The Miradouros trail (trilho dos miradouros) is one of the most spectacular trails in Gerês. In addition to presenting several of the best viewpoints in Gerês, we cross several watercourses, and we always have the Gerês River valley and the Caniçada reservoir as a backdrop. It’s just an overall pretty place.
With more than 12 km and an accumulated altitude gain of almost 800 meters concentrated mainly in the first 3 to 4 km, the viewpoints trail – PR6 is challenging. It’s a circular trail with a large parking lot at its beginning/end, so you won’t have to worry about logistics.
The medium to high difficulty comes mainly from the altitude gain, as there are no technical parts, just the occasional rocky sections. The entire trail is very well signposted, but we always advise you to download the trail to your GPS in case you get lost.
Miradouros trail in Geres – quick information
- Name – PR6 TBR – trilho dos miradouros / trail of the viewpoints
- Start – Centro de Artesanato da Vila do Gerês – 41°44’06.2″N 8°09’35.3″W
- End – Centro de Artesanato da Vila do Gerês – 41°44’06.2″N 8°09’35.3″W
- Distance – 12 km
- Time required – 5 hours
- Difficulty – moderate to hard
- Max/min altitude: 930 – 357 meters
- Altitude gain: 796 meters
- Type – circular
- Signalization (1-5) – 5, very well marked
- Highlights: all the lookouts
- You can download the official map here (in Portuguese)
Our experience on the viewpoints trail
Before starting the trail, we were a little worried because we had read that the trek was very hard on several occasions. In our experience, the hike is challenging, but it is not so demanding that it prevents anyone physically fit from doing it. Mainly because the most significant hardship is right at the beginning.
The trail starts next to the handicraft center of Gerês, but if you can park about 200 meters ahead and save the 200 meters on each way that are done on the paved road. From there, we immediately start uphill on a broad but very steep path.
We will continue along this path, always going up for almost 3 km until we reach the connection with the Silha dos Ursos Trail (PR11) at the house of Guarda de Junceda. These roughly 3 km are tough, but they concentrate almost all the altitude gain of this trail. So, complete the climb at a comfortable pace, knowing that when you get there, the worst part is accomplished.
From Casa do Guarda to Miradouro da Junceda, it’s a short hike on a dirt road until we reach the Junceda Viewpoint. It is the highest of the four we will visit, and perhaps the most spectacular. There are picnic tables there, so it’s an excellent place to rest your legs after the long climb.
From Junceda, we start a long descent. During the first 2.5 km and until reaching Miradouro da Boneca, it is not very pronounced and almost always on dirt roads. It is very easy to do and follow. To go to Miradouro da Boneca we have to take a slight detour of a few tens of meters, but it is well worth it. Both the view and the surrounding area are spectacular.
From the Boneca viewpoint to Fraga Negra, we leave the wide and easy paths and enter a mountain trail. Sometimes it’s wide, others it’s more technical, but it’s never too complicated or technical. For a few hundred meters, we will go up a little, but we quickly return to the descents, now with parts with very steep descents. This step of the route lasts about 2 km, and due to the constant descent, it weighs a little on the quadriceps.
From the Fraga Negra viewpoint, we return to the wide dirt roads, with some short passages on paved roads. Yet, we are still going downhill. We pass next to the football fields and finally arrive at the village of Gerês for the last stage of the route. Upon entering the village, we go to the final viewpoint of this route, the Penedo da Freira lookout.
The Penedo da Freira Viewpoint is already in the village of Gerês, but it turns out to be a pleasant surprise. Despite the relatively low altitude, it has a privileged location and a spectacular angle for the sunset and the reservoir of the Caniçada dam. It was a wonderful surprise.
From here to the end, we go along rural paths between the village of Gerês and the forests on the left bank of the Gerês River. It’s about 1.5 km, almost flat, which would have been much more appreciated if it weren’t for the accumulated fatigue. Anyway, we enjoyed visiting the banks of the Gerês river and seeing the thermal park from there.
Best time to hike lookouts trail
The lookouts trail can be done at any time of the year, as long as it doesn’t rain or hasn’t rained in the previous days. We hiked it in winter, but it was during a dry spell, so there was no problem with extreme heat or wet rocks.
The trail alternates some periods without shadows with sections of dense forest where the sun does not enter. Thus, even in the height of summer, it is possible to find some shades where you can rest a little. In winter, pay attention to the cold and the wind because it can be much cooler up there than in Vila do Gerês.
Is the trail family-friendly?
Although not technical, it is a challenging trail due to the physical effort. You don’t need to be an athlete or professional hiker to hike it, but you should be used to hiking in the mountains. In the end, there are 800 meters of accumulated altitude gain and probably 5 hours of walking.
Therefore, we do not recommend hiking it with children, much less with the elderly or babies. Obviously, anyone with mobility problems will not be able to do this trail. However, if you want to see the viewpoints, you can go to some of them by car. The Junceda Viewpoint has good access up to close to the viewpoint.
What to take?
This is a relatively long trail and almost always in mountains and forests. There is no support infrastructure outside the village of Gerês, so you should take everything you need for this trail with you. We advise you to take:
- Lots of water (at least 1l per person, more in Summer)
- Snacks – note that there aren’t places to buy food along the trail.
- comfortable hiking or running shoes;
- comfortable clothes;
- rain jacket if it’s winter;
- sunglasses, hat, and sunscreen if it’s sunny;
- camera and smartphone, there are plenty of photo opportunities here;
- A daypack to take everything with you;
As always, please do not make any trash. Bring back everything you take with you.
How to go to the trail?
Access to this trail is straightforward. You just have to head to the well-known village of Gerês and head to the handicraft center. For those coming from the south, from the Caniçada reservoir/Rio Caldo, this is located after the spa park on the left. It is opposite the Lagoa restaurant. Once there, you will find a large car park, so you will probably find a spot easily.
This is the location on google maps: 41°44’06.2″N 8°09’35.3″W.
Where to stay?
This is a relatively long trail, and if you don’t live a few hours from Gerês, you’ll have to stay there to hike it. In another article, we have already explored where to stay in Gerês, and one of our suggestions is to stay precisely in the Gerês village. It is not the prettiest village in Gerês National Park, but it is very central, being very close to several attractions in the park, including this trail.
In this area of the National Park, we usually recommend Adelaide Hotel, which is right in Vila do Gerês. Thus, you can even walk to the beginning of the trail. Alternatively, there’s also the lovely Hotel Lagoa Azul do Gerês in Vilar da Veiga, just a few km from the trail.
If you want to stay at another hotel, you can search directly on the map below.
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