Paseo del Morro National Recreational Trail in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Length:  1 mile (one way)
Time: 30 to 60 minutes, depending on how often you stop to take photos
Difficulty:  Easy, but there are some stairs from the fort down to the trail

The Paseo del Morro National Recreational Trail is a wonderful paved walking path that runs along the bay from Castillo San Felipe del Morro (aka El Morro) to the San Juan Gate, which is also part of San Juan National Historic Site. The walk is best taken after visiting El Morro, as there is no need to walk back to the fort. Once you are at the gate you can proceed into Old San Juan for a day of shopping, dining, and sightseeing.

The trail is completely out in the open, so when it is hot outside, the sun is going to be beating down on you. Be sure to wear a hat and apply sunscreen if avoiding the sun is important to you. I visited at the beginning of April, and it was already hot in Puerto Rico.

Paseo del Morro National Recreational Trail in San Juan, Puerto Rico

When inside El Morro, head down to the Santa Barbara Bastion and step up onto the World War I-era concrete gun platform at the point. If you look down, you can see the start of the Paseo del Morro. Unfortunately, there are no stairs or doorway that leads out of the fort and right to the trailhead, so starting the hike is a little tricky.

View of the Paseo del Morro from the Santa Barbara Bastion of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site

To get to the trailhead you must first exit the fort through the sally port, the same way you came in. When you get to the end of the bridge over the moat and back to the esplanade (large field in front of the fort), turn left and follow the concrete wall (the counterscarp). At the end are some steps that allow you to walk up and over the wall, at which point you can access a staircase that leads down into the moat.

Stairs into the moat at the end of El Morro’s counterscarp, San Juan National Historic Site

On the opposite side of the moat is a doorway in a retaining wall. The moat continues on the other side, but it is at a slightly different level due to the fact that the fort was built on a cliff and the terrain slopes towards the sea.

Doorway through a retaining wall on the eastern side of El Morro’s moat, San Juan National Historical Park

Stairs lead down to this lower section of the moat, and at the bottom is a cement landing and a bench. The moat continues downhill to the left, and this is ultimately where you need to go, but to the right is one end of the Scenic Loop Trail, a short nature trail that runs about 200 yards along the fort wall before looping back and coming out at the bottom of the moat, which is where you need to be heading. The hike begins by taking some stairs up and over the counterscarp, but they were blocked when I visited. A sign at the stairs identifies this as the Paseo del Morro, and you will certainly get to the starting point if you take this route, but the quickest way is just to turn left and continue downhill through the moat. You will be walking along the walls of the Ochoa, Carmen, and Mercado bastions.

Eastern moat along El Morro’s Ochoa Bastion, San Juan National Historic Site

Staircase to the Scenic Loop Trail at El Morro, San Juan National Historic Site

Hill below El Morro’s Ochoa Bastion leads to the Paseo del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site

When you get to the bottom of the hill, you will see the sign at the other end of the Scenic Loop Trail. This is where you would have come out if you did the hike.

Scenic Loop Trail at El Morro, San Juan National Historic Site

From here, follow the sidewalk that runs along the base of the Carmen and Santa Barbara bastions. This will eventually end at a staircase that leads down to the start of the Paseo del Morro. The stairs and moat hill might be a challenge for some people, but from here on out, the trail covers level terrain.

Path below the Carmen and Santa Barbara bastions at El Morro leads to the Paseo del Morro Trail, San Juan National Historic Site

Stairs from El Morro down to the start of the Paseo del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site

There’s not much to the actual trail. It is easy to follow, so you can’t get lost. It’s cliffs or the city wall on one side and the ocean on the other. There are wonderful views the entire way.

Paseo del Morro National Recreational Trail at San Juan National Historic Site

Waves crash the shore below the Santa Barbara Bastion of El Morro and splash visitors walking along the Paseo del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site

Once beyond the fort and around a couple of zigs and zags, you will begin to see the buildings of Old San Juan and will be walking right along the original city wall.

Paseo del Morro National Recreational Trail passes along the city walls of Old San Juan

Paseo del Morro National Recreational Trail passes along the city walls of Old San Juan

The Paseo del Morro National Recreational Trail officially ends (or begins, depending on which way you are heading) at the San Juan Gate. This was built between 1635 and 1646 during the construction of a wall around what is now called Old San Juan. There were multiple gates into the town, but the San Juan Gate provided the only access from the bay during the entire 17th century. Ships would stop offshore, and the passengers were ferried to the gate.

San Juan Gate, part of San Juan National Historic Site

During the 1700s when business inside the city became more important economically than the military, people preferred to arrive at the port through the San Justo Gate, and the importance of the San Juan Gate diminished. The San Justo Gate was eventually torn down in 1895 because it was impeding the flow of traffic from the port to the city.

The San Juan Gate originally had a chapel above it. When the gate lost its importance, it was redesigned in the neoclassical style. In 1792 the chapel was closed and a rampart (defensive wall) was built on top. The gate was restored in 1955 by local civic and historical societies.

While the Paseo del Morro ends at the gate, the path continues on for another 300 yards to the Fuente Raíces (Fountain Raices). Along the way it passes under the original fort in San Juan, La Fortaleza. Construction on it began in 1533; it was completed in 1540. La Fortaleza was captured by English in 1598 (as was El Morro) and the Dutch in 1625. In the mid-1800s it was converted into the governor’s house, and it continues to be the governor’s house today. While it is not part of San Juan National Historic Site, it is open for tours. Visit fortaleza.pr.gov for more information.

View of the San Juan Gate and La Fortaleza, the first fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico

At this point you can turn around and head back to El Morro or walk through the gate and into Old San Juan.

Southern end of the Paseo del Morro at the San Juan Gate, San Juan National Historic Site

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