In Yabucoa, there are these two neat rock formations that are really interesting. One sort of looks like a sphinx, and it is called “La Piedra el Morrillo”. The other is a huge rock that is split right in half, and it is called “Piedra Las Guaretas”. While this is not a must-visit place, but if you are in the area, it makes a fun stop. I think you will enjoy it.

Yabucoa is on the east coast of Puerto Rico, about 75 minutes from San Juan. The town, know for it’s sugar history, has a number of other points of interest. It has pretty beaches and natural beauty. You get to enjoy both of these by visiting these two rock formations!

La Piedra el Morrillo

If you look at Yabacoa on Google Maps, you will find Punta Quebrada Hondo — that is where you will find La Piedra el Morrillo. There is public beach access right off of Route 901 — look for the restaurant called El Quisqueyano and turn onto the side street to park. It is an quick and easy spot to park and get onto the beach.

If you go to the right (south), I think it is called Playa Negro. If you head to the left (north), you will see the enormous rock formation at the north end of the beach. It kinda looks like a sphinx. We have been to this beach on a few occasions, and have never seen more than a few people there. We just love the photographs, and the sea glass that this beach has to offer.

We originally found La Piedra el Morrillo years ago, after finding it on the Geocaching site. If you are into geocaching, you might want to try your luck at finding this geocache.

Piedra Las Guaretas

If you walk all the way to the sphnix and look farther to the left (north), you will see what I call the Split Rock, but others refer to it as Kendra’s Rock (Piedra de Jendía) or Piedra Las Guaretas (as it is called on Google Maps). It is a large, round boulder that rolled down the mountain and split in half.

We had never been able to get past the rock ledges at La Piedra el Morrillo to get to it. It is in an area of the beach that used to be accessible from Route 901, but houses have now blocked easy access. We spoke with some neighbors in the area, and they told us the secret on how to get there. The neighbor referred to it as the area Cueva de las Cabras.

To access the area, you need to cross private property. The neighbor showed us the way, so I suggest you ask before jumping the fence … just to be polite. This is not an easy route, you will need decent shoes. You have to cross a cow field (yes, with cows in it). There is an area of the concrete wall that has one block out and placed on the ground, so it makes jumping the wall easier. But you can also just go over or through the barbed wire fencing at the gate.

You walk toward the coconut palm tree at the edge of the field (toward the ocean) and go down to the beach that way. Watch out and be careful of the barbed wire. Once on the beach you will see the split rock and the “cuevas” (caves) the rock makes to the left. If you are careful, you can go behind the rock and climb up into it for photos. We always enjoy visiting these areas for photographs. And, the cool beach-combing finds … lots of sea glass and some interesting shells, too. For us, it is always worth a stop.

Details

Parking for both of these places is just off of Route 901 in Yabucoa.

For La Piedra el Morrillo, park near El Quisqueyano restaurant, and walk down the side street to the beach.

For Piedra Las Guaretas, park near the curve in the road near the cow field, cross the field, and make your way to the beach.

Click on a placename below to view the location on Google Maps ...

• La Piedra el Morrillo
• La Piedra el Morrillo, parking
• Piedra Las Guaretas
• Piedra Las Guaretas, parking

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