Grecia Forest Reserve

Great day for a hike! We got a ride to the road heading up to the park, about 20 minutes from where we are staying. From there we hiked up a (mostly) unpaved, rutted gravel road the 2.5 miles up to the entrance. Along the way, we past lots of coffee trees. We came across 2 young guys sitting in the shade, taking a break from their coffee picking (picture attached). There were some new homes, quite nice, along the way. Evidently, from what we have read, having a 4 wheel drive vehicle would be a requirement during the rainy season.

After paying our entrance fee (about $11 for two of us), we hiked the longer of the two trails (only about 1.25 miles in a loop) up to the highest viewpoint. There we were at a little over 6000 ft altitude. Our walk up the road had started at about 4300 ... And the walk had been almost continual up hill.

After completing the loop, we used one of the quaint little pavilions to eat a snack. Then we did the shorter, less inclined trail that was available. Once completed, we started back down the dirt road .... A much easier trip going down.

It was a beautiful hike, about 7.25 miles in total . While it was 80 deg back in town, it had only been 70 on the mountain. The skies were mostly blue, with a few puffy clouds. And it was so quiet, only the sound of the breeze through the trees.

After getting back to our place, we decided that we earned pizza and beer from Il Forno. This was our second visit here, veggie pizza both times. I highly recommend it if you are in the neighborhood.Читать далее