Cabo da Roca, Praia Urso (Natasha, Jason)
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 2.41 mi
- Elevation gain
- 791 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Difficult
- Elevation loss
- 791 ft
- Max elevation
- 516 ft
- TrailRank
- 25
- Min elevation
- 516 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Moving time
- one hour 7 minutes
- Time
- 2 hours 28 minutes
- Coordinates
- 683
- Uploaded
- February 16, 2022
- Recorded
- February 2022
near Cabo da Roca, Lisboa (Portugal)
Viewed 75 times, downloaded 3 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
Similar to another route on my list "Bear Beach", but this is more challenging 1) hike out of the beach is up a very steep narrow path 2) return goes inland a bit, and therefore more miles.
Lots of parking east of Cabo da Roca lighthouse. Level along the top of cliffs, with some steep views down to the ocean and two beaches. Then very steep, hard scrambling right down to the beach. Once at the beach, if it's low tide, really interesting sand / stones / pinnacles that would be fun to explore. Also, you can walk a bit south and there is another mini-beach, but it would not be accessible at high tide.
The ascent we did was not the most efficient way back -- we took the hard way. Very steep drop-offs from a narrow trail, but a good view over the pinnacles at the top. We took a wrong turn that took us too far up the hill, then doubled back and found the right trail back. The right trail back comes up the valley that is one valley west of the one used to descend to the beach. The wrong trail may be more interesting though.
The beach here is really interesting -- maybe the best we have seen in Portugal so far. Sand with rocks and pinnacles, a natural window. The water is very rough, even though the swell is low today. Definitely try to come in the summer when it's a flat calm to see if the snorkeling is good. But maybe bring a float for safety.
A good hike if to take visitors on, but only if they are very hardy and used to hard scrambling for extended stretches. Some of the scrambling was over loose stones. Some sticker bushes.
Lots of parking east of Cabo da Roca lighthouse. Level along the top of cliffs, with some steep views down to the ocean and two beaches. Then very steep, hard scrambling right down to the beach. Once at the beach, if it's low tide, really interesting sand / stones / pinnacles that would be fun to explore. Also, you can walk a bit south and there is another mini-beach, but it would not be accessible at high tide.
The ascent we did was not the most efficient way back -- we took the hard way. Very steep drop-offs from a narrow trail, but a good view over the pinnacles at the top. We took a wrong turn that took us too far up the hill, then doubled back and found the right trail back. The right trail back comes up the valley that is one valley west of the one used to descend to the beach. The wrong trail may be more interesting though.
The beach here is really interesting -- maybe the best we have seen in Portugal so far. Sand with rocks and pinnacles, a natural window. The water is very rough, even though the swell is low today. Definitely try to come in the summer when it's a flat calm to see if the snorkeling is good. But maybe bring a float for safety.
A good hike if to take visitors on, but only if they are very hardy and used to hard scrambling for extended stretches. Some of the scrambling was over loose stones. Some sticker bushes.
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