San Cristóbal Canyon
| San Cristóbal Canyon | |
|---|---|
San Cristóbal Canyon in 2022 | |
| Floor elevation | Approx. 2,140 feet (700 m) |
| Length | 6.52 miles (10.49 km) |
| Width | 0.07 to 0.77 miles (0.11 to 1.24 km) |
| Depth | Approx. 800 feet (200 m) |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 18°10′N 66°17′W / 18.17°N 66.29°W |
| Rivers | Usabón River and tributaries: Aibonito and Barranquitas Rivers, and Helechal and Alicia Creeks |
San Cristóbal Canyon (Spanish: Cañón de San Cristóbal) is a canyon carved by the Usabón River, located on the town boundary between the municipalities of Barranquitas and Aibonito in the central region of the main island of Puerto Rico. Situated between the mountain subranges of Cordillera Central and Sierra de Cayey, San Cristóbal measures 9 kilometers (5.5 mi) in length and reaches up to 750 feet (228.6 m) in depth, making it the deepest land canyon in Puerto Rico and the West Indies in the Caribbean. Home to some of the tallest waterfalls and hundreds of species of flora and fauna in the island, the canyon is government-protected as a natural area since 1978, which came after the site was used as a land fill from 1954 to 1974. San Cristóbal and its northerly neighbor of Las Bocas Canyon are part of a larger canyon system belonging to the La Plata River basin in the central mountainous region of Puerto Rico.