View source for Pico Duarte

{{Short description|Mountain in the Dominican Republic}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Pico Duarte
| photo = File:Hispaniolanpineforest.jpg
| photo_caption = View from La Pelona summit, 1996
| elevation_m = 3101
| elevation_ref = <ref name=ojala/>
| prominence_m = 3101
| prominence_ref = <ref name=ojala/>
| map = Dominican Republic
| map_caption = Pico Duarte's location in the Dominican Republic
| label_position =
| listing = {{unbulleted list
|[[List of islands by highest point|Highest ocean islands]] 16th
|[[List of peaks by prominence|World most prominent peaks]] 79th
|[[List of the most prominent summits of North America|North America prominent peak]] 14th
|[[List of the most isolated major summits of North America|North America isolated peaks]] 9th
|[[List of mountain peaks of the Caribbean|Caribbean high point]]
|[[List of countries by highest point|Country high point]]
}}
| location = [[San Juan Province (Dominican Republic)|San Juan Province]], {{Flag|Dominican Republic}}
| range = [[Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic|Cordillera Central]]
| coordinates = {{coord|19|01|23|N|70|59|53|W|type:mountain_region:DO_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates = 
| coordinates_ref = <ref name="peaklist">{{cite web |url=http://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/ultras/CentAm.html |title=Central America and Caribbean Ultra Prominence Page |website=Peaklist.org |first=Aaron |last=Maizlish |year=2003 |access-date=2012-04-06}}</ref>
| topo =
| 
| age =
| first_ascent = 1851 by Robert H. Schomburgk
| easiest_route = [[Hiking|Hike]]
}}

'''Pico Duarte''' is the highest peak in the [[Dominican Republic]], on the island of [[Hispaniola]] and in all the [[Caribbean]]. At {{convert|3101|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level, it gives Hispaniola the [[List of islands by highest point|16th-highest maximum elevation of any island in the world]]. Additionally, it is only {{convert|53|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=off}} northeast of the region's lowest point, [[Lake Enriquillo]], 46 m (151 ft) below sea level. It is part of the [[Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic|Cordillera Central]] range, which extends from the plains between [[San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic|San Cristóbal]] and [[Baní]] to the northwestern peninsula of [[Haiti]], where it is known as the [[Massif du Nord]]. The highest elevations of the Cordillera Central are found in the Pico Duarte and Valle Nuevo [[massif]]s.

==History==
The first reported climb was made in 1851 by a [[Germans|German]] who was British [[Consul (representative)|consul]]: Sir [[Robert Hermann Schomburgk]].<ref name=Baker2009/> He named the mountain "Monte Tina" and estimated its height at {{Convert|3140|m}}. In 1912, Father Miguel Fuertes dismissed Schomburgk's calculations after climbing La Rucilla and judging it to be the tallest summit of the island. A year later, Swedish botanist [[Erik Leonard Ekman]] sided with Schomburgk's estimate, and called the sister summits "Pelona Grande" and "Pelona Chica" ("Big Bald One" and "Small Bald One", respectively). During the [[Rafael Trujillo|Rafael Trujillo Molina]] regime, the taller of the two was called "Pico Trujillo". After the dictator's death, it was renamed Pico Duarte, in honor of [[Juan Pablo Duarte]], one of the Dominican Republic's founding fathers. At the summit is an east-facing bronze [[Bust (sculpture)|bust]] of Duarte atop a stone pedestal, next to a flagpole that flies the [[Flag of Dominican Republic|Dominican flag]] and a [[Christian cross|cross]].

==Geography==
[[Image:Picoduartemap.jpg|thumb|Topographical map of the Pico Duarte massif and its location in the Dominican Republic]]

The mountain's elevation was debated for decades, up until the mid-1990s, when it was still held to be {{Convert|3,175|m}} high. In 2003, it was measured by a researcher using [[GPS]] technology, and it was found to be {{Convert|3,098|m}} tall.<ref name=Orvis/> The official elevation as recorded by Dominican government agencies is {{Convert|3,087|m}}, a measurement that has been confirmed by several groups of hikers using personal GPS consoles (the most recent verified one in January 2005). In 2021 a team of researchers using GSSM technology found that its altitude is {{Convert|3,101.1|m}} with a margin of error of {{Convert|0.3|m}}.<ref name=ojala/>

It is only a few meters taller than [[La Pelona]], its twin, which stands at {{Convert|3,097|m}}, and from which it is separated by a [[mountain pass|col]] between summits that is approximately {{Convert|1.5|km}} wide, and is officially named ''Valle del Baíto'', but unofficially called ''Valle de [[Ulises Heureaux|Lilís]]''. The col's mean elevation is {{Convert|2,950|m}}.

