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Being an avid hiker, if there is one thing that drives me on my nerves when I am traveling is to waste a whole day of my trip doing a bad hiking trail. You know what I mean: poorly signposted trails, with too many human constructions, stretches of tarred road or simply hiking trails where the views are simply not worth it.
Unfortunately, in São Miguel island there are some trails that are not worth it and, during one of them, I thought how cool it would be if someone had informed me beforehand, so I wouldn’t have wasted my time.
So, as I already did a list of the BEST hiking trails in the island, here is a list of the WORST hiking trails in São Miguel island – I hope it saves you time, energy and a lot of frustrations 😛
The WORST hiking trails in São Miguel island are…
Caldeiras da Ribeira Grande – Salto do Cabrito (PRC29 SMI)
Why should you avoid Salto do Cabrito?
In my opinion, Salto do Cabrito (which translates to Cabrito waterfall) is the worst hiking trail in São Miguel island and I simply do not understand how it keeps showing up on online lists of the best hikes in the island.
The thing that bothered me the most about this trail is that we are ALWAYS facing human constructions, which completely spoils the experience of being immersed in nature (isn’t that the main reason to go for a hike?…).
At the beginning of the hiking trail you have to walk along a huge pipe in the middle of the forest. There is a staircase, also huge and very narrow, where people are constantly going up and down, so you are constantly stopping to let other people pass.
This staircase then leads to the famous Cabrito waterfall… which is not even pretty!
To make things worse, there are not one but two car parks next to the waterfall, which means that the waterfall, not very big in itself, is ALWAYS full of people. Even in the peak of winter!
The rest of the hiking trail was even worse, as it is not very well signposted and most of it is along roads where cars and tractors pass.
Definitely, Salto do Cabrito is one of the worst hiking trails in São Miguel island.
Practical information about Salto do Cabrito Hiking Trail
What hiking trail to do instead:
There is a hiking trail that has a similar value proposition as Salto do Cabrito, but that actually delivers it :P It is called Janela do Inferno and I talk about it in my article about the best hiking trails in São Miguel island.
Pico da Vara (PRC07 SMI)
Pico da Vara is considered one of the most difficult and inaccessible trails on the island, and it is even necessary to obtain an authorization from the Regional Government of the Azores for us to do it (I’ll teach you how to deal with that already).
However, being the highest point in São Miguel, I was looking forward to doing this particular hiking trail.
The first thing I must tell you is that it is REALLY difficult to find the exact location of the beginning of this trail, at least if you use google maps. It certainly took me an extra 20 minutes to get there.
Once there, the trail itself is quite uninteresting: it consists of a climb without particularly interesting views. But the worst is not the lack of view, the worst is the state of the trail itself, which is pitiful.
It’s full of mud and very slippery, so I got to the end of the trail shit up to my knees!
The view at the end of the trail is really beautiful. But you will only be able to see it if it’s a perfect day, without any clouds.
Pico da Vara is one of the worst hiking trails in São Miguel island… unless you make sure to do it on a perfect summer day.
If you decide to do this trail, make sure that the weather forecast for that day is perfect: no clouds, and that it hasn’t rained in the previous weeks (so that the ground isn’t terribly muddy). For this, use the most useful apps and websites in the Azores.
Practical information about Pico da Vara Hiking Trail
What hiking trail to do instead:
Honestly there is not a hiking trail in São Miguel island that offers the same “mountain vibe”, but I’d go with climbing Lagoa do Fogo anytime!
Atalho dos Vermelhos (PRC33 SMI)
Why should you avoid Atalho dos Vermelhos?
This was the very first hiking trail I did under the recommendation of my hostel, and why would anyone recommend doing one of the worst hiking trails in São Miguel island is beyond my comprehension.
This track has, essentially, two major problems:
– one is that it is not properly signposted, so it’s quite easy to get lost in the middle.
– the other problem is that there are some areas of dense vegetation, interspersed with semi-abandoned fields / pastures. This makes the walk itself more difficult and, on the other hand, is the main reason why it’s easy to get lost while doing one of the worst hiking trails in São Miguel island.
A person could even “forgive” these problems if the views were stunning… but they are not. The only spot that I thought was really beautiful was when I took a small detour to go to a viewpoint overlooking the parish of Mosteiros.
Local tip: if you decide to do this trail nonetheless, make sure to stop by “O Américo” for lunch and order the roasted octopus. It is one of the best restaurants in São Miguel island.
Practical information about Atalho dos Vermelhos Hiking Trail
And one last example of the worst hiking trails in São Miguel island…
Padrão das Alminhas – Salto da Farinha (PR21 SMI)
Why should you avoid Salto da Farinha?
Of all the hiking trails I did in São Miguel island, Salto da Farinha is by far the most gruesome, difficult and boring (yes!, all at the same time). After doing it, I ended up with this face (and this was not my first rodeo, I am an experienced hiker!):
These are the reasons why I consider this one of the worst hiking trails in São Miguel island:
– Firstly, the location of the starting point makes no sense at all because as soon as you start the trail, at the top of the hill, you’re faced with an extremely steep descent on a cement road. Don’t forget that this trail is linear, which means that you have to go all the way backwards.
– There were several points along the trail where I got confused as to which direction to take and, if it weren’t for my use of Maps.Me, one of the best apps to use in the Azores, I suspect I would still be walking around the trail today.
In particular, the intersection of three “roads”, just after Poço Azul, was quite confusing, at least for me.
– The waterfalls, which in all the photos appear to be crystal clear, were actually completely cloudy with… brown water. Ugly, ugly, ugly.
– The trail is all uphill and downhill only. There is no flat zone. I wouldn’t mind the suffering if the views were fantastic… but they’re not.
How to improve this particular hiking trail:
- Instead of starting the trail at Padrão Histórico de Alminhas, at the top of the hill, drive straight to “Parque de Merendas do Pesqueiro” and start from there. It may seem like a short distance to cover (after all, it is just 10 minutes by foot) but TRUST ME, you’ll thank me at the end of the tour, when you’re completely blown away and you still have to walk the steepest 750 meters of your life to get to your car.
- Another option is to break one of the worst hiking trails in São Miguel into two (more manageable) ones. You can basically start at Padrão Histórico de Alminhas, and make the first loop to Poço Azul and Ponte de Nosso Senhor. But, after crossing the bridge, instead of turning right, turn left, back to the village. Then, get in the car and drive to the Miradouro da Foz da Ribeira das Coelhas car park, and walk through the second loop, which takes you to Salto da Farinha (the cascade that gives this trail its name).
You can compare my optimised itinerary with the official one:
Is it worth it? In my opinion no, but you do you :P Read on to find out which trail you should take instead.
Practical information about Salto da Farinha Hiking Trail
What hiking trail to do instead:
Very close to Salto da Farinha (actually, just 10 minutes driving distance) is another hiking trail called Moinhos do Félix which is much nicer, much shorter, and with plenty of waterfalls to see!
