Campos Gerais National Park National Park

Hours: Daily sunrise-sunset

Campos Gerais National Park is a protected area in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil that conserves highland grassland (campos) and associated forest fragments. The park safeguards distinct plateaus, canyons and watercourses characteristic of the Campos Gerais physiographic region.

Visitors go to view natural features such as plateaus, rock formations, waterfalls and native grassland landscapes; hiking and nature observation are the primary activities. The park is intended to protect biodiversity and landscape-scale ecological processes rather than to host intensive tourism.

The park was created to conserve the Campos Gerais ecosystem and to protect geological and hydrological features important to the region. Management focuses on habitat preservation and regulated public access.

It lies on the Campos Gerais plateau in Paraná state, in southern Brazil; the park is located inland from the coastal zone and is accessed from regional road networks serving the state’s interior.

• Conservation value: Protects highland grassland ecosystems and associated canyons, waterfalls and rocky outcrops typical of the Campos Gerais plateau in southern Brazil.

The park is reached by road from the city of Ponta Grossa (about 70-120 km depending on the park entrance used). Visitors typically drive via BR-376 and local state roads; the nearest urban hubs with services are Ponta Grossa and União da Vitória. Local tour operators offer day hikes and transfers.

• If hiking, start early to avoid afternoon storms common in the region's plateau; mountain thunder builds fast.
• Carry a detailed topo map - trails wind across grasslands and cuesta escarpments where wayfinding can be tricky.
• Look for the cave paintings and old farmsteads on the park's eastern slopes-local guides can point them out and provide context.