The northern branch of Caminho dos Burros descends from Pico's central plateau to the coast through Mistério da Prainha. Its beginning beside Caminho das Lagoas lies in a high, wet and open landscape. After an initial lane, the route approaches Cabeços do Mistério and enters a narrower path where vegetation becomes denser. Broad patches of sphagnum and pockets of endemic flora, including Azorean spurge, contrast strongly with the lower agricultural tracks.
The descent alternates shortcuts, road and gravel track. After meeting the road again, the itinerary joins a dirt route that leads to a marked choice between two alternatives. One continues toward São Miguel Arcanjo for roughly three kilometres on a rural track; the other heads to Baía de Canas, passing through vegetation of Australian cheesewood, acacia and Azorean laurel before entering Prainha Forest Park.
Walkers choosing Baía de Canas continue on dirt lanes until the coast. The experience therefore changes from plateau bog and upland vegetation to woodland and finally the shoreline. This is a medium-grade linear crossing shaped by sustained loss of height and by the memory of an old connection between communities, rather than by one isolated monument or viewpoint.