Pico Grande, Madeira, Portugal
Posted by: 
arby101ca
N 32° 44.227 W 016° 59.268
28S E 313743 N 3623892
Madeira is a spectacular volcanic island offering many walks, hikes and climbs. The scramble up Pico Grande is one of the best.
Waymark Code: WMA3PY
Location: Arquipélago da Madeira, Portugal
Date Posted: 11/11/2010
Views: 23
Pico Grande may not be the highest peak on Madeira at 1554 m but it dominates its location. It is a solid block of many layers of lava presenting a great wall to the south and an eye catching summit block viewed from Pico Arieiro or Pico Ruivo. The trail starting from Boca da Corrida, above Estreite da Camera de Lobos, to Boca Encunmeada is the old Royal Road, a moderate hike. The view of Pico Grande dominates your view from the starting point to the trail junction at Boca Cerro. Find the junction over the pass at N 32 49.822, W 16 59.133. The climb to the summit heads up the cliff band and around to the 300 m 1000ft grind to the top. The cfiff band is the crux, a steep scramble aided by fixed cables and steps. The next difficult section is the summit block. Again steps and a not so trusty fixed cable provides a false sense of safety. The views from the top are spectacular. To the east are Pico Arieiro, Torres, and Ruivo, to the West Jorge etc and Boca Encumeada, to the south Paul de Serre. We returned the same way with a minor exploration along the trail below the great wall. This is a great hike classified difficult due to the exposed cliff band above Boca Cerro.
The track log is available on wikiloc at (
visit link)