.usda.gov/elyunque

Edited March 8, 2015 by ISurfTooMuch

[surran12]

Thank you very much for the reply. I'll definitely call and ask.