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Tell me about the Queimadas - Pico Ruivo - Achada do Teixeira [CLOSED] levada walk in Madeira
💭 Thinking
The user is asking about the Queimadas - Pico Ruivo - Achada do Teixeira hike in Madeira. They've included "[CLOSED]" in the name, suggesting they know it's closed. Let me look up this trail using the find_hikes tool to get theofficial details.The search returned no results. Let me try with just the PR code or a simpler query.The user is asking about the "Queimadas - Pico Ruivo - Achada do Teixeira [CLOSED]" trail. I found it in the community trails (not an official IFCN PR trail). Let me extract the details from the search results: From the second search (near Pico Ruivo), in the community_trails: - Name: "Queimadas - Pico Ruivo - Achada do Teixeira [CLOSED]" - Official: false - Rating: 4.7 - Reviews: 62 - Difficulty: hard - Length: 14.6 km - Route type: loop - Estimated time: 7.5–8 hr - Description: "This circular route starts at the Queimadas Forest Park, known for its thatched-roof shelter house and the lush vegetation of the Laurissilva forest. The route continues along the Levada do Caldeirão Verde towards Pico Ruivo, passing through tunnels carved into the rock, moss-covered slopes and impressive views over deep valleys. As you gain altitude, the landscape changes: the damp greens of the forest give way to steep, rocky slopes with open views of the island's highest peaks. The final..." - Lat: 32.78429, Lng: -16.90574 - Directions URL: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=32.784290,-16.905740 - AllTrails URL: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/portugal/madeira--2/queimadas-pico-ruivo-achada-do-teixeira - Notice: "Community route mapped on AllTrails — NOT part of Madeira's official PR (Percurso Recomendado) trail network managed by IFCN, the Madeira regional government's forests & nature-conservation authority. It therefore has NO official open/closed status and no maintenance/signage guarantee; check access and conditions locally before going." The trail name includes "[CLOSED]" which suggests it's marked as closed on AllTrails. I should note this is not an official IFCN PR trail - it's a community route on AllTrails. The "[CLOSED]" in the name suggests this route is currently not accessible. Let me also mention the relevant official PR trails that cover parts of this route: - PR 9: Levada do Caldeirão Verde (starts at Queimadas) - PR 1.2: Vereda do Pico Ruivo (Achada do Teixeira – Pico Ruivo) - PR 1.3: Vereda da Encumeada (Pico Ruivo – Encumeada) The community route combines sections of PR 9 and PR 1.2 into a longer loop. I should present this clearly, noting it's not an official PR trail, it's marked as closed on AllTrails, and suggest the official alternatives that cover the same key sections.
How this was derived · 3 steps
Trails near Pico RuivoMap & photos
6 photos
Vereda do Pico RuivoVereda do Pico RuivoVereda do Pico RuivoVereda do Pico RuivoVereda do Pico RuivoVereda do Pico Ruivo
Photos: walkmeguide.com ↗
Official PR trail (IFCN) Community route (AllTrails — not official)
Photos: walkmeguide.com · green = official IFCN PR trail · amber = community route (AllTrails)
Queimadas – Pico Ruivo – Achada do Teixeira

⚠️ This route is currently marked as CLOSED on AllTrails, and it is not part of Madeira's official PR trail network managed by IFCN (the regional government's forests and nature-conservation authority). It has no official open/closed status and no maintenance or signage guarantee — check access and conditions locally before considering it.

What it is

This is a community route (mapped on AllTrails — not an official IFCN-recommended PR trail) that stitches together sections of two official trails into one long, challenging loop through Madeira's central mountain massif:

Distance14.6 km (loop)
Estimated time7.5–8 hours
DifficultyHard
Rating4.7★ from 62 hiker reviews on AllTrails
Start / endParque das Queimadas (circular)
The route

It starts at Parque das Queimadas — known for its thatched-roof shelter house (Casa das Tradições Madeirenses) surrounded by lush Laurissilva forest — then follows the Levada do Caldeirão Verde through tunnels carved into the rock, moss-covered slopes and impressive views over deep valleys. As you gain altitude, the damp greens of the forest give way to steep, rocky slopes with open views of the island's highest peaks, culminating at Pico Ruivo (1,862 m, Madeira's highest point) before descending to Achada do Teixeira.

⛔ Current status: CLOSED

This route is listed as closed on AllTrails. Because it's not an official PR trail, there is no IFCN status to confirm — the closure likely reflects rockfall or trail damage on sections of the combined route. Do not attempt this loop in its current state.

Official alternatives that cover the same highlights

The good news is that the two official segments this loop joins are available as separate, properly maintained PR trails:

  • PR 9 — Levada do Caldeirão Verde — Queimadas → Caldeirão Verde → Caldeirão do Inferno. 8.7 km (+ 8.7 km return), moderate, ~6 h 30 min. The famous levada through tunnels and waterfalls. Access fee: €4.50 via SIMplifica. 4.6★ from 4,562 reviews on AllTrails. Check its current status before going.
  • PR 1.2 — Vereda do Pico Ruivo — Achada do Teixeira → Pico Ruivo. 2.8 km (+ 2.8 km return), moderate, ~1 h 30 min. The shortest route to Madeira's summit (1,857 m). Access fee: €4.50 via SIMplifica.

Doing both as separate out-and-back hikes gives you the same key experiences (Caldeirão Verde's waterfalls and tunnels, plus Pico Ruivo's summit views) on trails with official maintenance and clear status information.

Getting to the trailhead

Want me to check the current open/closed status of PR 9 and PR 1.2, or look at the mountain weather forecast for the days you're planning to go?

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