Not recommended
Unknown trails
These walks are not on the classified list updated on 2 October 2026, read here on 12 October 2026. They are not a tourist set. The list has 128 names. Distance, difficulty, time, climb, and the two ends are the published figures. For levada routes, the page also records the water intake (Madre), terminus (Fim), full channel length, local alias names, and field photographs. A field stays blank when nothing was published.
Porto Santo walks are left out. Classified PR routes that do not yet have a brief here stay off this page. A name that was never written on a public web page is left off.
None of these figures is an official open or closed line. The hiking map stays with the classified PR routes.
Showing 17 of 128 walks in Calheta. Show every walk.
Cascata da Garganta Funda, Not listed
Cascata da Garganta Funda is 0.6 km each way, easy. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 0.6 km each way
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 22 min each way
- Elevation
- 58 m ascent
Levada da Fajã da Ovelha, Not listed
Levada da Fajã da Ovelha is 11.7 km, moderate. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 11.7 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- 4 h
- Elevation
- 80 m ascent
Levada da Rocha Vermelha (Levada da Água do Vimeiro), Not listed
Also known as: Levada da Água do Vimeiro
Levada da Rocha Vermelha is an unclassified 9 km levada channel in Calheta running from Ribeiro da Fajã dos Remos (1017 m) to Rocha Vermelha Forebay, Calheta Hydroelectric Station (831 m). Not on the IFCN recommended PR list.
- Distance
- 9 km (channel length)
- Difficulty
- Not printed
- Elevation
- 186 m drop (1017 m to 831 m)
- Channel (Madre → Fim)
- Ribeiro da Fajã dos Remos (1017 m) → Rocha Vermelha Forebay, Calheta Hydroelectric Station (831 m) (9 km)
Levada da Serra da Ponta do Pargo, Not listed
Levada da Serra da Ponta do Pargo is an unclassified 4 km levada channel in Calheta running from Ribeira dos Moinhos (975 m) to Sítio da Corujeira / Levada Nova, Ponta do Pargo (635 m). Not on the IFCN recommended PR list.
- Distance
- 4 km (channel length)
- Difficulty
- Not printed
- Elevation
- 340 m drop (975 m to 635 m)
- Channel (Madre → Fim)
- Ribeira dos Moinhos (975 m) → Sítio da Corujeira / Levada Nova, Ponta do Pargo (635 m) (4 km)
Levada do Paul, Not listed
Also known as: Levada Pequena do Paúl · Levada da Bica da Cana · Levada do Paúl II
Levada do Paul is an unclassified 13 km levada channel in Calheta running from Fonte do Juncal / Ribeira da Ponta do Sol to Calheta Hydroelectric Forebay. Not on the IFCN recommended PR list.
- Distance
- 13 km (channel length)
- Difficulty
- Not printed
- Elevation
- 1,420 m – 1,350 m
- Channel (Madre → Fim)
- Fonte do Juncal / Ribeira da Ponta do Sol → Calheta Hydroelectric Forebay (13 km)
Levada from Calheta to Prazeres, Not listed
Levada Calheta–Prazeres is not on the IFCN classified list.
- Distance
- Not printed
- Difficulty
- Not printed
- Elevation
- 600 m – 620 m
Levada from Prazeres to Raposeira, Not listed
Also known as: Levada Velha do Rabaçal (Prazeres–Raposeira Reach)
Levada Prazeres–Raposeira is an unclassified 24 km levada channel in Calheta running from Fontes do Risco (1050 m) to Lombo da Raposeira, Fajã da Ovelha (900 m). Not on the IFCN recommended PR list.
- Distance
- 24 km (channel length)
- Difficulty
- Not printed
- Elevation
- 150 m drop (1050 m to 900 m)
- Channel (Madre → Fim)
- Fontes do Risco (1050 m) → Lombo da Raposeira, Fajã da Ovelha (900 m) (24 km)
Levada Nova da Calheta, Ponta do Pargo, Not listed
Levada Nova da Calheta, Ponta do Pargo is 9.5 km loop, moderate. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 9.5 km loop
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- 3 h 15 min
- Elevation
- 320 m ascent
Miradouro do Fio ao Farol, Not listed
Miradouro do Fio ao Farol is 0.9 km each way, easy. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 0.9 km each way
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 25 min each way
- Elevation
- 72 m ascent
Vereda da Atalaia, Not listed
Vereda da Atalaia is 2.7 km, hard. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 2.7 km
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Time
- 1 h 10 min
- Elevation
- 0 m ascent, 598 m descent
Vereda da Fajã Grande, Not listed
Vereda da Fajã Grande is 1.5 km each way, hard. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 1.5 km each way
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Time
- 1 h 15 min each way
- Elevation
- 425 m ascent
Vereda da Maloeira, Not listed
Vereda da Maloeira is 7.0 km, moderate ravine circuit. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 7.0 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- 2 h 30 min
- Elevation
- 350 m ascent and descent
Vereda do Jardim do Mar, Not listed
Vereda do Jardim do Mar is 8.5 km, demanding coastal loop. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 8.5 km
- Difficulty
- Demanding
- Time
- 3 h 15 min
- Elevation
- 550 m descent and ascent
Vereda do Lombo Barbinhas, Not listed
Vereda do Lombo Barbinhas is 6.5 km, moderate. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 6.5 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- 3 h
- Elevation
- 214 m ascent, 1158 m descent
Vereda do Pesqueiro, Not listed
Vereda do Pesqueiro is 2.3 km each way, hard. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 2.3 km each way
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Time
- 47 min each way
- Elevation
- 485 m ascent
Vereda do Pico Ruivo do Paúl, Not listed
Vereda do Pico Ruivo do Paúl is 0.9 km each way, moderate. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 0.9 km each way
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- 25 min each way
- Elevation
- 66 m ascent
Vereda dos Zimbreiros, Not listed
Vereda dos Zimbreiros is 1.6 km, hard. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 1.6 km
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Time
- 50 min
- Elevation
- 371 m ascent, 0 m descent
How to read the unclassified walks index
Madeira has two very different layers of walking paths. The first layer consists of the 24 classified PR routes maintained and monitored on the official IFCN table. Those routes carry official PR (Pequena Rota) signage, scheduled maintenance inspections, a published open or closed status table, and the regional non-resident trail fee system. The second layer — collected on this page — covers 128 regional levadas, historical royal paths (Caminhos Reais), coastal footpaths, and municipal forest tracks surveyed across regional municipal paths and levadas but absent from the IFCN recommended list.
Understanding the route statistics
Every figure on an unclassified trail page — distance, estimated walking duration, elevation gain and loss, start and end coordinates, tunnel counts, and irrigation channel parameters (madre intake, fim terminus, and total channel length) — reflects on-site trail walks and on-site channel records rather than the IFCN status table. Where on-site field surveys omit elevation or duration, this site leaves that field explicitly unlisted instead of guessing.
Why status reads “Not listed”
Because these routes are outside the IFCN recommended network, the forestry authority does not publish daily or weekly open/closed notices for them. A badge of Not listed means there is no official IFCN status line — it is neither an endorsement nor a guarantee that a channel wall, tunnel, or hillside ledge is passable on a given morning.
Field preparation and when to choose an official PR route instead
Many unclassified levadas were built strictly as working agricultural maintenance ledges for water tenders (levadeiros). Handrails may be discontinuous or absent, tunnels can be long and completely unlit, and winter rockfalls can block a remote gorge for months without a notice at the road head. Before setting out on any walk listed here, read our comparison of official PR routes and unclassified trails and our levada equipment checklist. If you want a signposted route with verified segment status and car-park day checks, start from the classified Madeira hiking map.