Pico da Vara

Warning: forestry operations are currently underway in the initial section of this trail, with tree felling and heavy machinery in circulation. Exercise extra caution while crossing this area. Otherwise, this is the trail that takes you to the highest point of São Miguel, the Pico da Vara, at 1103 metres altitude. The path unfolds within the Protected Area for Habitat and Species Management of Tronqueira and Planalto dos Graminhais, the Natural Reserve of Pico da Vara and the Public Forest Perimeter of the Island of São Miguel.

The starting point is located next to the Guard House of the Atalhada Forest Reserve, in the parish of Santo António Nordestinho. Following the signage, you cross the Mata da Atalhada until you reach a viewpoint overlooking the parishes of Santo António Nordestinho and Algarvia. At the fork, take the left path, lined with Japanese cedars (Cryptomeria japonica), heading towards the Pico da Vara. These trails once served to access charcoal production areas, livestock management and trade between settlements in the municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação.

At a second fork, continue left until you reach the geodetic marker of Pico da Vara. From the summit, your gaze reaches the caldera of Povoação to the south, and to the west, the Planalto dos Graminhais, the Caldeira do Vulcão das Furnas and its lake. In the distance, the northern coast stretches out, with the volcanic massifs of Fogo and Sete Cidades closing the horizon.

On the return journey, descend the trail and turn right, heading towards the Forest Guard House. At higher elevations there is an opportunity to observe endemic vegetation, such as the cedar-of-the-forest (Juniperus brevifolia), the holly (Ilex azorica) and the heather (Erica azorica), as well as peatlands formed by Sphagnum sp., essential for water retention. As you lose altitude, natural flora gives way to public Japanese cedar forests, managed by the Regional Directorate of Forest Resources and with FSC® certification (License Code FSC® C119744). The trail ends at the Guard House, where it is worth visiting the endemic plant garden.