The Chorro Trail begins by winding downward between two hills. Chorro's hills undulate from El Pilar to the Chorro stream. The well cleared trails take the path of least resistance, but there is some effort involved.

You begin to see a seasonal streambed to your left. This drainage once formed part of the spillway system for the ancient eastern aguada at El Pilar related to the residential area of the Lakin Trail. Before negotiating the few stairs down and across you get a great view over the treetops into the the eastern distance.
Howler Monkey
There are a number of medicinal plants along this trail like gumbolimbo trees and the axcanan shrubs. Strolling on this trail with a knowledgeable plant guide will expand your new view of the forest as a garden. Stop and listen carefully. You will probably hear the "baboons," local howler monkey troops that use the El Pilar water sources. Several troops travel through this area and are often seen in the tall forest around El Pilar. Less frequently spider monkeys can be observed. They are fast tree-dwelling, fruit-eating animals that are easily captured when unprotected. El Pilar is now providing them a new sanctuary.
Areas of old fields in stages of regeneration are seen along the trail. These open areas offer distinct environments for the forest animals and plants. Flora and fauna succession in the Maya forest is as old as the hurricanes and first human pioneers who used fire to clear the land more than four millennia ago. Tall forests offer the classic tropical habitat with several canopy layers reaching high above the shaded forest floor. But herbs and flowers, all sun-loving plants, cannot emerge in that forested-scape. Plants like axcanan depend on soils disturbed by either humans or hurricanes to activate their seeds. You can recognize different stages of regrowth along this trail where protection is part of the reserve. Here you find the wild papaya and the trumpet tree that attract birds with their fruits and flowers. The Trumpet tree is identified by its soft ringed trunk and large lobed leaves. As you draw closer to Chorro, you occasionally see the mounds of ancient Maya houses. This was a good area to farm then as well as now.