Mount Pico

Mount Pico () is a composite volcano (or stratovolcano); it is the highest point of the Portuguese island of Pico in the Azores. With an altitude of  above sea level, it is more than twice the elevation of any other peak in the Azores, and the tallest mountain in Portugal.

Description
Mount Pico is at the eastern end of Pico Island. On the top of the mountain, there is round crater about  in diameter and  deep. Inside this crater () there is a small elevation produced by a recent, in geological terms, eruption that is known with the name of Pico Pequeno or Piquinho, which is about  high.Rádio Pico – Informação turística   Archive From the base of Pico Pequeno, volcanic smoke gets out with a strong odor of sulfur.

In winter, the top of the mountain is covered with snow. Rains are frequent the whole year.

Reserve and hiking
Mount Pico was made a Natural Reserve in 1982 to protect the mountain. The reserve () has an area of about 1,500 hectares (15 km2) and is from about  high to the top of the mountain.

There are trails for hiking and it is possible, for persons in good conditions and depending on weather, to get to the top of the mountain in around two to four hours from the beginning of the trail.

In the lower part of its slopes is the Paisagem da Cultura da Vinha da Ilha do Pico (Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture), classified by  UNESCO as a World Heritage.

References

Other websites
 Active Tectonics and First Paleoseismological Results in Faial, Pico and S. Jorge Islands (Azores, Portugal)
 Pico - A Ilha Montanha Atlantica - Flickr Group
 Photo Gallery

Category:Mountains of Europe
Mount Pico