And unlike the mountain parks, it's dead easy to get to: coming along 2 on the south side of the island (from either Ponce or Mayagüez), take the Guanica exit (that's road 116). It only goes south, and it's on flat land. Head south on that to the second light, road 334, and turn left. You can't turn right. Easy! There is a weird fork in the road as you get past the little town on the way up. Bear left. Soon, you're at the entrance to the park. Drive along the winding road to the ranger "station" and parking lot, and walk.
Total driving time from Ponce is about 45 minutes, so it's more than accessible as a day trip or even to kill a morning or afternoon. Planning note, though: during the warmer months (June to maybe October), try to get there early, because the sun is merciless if you're not used to it. Bring water, or plan a short hike and have water in the car. (Or plan to drive into Guanica, south of the turnoff, and stop at Burger King or someplace after your hike.) Consider a hat.
When we first came to the island, we visited the Dry Forest in July, in the afternoon, and it was hot for us. Now, three years later, when 85 degrees seems a little chilly sometimes, we've just gone back in December, and it was utterly charming, with thousands of butterflies and breathtaking views of the Caribbean.
Here's a trail map; click it for a much larger JPG version suitable for printing.
A word of warning when using this map: those single-lined trails marked "trail" may or may not actually exist. The single-lined part of Dinamita most certainly doesn't, so if you take Dinamita, when you reach the end of the trail, turn around. I can safely say that you do not want to trust the map and forge on through the dry forest in an attempt to pick up the trail again at Cueva. My account of just such an attempt is here, but the short version is: thorns, cactus, and a relative of poison ivy are just a few of the many surprises in store for the foolhardy hiker who attempts to follow the single-line trails of Guanica.
But one thing is certain: if you're on the south side of the island and have even part of a day free, this park is well worth the minimal trouble of getting there.