==Ecology==
[[File:Approaching the peak of Pico Duarte.jpg|thumb|right|Approaching the peak of Pico Duarte.]]
The area has an [[oceanic climate]] that very few would associate as typical of a Caribbean island, with cool temperatures all year round, going several degrees below freezing during winter nights.

The mountain and the surrounding landscape are covered in ''pino de cuaba'' (''[[Pinus occidentalis]]'') [[Hispaniolan pine forests|forests]]. The pines frequently host the [[epiphyte]]s ''guajaca'' (''[[Tillandsia]]'' spp.) and the [[Parasitic plant|parasitic]] ''[[Dendropemon|Dendropemon pycnophyllus]]''. Some areas, like the Valle de Lilís, are treeless [[Montane grasslands and shrublands|meadows]] of [[bunch grass|tussock]]-like ''pajones'' (''[[Danthonia]] domingensis''). The [[understory]] is composed of [[shrub]] such as ''[[Lyonia heptamera]]'', ''[[Myrica picardae]]'', ''[[Myrsine coriacea]]'', ''[[Ilex tuerkheimii]]'', ''[[Garrya fadyenii]]'' and ''[[Baccharis myrsinites]]''. All of these species are adapted to the [[Soil pH|acidic]] [[soil]] of the area.<ref name=MyersEtal/>
[[File:Pinus occidentalis on Pico Duarte.jpg|thumb|Hispaniolan pine forests on Pico Duarte]]
Reptiles in the area include the endemic ''[[Panolopus marcanoi]]''. Birds seen in the area include the endemic [[Palm crow|Hispaniolan palm crow]] (''Corvus palmarum palmarum''), [[Antillean siskin]] (''Carduelis dominicensis''), [[rufous-throated solitaire]] (''Myadestes genibarbis''), [[Hispaniolan crossbill]] (''Loxia megaplaga'') (whose abundance is directly related to the Hispaniolan pine cone crop), and [[Hispaniolan trogon]] (''Priotelus roseigaster''); at lower elevations the [[Hispaniolan amazon]] (''Amazona ventralis''), [[scaly-naped pigeon]] (''Patagioenas squamosa'') and [[Golden swallow (bird)|golden swallow]] (''Tachycineta euchrysea'') can be seen. There are two extant mammals endemic to Hispaniola<ref name=Woods1981/> whose remaining range includes the [[broadleaf forest]]s of lower elevations: the primarily nocturnal [[Hispaniolan solenodon]] (''Solenodon paradoxus'')<ref name=iucnSP/> and the [[Hispaniolan hutia]] (''Plagiodontia aedium'').<ref name=iucnPA/> Both are rarely seen, with the latter considered Endangered. [[Wild boar]], descendants of animals introduced to the island during the colonial period, have been reported.<ref name=Pariser1994/>

A [[wildfire]] in 2003 altered the landscape of a large section of the eastern side of the mountain. As of 2008, the hillside of charred trees is now a new-growth forest. While thousands of charred trees are still standing, a large variety of indigenous grasses and small plants are now growing.

==Climbing information==

There is a system of trails leading up to the summit, with trailheads at several locations (their final stretches to the summit are seen on the topographic map). The easiest access is from the town of [[La Ciénaga, San José de Ocoa|La Ciénaga]], near [[Jarabacoa]]. The trail is {{convert|23.1|km|mi|abbr=on}} to the summit, with a total elevation change of {{Convert|1,977|m}}, and a shelter {{Convert|5|km}} away from the summit at La Comparticion.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hiking Pico Duarte|url=http://www.summitpost.org/pico-duarte/150346|website=Summit Post|access-date=10 May 2015}}</ref> Tourist-friendly travel agencies can help arrange trips from this trailhead, using mules in their employ to help lug food, sleeping bags and supplies for the overnight stay in the shelter.<ref>[https://guiasdealturas.com/2021/05/19/hiking-pico-duarte/ A comprehensive guide for Pico Duarte].</ref>

A few fresh water springs labeled "potable" are along the trail, but water filters or [[Water purification|purifying]] tablets are recommended. The majority of hikers travel by this route.

