PNT 14 Alto de Guamaso Trail

PNT 14 Alto de Guamaso follows a 2.86 km (1.78 mi) one-way line from Mirador Alto de Guamaso to the Portillo Bajo road crossing. It circles Montaña de Guamaso, passes through its crater, and descends the far slope. Allow about 1 hour 25 minutes; the route profile records roughly 87 m of ascent and 133 m of descent. The payoff is a close look at a volcanic cone and a broad view over La Orotava Valley.

There is a genuine mismatch in the route information: the map line ends at Portillo Bajo, while the route notes also call PNT 14 circular, list the Mirador as both its start and finish, and describe a loop returning by the accessible approach. The 2.86 km line saved here follows the mapped one-way route to Portillo Bajo. Plan a return from that crossing before you start. The circular option is described separately, but no separate loop mileage is given.

The trail starts beside TF-21 at km 42.3. It first follows a former dead-end track that is now a 290 m accessible path to Los Tagorores, circular stone structures for resting and meeting. Beyond them, the walk circles the cone and cuts through its crater before continuing down the slope toward Portillo Bajo. The marked approach is short; it is not a measure of how accessible the full route is.

Montaña de Guamaso is a cone built from accumulated volcanic material. Large volcanic bombs, rounded blocks thrown out by eruptions, are scattered across its slopes. The trail moves from the route's smoother approach onto rougher ground with loose rocks, uneven footing and steeper sections. Stay on the marked path, especially where the tread crosses the cone's loose material.

The route opens onto views of La Orotava Valley, where a sea of clouds sometimes covers the lower slopes. Teide sits on the western skyline. From the far side of the cone, keep part of the reddish slope in the foreground if the clouds are out; it makes the crater landscape easier to read than a frame of distant peaks alone.

This is a good short walk for seeing the change from Canary Island pine forest to high-mountain scrub. The open upper slopes suit birds such as Berthelot's pipit and the spectacled warbler; the woodland edge adds blue chaffinches, blue tits, blackbirds and robins. They are possibilities, not guaranteed sightings.

Access is free and no reservation is required. Parking spaces are listed at the Mirador start, though no capacity is given. The route stays around 2,000 m and the uneven, sometimes steep ground makes it a moderate walk despite the short distance. Only the first 290 m is described as accessible for people with reduced mobility; the crater route is not.