The Drive Up to La Marquesa Has Changed. Here's How to Spend a Fall Day There

Inside the gate, Parque Forestal La Marquesa hasn't changed much since it reopened. It's open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., adult admission is $13, and parking is free. What has changed is the drive up. Since May 25, 2026, the Municipio Autónomo de Guaynabo has closed a stretch of the municipal PR-834 expressway to build a new roundabout. The park's ticket page now opens with a notice that its main access road is affected by construction.

This weekend the park hosts La Magia del Otoño, its family program for Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1. For anyone driving from Garden Hills, Torrimar or the pueblo, getting a good day out of it this fall comes down to three things: the route, the cutoff time, and the fine print on the ticket.

What closed on May 25

Metro Puerto Rico reported on May 22 that the closed section of PR-834, the Marlin O'Neill expressway, runs from the crossing in front of the Centro de Servicios de Usos Múltiples de Hato Nuevo to the intersection with PR-835 near La Ceiba. The work covers road improvements and the start of construction on a new roundabout at that intersection. In the same report, Mayor Edward A. O'Neill Rosa described the project as part of a municipal effort to handle heavy traffic in the area and reduce conflict points at the intersection. Metro carried his statement in Spanish. In translation:

"We recognize that this temporary closure will mean inconveniences and adjustments for our residents, merchants and drivers who travel through this area every day. However, this work is necessary to improve road safety, speed up traffic flow and offer a permanent solution to an intersection that for years has presented traffic and safety challenges."

The municipality's announcement gave a start date but no completion date. The park's notice is undated and still lists the same detours the municipality published in May. Neither source says when the expressway will reopen, so the most reliable check before leaving the house is Park Administration at (787) 272-4530.

Three ways up, depending on where you start

The park's ticket page posts these alternate routes, which follow the municipality's May guidance:

1. From the urban side of Guaynabo, via the Hato Nuevo center. Take the new PR-834 to the Hato Nuevo Multi-Purpose Center, turn left onto the old PR-834, then turn right.
2. From La Muda or from Caguas, via PR-8834. Take PR-8834. Turn right onto the old PR-834 if you're coming from La Muda, or left if you're coming from Caguas.
3. The ridge route, via Mirador Gavillán. Take the new PR-834 uphill, turn onto the road toward Mirador Gavillán, then turn left onto PR-835.

The park also notes that residents of Sector Inclán have access through a designated local-traffic route.

The third route is the easiest to follow if you've never driven the old PR-834. Guaynabo's territorial plan places Mirador Gavillán at kilometer 1.6 of Carretera 835 in barrio Mamey, which gives you a fixed landmark for the turn. The lookout is municipal property. Treat it as a reference point on the drive, not as a planned stop.

Whichever route you take, the detour sets your schedule. Last admission is about 4:00 p.m., an hour before the 5:00 p.m. close. If you're adding time for an unfamiliar road, an early-afternoon departure puts that cutoff at risk. Leaving in the morning keeps the whole day open.

What the ticket covers, and what it doesn't guarantee

Admission is priced like this:

For a household of two adults and two children between 2 and 12, the gate total is $42. The ticket includes a cable car and/or train ride, plus the butterfly garden, the aviary, the children's play areas and the observation tower.

The wording "and/or" is deliberate. The park says a ticket guarantees admission only. The cable car, train, aviary, butterfly garden, tower, play areas and other amenities can all be affected by weather, scheduled maintenance or operating needs, and all sales are final. On a good day you can ride both. A visitor review on Tripadvisor dated August 2026 describes taking the cable car up, the tractor train back down, and stopping at the butterfly habitat, aviary, waterfall and tower along the way. That account covers one visit, though, not a schedule. If the cable car is the reason the children are coming, the same call to (787) 272-4530 that confirms the road can confirm the rides.

Three more rules will shape your plans:

• No pets. Only properly identified service animals with the required documentation are allowed. Dogs stay home, which is a change of routine for anyone used to the Sunday pet events in town.
• Cable car ratios. Every seven children on the cable car need one responsible adult with them. That matters for birthday groups and cousin outings.
• No firearms or weapons of any kind inside the park.

What's up the hill, now that it's open again

The park's scale explains why the drive is worth it. Municipal reopening coverage describes 630 cuerdas of forest in barrio Sonadora, with trails, gazebos, play areas, an observation tower, a train and a cable car. The park had been closed for seven years after Hurricane María. When it reopened in February 2025, Metro Puerto Rico reported that the aviary held 128 birds across 25 species.

The posted hours and prices are the same ones published around the reopening, so the cost of a visit hasn't moved since early 2025. The access is what has shifted.

La Magia del Otoño, October 31 and November 1

The park's autumn weekend starts at 9:00 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. The listed family activities are a face-painting station, a station for making your own mask, and inclusive entrepreneurs selling their own work. Tickets are sold through PRTicket.com, and the information line is the park's number, (787) 272-4530. The event listing groups it with Puerto Rico's Halloween programming. The mask station gives children a costume piece to make on site, which suits a hilltop day better than a full costume worn on the drive.

The 9:00 a.m. start fits the detour math above. Arriving at opening on Saturday or Sunday leaves the full seven hours before last admission for the stations, the rides, the aviary and the tower.

If the hills don't work this weekend, San Patricio Plaza has events the same week. "Jueves en Galería" returns to Galería San Patricio on Thursday, October 29, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. with a Halloween theme, and "SanPaween" on Saturday, October 31, promises costumes, candy and family activities. The plaza's own announcements give the dates but not full schedules, so check San Patricio's site before you go.

Booking the park for something later

The park also takes reservations for gatherings. Its Activity Hall is listed for dates from October 24, 2026, through December 31, 2027. The park describes it as recently renovated and air-conditioned, with room for up to 180 guests. For events in the hall, the gazebos and the playground areas, Jacinto Restaurant is the exclusive food-service provider. Before you plan a guest list, keep the drive in mind. Until the PR-834 work wraps up, every guest will be using one of the three detours, so sending the route with the invitation saves a lot of phone calls on the day. Questions about event coordination go to Park Administration at (787) 272-4530 or [email protected].

Hosting family from the mainland this season, or planning a gathering in Guaynabo's hills? Monica Gotay keeps track of how routes like this one are changing around the neighborhoods she serves, and is glad to help you plan the day. Let's Connect.