Serra da Canastra National Park

Serra da Canastra National Park
Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra
IUCN category II (national park)
Casca d-Anta Waterfall
Nearest city	Passos, Minas Gerais
Coordinates	20°16′S 46°37′W / 20.27°S 46.61°W / -20.27; -46.61Coordinates: 20°16′S 46°37′W / 20.27°S 46.61°W / -20.27; -46.61
Area	197,810 hectares (488,800 acres)
Designation	National park
Created	3 April 1972
Administrator	ICMBio

Serra da Canastra National Park (Portuguese: Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra) is a national park in the Canastra Mountains of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Serra da Canastra National Park is in the south west of Minas Gerais to the north of Rio Grande. It is in the Cerrado biome. The park was created by decree 70.355 on 3 April 1972, with 197,810 hectares (488,800 acres). It is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). It lies in the municipalities of São Roque de Minas, Sacramento, Capitólio, Vargem Bonita, São João Batista do Glória and Delfinópolis in the state of Minas Gerais. As of 2016 only 70,000 hectares (170,000 acres) of the park in the tableland of Canastra had been regularized, with former owners indemnified.

The park lies on the watershed between the São Francisco and Paraná rivers. It preserves the headwaters of the São Francisco River, which flows east from the park. In the south it feeds the Rio Grande and in the north the Araguari River, which rises in the park and is a tributary of the Paranaíba River. The Rio Grande and Paranaíba flow west and join to form the Paraná.

Altitude ranges from 750 to 1,490 metres (2,460 to 4,890 ft). A road cuts through the highest part of the park from east to west for more than 60 kilometres (37 mi). The park includes areas of scenic beauty such as cliffs with dramatic waterfalls, including the Casca D'anta, the first waterfall of the São Francisco River, with a drop of 186 metres (610 ft). Other attractions are the Garagem de Pedras and the Curral de Pedras. Lookout points can be accessed by car via dirt roads in good weather. The highest peaks are almost 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).