PR03 FLO Miradouro das Lagoas - Poço do Bacalhau 18-07-2019

Official walking trail PR3 FLO, waymarked red-yellow, detailed description available under
https://trails.visitazores.com/en/trails-azores/flores/miradouro-das-lagoas-poco-do-bacalhau
A great trail with some of the most spectacular views on Flores.
You first explore the region around the four crater lakes in the highland of Flores, before descending towards Fajã Grande, where you visit the waterfall of Poça do Bacalhau. Do it in good weather, otherwise you miss the best parts of this walk.
The trail is officially classified as "difficult", however, I'd rank it as difficult-moderate only. The major challenge is related to the zig-zag descent towards Fajã Grande, which is steep (600 m drop in altitude within 2.5 km) but I found well manageable. Be aware, though, that under adverse weather conditions (fog, slippery after rain) or for someone with vertigo, this trail can well give some problems.
The first 5 km of the trail around the lakes are at an altitude of 550-600 m. Here we were unlucky with the weather (dense fog, with also has it charms), but I have added photos taken a few days later on another visit to the area. On the descent towards Fajã Grande, the fog cleared up.

During July and August you can make use of the bus connection in between Santa Cruz das Flores and Fajã Grande. In the morning, the bus leaves from Fajã Grande at 8.00 h and later back from Santa Cruz at 8:35 h, in both cases taking you to the start of the walk. You need to tell the driver you want to get out at "4 Lagoas". In the evening, the bus goes back from Fajã Grande to Santa Cruz at 17:15 h, via the starting point of the walk (if you should have left your rental car there).
Check that these times are still up to date on the web site of the bus operator
https://utc.pt/horario-flores/
For the rest of the year, you probably will have to use a taxi.