A trailhead northwest of the town of [[San Juan de la Maguana]] is the starting point for four-day (three-night) trips that end at the Ciénaga trailhead (or, for an extra day of hiking, back at the starting location), which are run entirely by local Dominicans who cook the food provided, and help campers along the way. Each night is spent in shelters, and due to the distance traveled, riding by mule-back is strongly encouraged. Far off the beaten path, it is highly unlikely that anyone else can be seen on the trail until the merge with the trail from La Ciénaga. 

According to Dominican Park Service representatives in La Cienaga, while approximately 1,000 hikers visit Pico Duarte during each of the months of December and January; only about 10 to 15 people a day hike the mountain during off-season months.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

==See also==
* [[Geography of the Dominican Republic]]
* [[Hispaniola]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=ojala>{{cite news |title=El Pico Duarte es apenas 4 metros más alto que La Pelona |url=https://ojala.do/ciencia-y-tecnologia/el-pico-duarte-es-apenas-4-metros-mas-alto-que-la-pelona |access-date=26 July 2022 |publisher=ojala.do |date=2021 |archive-url= |archive-date= |language=es}}</ref>
<ref name=Orvis>{{cite journal |last=Orvis |first=K. H. |year=2003 |title=The Highest Mountain in the Caribbean: Controversy and Resolution via GPS |journal=Caribbean Journal of Science |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=378–380 |citeseerx=10.1.1.403.4046 }}</ref>
<ref name=MyersEtal>{{cite report |last=Myers |first=R. |last2=O'Brien |first2=J. |last3=Mehlman |first3=D. |last4=Bergh |first4=C. |title=Fire Management Assessment of the Highland Ecosystems of the Dominican Republic |publisher=The Nature Conservancy |date=November 2004}} Download available at [https://www.conservationgateway.org/Files/Pages/fire-management-assessmenaspx168.aspx Conservation Gateway].</ref>
<ref name=Baker2009>{{cite book |last=Baker |first=Christopher P. |title=Explorer's Guide Dominican Republic: A Great Destination |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r5eXynCrZYoC&pg=PA327 |series=Explorer's Great Destinations |year=2009 |publisher=Countryman Press |isbn=978-1-58157-907-9 |page=327}}</ref>
<ref name=Woods1981>{{cite journal |last=Woods |first=C. A. |year=1981 |title=Last endemic mammals in Hispaniola |journal=Oryx |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=146–152 |doi=10.1017/S0030605300017105|doi-access=free }}</ref>
<ref name=iucnSP>{{Cite iucn | author = Turvey, S. | author2 = Incháustegui, S. | title = ''Solenodon paradoxus'' | volume = 2008 | page = e.T20321A9186243 | date = 2008 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T20321A9186243.en }}</ref>
<ref name=iucnPA>{{Cite iucn | author = Turvey, S. | author2 = Incháustegui, S. | title = ''Plagiodontia aedium'' | volume = 2008 | page = e.T17460A7086930 | date = 2008 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T17460A7086930.en }}</ref>
<ref name=Pariser1994>{{cite book |last=Pariser |first=Harry S. |title=The Adventure Guide to the Dominican Republic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nan3oIDq42wC&pg=PA163 |year=1994 |publisher=Hunter Publishing |isbn=978-1-55650-629-1 |page=163}}</ref>
}}

* Dod, A. S. (1992). ''Endangered and Endemic Birds of the Dominican Republic''. Cypress House {{ISBN|1-879384-12-4}}
* Marcano, J. E.. ''República Dominicana: Sus regiones – Cordillera Central''. [https://mipais.jmarcano.com/geografia/regiones/mcentral.html]
* Schubert, A.; Pérez, R. (1998). ''Hacia el Techo del Caribe: Caminatas al Pico Duarte''. Kiskeya Alternative.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150346/pico-duarte.html Pico Duarte @ SummitPost.org]
* [https://www.uncommoncaribbean.com/dominican-republic/climbing-pico-duarte Climbing Pico Duarte, The Tallest Mountain in the West Indies], 2012 travelogue in three parts at ''Uncommon Caribbean'' website.

{{Authority control}}{{Highest points of North America}}
[[Category:Mountains of the Dominican Republic|Duarte]]
[[Category:Geography of Hispaniola]]
[[Category:Highest points of countries]]