Founded in 1978 with an area of 45,899.2 hectares, Braulio Carrillo National Park was named after the third head of state of Costa Rica, who had dreamed of building a carriage road to the port of Limon and even started the project off. Of course that job was much too much economically and technically for the budding Costa Rican Republic.

Braulio Carillo is only a half hour to the East of San Jose and is easily reached as the modern highway to the Caribbean Coast passes right through it. The park contains various extinct volcanos amoung which is Barba Volcano, easily seen from San Jose, because of the three little hills on top, the Tres Marias. In Barba Volcano crater there are a number of small lakes or ponds. One, Danta Lake, is some 500 meters in diameter. Also there is the old volcano, Cacho Negro.