Pedra da Mina (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpɛdɾɐ dɐ ˈmĩnɐ]) is the fourth highest mountain in Brazil,^{[Note 1]} located in the Serra Fina section of the Mantiqueira Mountains, one of the country's most important mountain ranges. The mountain stands on the border of the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo, respectively to its north and south. With a 2,798-metre (9,180-foot) elevation, it is the highest point of the Mantiqueira Mountains and of the state of São Paulo, and the second highest mountain in the state of Minas Gerais.^[3]

Quick Facts Highest point, Elevation ...

Pedra da Mina
Highest point
Elevation	2,798 m (9,180 ft)[1]
Prominence	2,068 m (6,785 ft)
Listing	Ultra
Coordinates	22°25′S 44°51′W
Geography
Pedra da Mina Brazil
Location	Between the towns of Queluz and Lavrinhas (São Paulo), and Passa Quatro (Minas Gerais), Brazil
Parent range	Serra Fina, a section of the Mantiqueira Mountains
Climbing
First ascent	8 July 1955 by Geraldo Américo Henning Bobrik José Dias Gunther Engels Felix Bernhard Hacker Theodor Reimar Hacker Sebastião Pedro José Vidal
Easiest route	From the town of Passa Quatro, by a trail that starts at the rural hamlet of Paiolinho[2]

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In addition to being one of the highest Brazilian mountains, Pedra da Mina is also remarkable for its peculiar history (see below), as in spite of its high elevation and of being located relatively close to densely populated areas, until the turn of the 21st century the mountain was virtually unknown, so was its exact elevation, and its importance was not acknowledged until very recently, showing that even in the 21st century, geographical exploration may still hold surprises. In this case, official statistics and schoolbooks had to be corrected, and a new popular mountaineering and ecotourism destination appeared.^[5]

Like all of Serra Fina, Pedra da Mina is composed of highly alkaline nepheline syenite, a type of rock that is easily eroded and for this reason is not usually found at very high elevations. Pedra da Mina is believed to be the highest mountain made of that type of rock in the Americas and possibly in the world.^[6]

Pedra means "rock" in Portuguese; mina usually means "mine", but it can also mean "spring, water source". So, the name of the mountain means "Water Spring Rock", and it is due to the fact that four small creeks rise from the mountain close to the top.^[7]

Pedra da Mina is not located in any national or state park, but it is within the Mantiqueira Mountains Environmental Protection Area, and therefore still legally protected to some extent.^[8]

Considering that the town of Queluz lies only 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of the mountain by a straight line,^[15] but the town lies on the Paraíba do Sul river valley only 497 metres (1,631 ft) above sea level,^[16] Pedra da Mina's southern (São Paulo) slope has one of the largest and most abrupt differences in elevation in Brazil: 2,301 metres (7,549 ft). The southern slope includes a nearly vertical, 100-metre (330-foot) high rock wall near the top, and the slope is so steep that Brazilian climbers planning to climb Aconcagua have been known to use it for practice.^[17] By contrast, because the neighbouring area of Minas Gerais to the north is already a high-elevation hilly plateau,^[6] the northern slope is much less steep, and the difference in elevation is much smaller.

Just east of the mountain lies the Ruah valley, the highest in Brazil,^{[citation needed]} and to the south is the source of the Claro river, located at about 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) above sea level, which is possibly the highest river source in Brazil, although the title is disputed with the source of the Aiuruoca river in the Itatiaia Massif.^[18]

There are four possible ascent routes to Pedra da Mina, but as of 2016, one of them is closed. The mountain is nearly always climbed from the north (Minas Gerais) side, where the shortest route is through a strenuous one-day hike to the top (with a few steeper scramble sections), camping there overnight and returning the next day, on a well-marked trail that starts at a farm next to the hamlet of Paiolinho, near the town of Passa Quatro, at an elevation of 1,566 metres (5,138 ft); the trailhead can be reached by regular vehicles on a dirt road.^[2] Alternatively, Pedra da Mina can also be reached as a part of a longer (3-5-day) hike on top of the entire crest of Serra Fina, entering the latter by a more westerly trail starting at a farm called Toca do Lobo, also near Passa Quatro, and finishing at the BR-354 highway, which traverses the Garganta do Registro pass between Serra Fina and the Itatiaia Massif. The longer hike can be made either eastward or westward, and these would be the two other feasible access routes.^[19]

The fourth route would be from the southern (São Paulo) slope, starting just north of Queluz. This is known as the Claro River Trail (Portuguese: Trilha do Rio Claro) because it follows that river valley up until its source near Pedra da Mina's top. This route is extremely difficult and dangerous, though. It requires almost vertical rock climbing in some sections (particularly near the top), traversing steep boulder fields in others, and presents several other difficulties. The area is so hardly accessible that search and rescue would only be possible by helicopter in most of the trail.^[20] The greatest hindrance, however, is that the mountain's entire southern slope is private property (a farm and private nature reserve which reaches up to the state border at the ridge crest),^[17] and the owners no longer authorize passage. So, as of 2016 this route is off-limits and unfeasible.^[20]

In spite of the intense cold by Brazilian standards, with subfreezing temperatures and frost common in the Southern Hemisphere winter months (May–September), this is the recommended season for climbing Pedra da Mina, as summer (October–April) is also the rainy season in this part of Brazil, which makes the trails slippery and dangerous, with lightning also a concern.^[20] There are few sources of potable water, some of them hard to reach, and climbers must plan accordingly, especially on the longer Serra Fina trail route. This forces mountaineers to carry additional weight because of the water they need to take, making the hike even more strenuous. First-timers should consider taking a local guide, who can be hired in Passa Quatro.^[19][21]

Pedra da Mina and Serra Fina were once regarded as the most difficult Brazilian mountain area to hike and climb, because of the range's very cold and inhospitable conditions, relative remoteness, irregular terrain, unstable weather (particularly in summer), lack of potable water, and thick vegetation on the slopes,^[19] but after the range became better known and explored, trails were better marked and a wealth of on-line information allowed mountaineers to better prepare themselves, it is now one of the most visited areas by Brazilian mountaineers.^[5] It is estimated that just during the Corpus Christi extended holiday of June 2011, approximately 250 people attempted the traverse of Serra Fina and hence passed through Pedra da Mina (not all of them on top of the mountain at the same time), not counting those who climbed Pedra da Mina by the direct Paiolinho trail.^[21]