It only took us about half an hour to hike the steep self-guided Big Tree Trail to La Mina Falls inside the gorgeous El Yunque National Rainforest. The 3-mile hike is a beautiful one, dotted with thick bamboo, giant ferns and bright mosses. Fortunately, the trail has several concrete sets of (slippery) stairs to keep you from losing your way, but not your footing. Step lightly! We noticed several "rest stops," or concrete picnic shelters along the path that provided benches and even charcoal grills! Say what? Smokey Bear would not approve.
Our reward? The spectacular 35-foot waterfall that drops over a jumble of huge rocks into a chilly pool, where hikers can rest, take a dip or observe the natives in their natural habitat -- like the woman filming a Nair commercial in our photo bomb below.
