PAINANI
PAINANI

PAINANI · RUN / LOCAL

42 · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Pico da Tijuca

Climb from the Largo do Bom Retiro to the highest point of Rio's forest park, 1,022 m, up a signed trail and 117 steps cut into rock in 1920, and back before the 17:00 gate.

Trail runningStair runningOut and back
4.7 kmDistance336 mElevation gainEasy mediumSite gradeRio de JaneiroNearest base

Site grade

Easy mediumFeatured

336 m of gain in 2.1 km, on a signed trail with roots and one rock staircase. Nothing needs hands except the chains on the final steps; the constraints are the 14:00 last start and the wet season's slick rock.

The experience

336 m of gain in 2.1 km each way, on roots and natural ground, then a carved staircase with chains. Short, never technical, and steep enough at the end to make the summit feel earned.

The staircase was cut for King Albert I of Belgium's visit on 24 September 1920 and turned 105 years old in 2025. From the top, the forest lies below and the city on every side.

The Setor Floresta is Rio's picnic ground, with tables, toilets and a fountain at the Largo do Bom Retiro. The 117 steps date from 24 September 1920, carved on the orders of President Epitácio Pessoa's government for King Albert I of Belgium, who declined to use them. Since 16 April 2024 the sector has had no daily visitor cap, and credentialed visitors may enter on foot from 6:00.

Where the sources disagreeICMBio closes the park at short notice for weather: on 7 August 2026 it shut the Floresta sector, Pedra Bonita, Pedra da Gávea and the Cristo for a strong-wind alert and reopened on 8 August; on 21 August 2026 it advised against visiting for the same reason. Check the park's site or Instagram the morning you go. The trail may be started only until 14:00; the park closes at 17:00 and everyone must be out by 18:00. Buses stop at the Praça Afonso Viseu gate, 3 km of road below the trailhead. The park's rules state that its visitor-control structures allow monitoring and guidance but imply no responsibility for your safety.

Trail path

The line
you follow.

StartLargo do Bom Retiro, end of the Estrada dos PicosFinishLargo do Bom RetiroDirectionUp the signed trail to the summit, back the same way
  1. 01Largo do Bom Retiro
  2. 02Forest trail
  3. 03Rock staircase of 117 steps
  4. 04Pico da Tijuca summit plateau

Route sections

01 · The Road InPraça Afonso Viseu to the Largo do Bom Retiro
If you come by bus, the park gate on the Praça Afonso Viseu is where it drops you, and the Largo do Bom Retiro is 3 km of paved park road above, the highest point in the forest a car can reach. Add it to the run or drive it; the road is open to cars from 8:00.02 · Roots and SignsLargo do Bom Retiro to the staircase
A well-signed trail on natural ground with exposed roots, climbing through Atlantic forest. Runnable when dry; the drinking fountain at the largo is the last water.03 · The King's StepsThe staircase to the summit
117 steps cut into the rock in 1920 for the visit of King Albert I of Belgium, with 120 m of chains on 62 posts. The king, a mountaineer, ignored them and climbed the natural line. You may use them.04 · Down by FiveSummit to the Largo do Bom Retiro
A 360-degree plateau at 1,022 m, then the same trail down. The park closes at 17:00 and no one starts the trail after 14:00.

Weather profile

What the sky
is likely to do.

Tropical forest weather: humid, with afternoon storms in the summer months and slick rock and roots after rain. Wind alerts from the city's Civil Defence close the park at any season.

Season & timing

Managed seasonDaily 8:00 to 17:00, trail start until 14:00. Pedestrians and cyclists may enter the Floresta sector from 6:00; light motor vehicles 8:00 to 17:00; everyone out by 18:00.Best windowMay to September, the drier months, at the 8:00 opening from the Largo do Bom Retiro, or from 6:00 on foot if credentialed.SurfaceSigned forest trail on natural ground with exposed roots, then a staircase of 117 steps carved into the rock with chains for handrailsDirectionUp the signed trail to the summit, back the same way

Signature moments

What you will
remember afterwards.

01

The largo's picnic tables under the forest

02

The first chain on the rock

03

Step 117

04

The whole city from the plateau

STAIRCASE

1920

The year the 117 steps were carved for a king

On 24 September 1920 the Brazilian government prepared a rock staircase for King Albert I of Belgium's visit. The mountaineer king climbed by the natural trail instead. The steps turned 105 in 2025 and still carry the trail's final metres.

Access & logistics

AccessBus lines 301, 302 or 345 to the Praça Afonso Viseu, Alto da Boa Vista, the Floresta sector entrance; then 3 km up the park road to the Largo do Bom Retiro. By car, enter from 8:00 and park at the largo. From Barra via the Estrada das Furnas, from Tijuca via Avenida Edson Passos.PermitsNone. The park lists no fee for the Floresta sector. Read the visiting rules the park links from every page.BookingsNone.WaterDrinking fountain and toilets at the Largo do Bom Retiro. Nothing on the trail.FoodPicnic tables at the largo, no snack bars. Bring your own.Mobile coverageNot documented. Expect gaps under the canopy.DurationNo ICMBio time. Vamos Trilhar gives 1 to 1.5 hours one way from the Largo do Bom Retiro; Trilhas e Cachoeiras gives 2 hours in total.

Key hazards

  • ▲Short-notice closures for wind and fire
  • ▲Slick rock on the staircase after rain
  • ▲Afternoon storms in summer
  • ▲Missing the 14:00 last start
  • ▲No water above the largo

SafetyOrientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance. Start before 14:00, carry water from the largo, and stay off the rock steps in rain.

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Official sources

Last verified 2026-09-16 · Record CETC-RUN-042 · Orientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance.

Photograph: Halley Pacheco de Oliveira · CC BY-SA 3.0