Trilho das Pedras Boroas (Cascata do Arado)

This short loop starts at the Ermida car park inside Peneda-Gerês National Park, reached by car roughly an hour from Porto via the A7 motorway and the EN308; there is no public transport to the trailhead and no permit is needed. The route covers about 6 km with a modest 250 m of elevation gain, making it an accessible half-day outing for casual walkers rather than a technical hike. The path follows a mix of dirt track and stone-slab granite steps through cork oak and pine forest, with partial shade for most of the loop except for the open granite platform beside the waterfall itself. The principal landmark is the Cascata do Arado waterfall, a multi-tiered cascade that is at its fullest in spring after snowmelt and winter rains; hikers short on time can treat the waterfall viewpoint as a natural turn-around point roughly halfway around the loop. The granite village of Ermida itself, with its schist houses, sits at the trailhead and makes a good rest stop before or after the walk. Water sources along the trail are limited to the stream itself, which should be treated before drinking, and there are no refuge huts or shelters on this short route; hikers should carry their own water rather than rely on refilling. The final stretch back to Ermida retraces part of the outbound path along the stream bank.