Rodovia Floriano Rodrigues Pinheiro (official designation SP-123) is a single-lane

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

in the state of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It connects the

Rodovia Carvalho Pinto Rodovia Governador Carvalho Pinto (officially designated SP-070) is a highway in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is a continuation of the Rodovia Ayrton Senna (also SP-070), near the city of Guararema and ends by merging with Rodovia Preside ...

(SP-070) and the

Rodovia Presidente Dutra The Rodovia Presidente Dutra, (BR-116 – or SP-060 in the state of São Paulo), colloquially known as Via Dutra is a federal highway which runs through the eastern part of the state of São Paulo and southwestern region of the state of Rio ...

(BR-116) nearby the city of

Taubaté Taubaté is a medium-sized city in the State of São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil. Location Its strategic location between the two most important Brazilian cities (São Paulo away, and Rio de Janeiro away), connected to both by the Presiden ...

, to the mountain resort of

Campos do Jordão Campos do Jordão () is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in southeastern Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte. The population is 52,405 (2020 est.) in an area of . The city is situated above s ...

. SP-123 is one of the most scenic roads in the state. Just a short 28 km, it ascends from the 500 m above sea level of the Paraíba River valley to more than 1,600 m altitude of Campos do Jordão, with many meandering curves, sharp inclines and a 270 m

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

along the face of the

Mantiqueira The Mantiqueira Mountains (Portuguese: ''Serra da Mantiqueira iterally: Mantiqueira Mountains Chain') are a mountain range in Southeastern Brazil, with parts in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. It rises abruptly from the ...

mountain range. In some places the view towards the valley is stunning, and the cities of

Guaratinguetá Guaratinguetá is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte. The population is 122,505 (2020 est.) in an area of 752.64 km2. It is located in the region of ...

Pindamonhangaba Pindamonhangaba is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Federative units of Brazil, state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Brazil, located in the Paraíba Valley, between the two most active production and consumption regions in the co ...

Caçapava Caçapava is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte. Is between São José dos Campos 24 km and Taubaté 19 km. The distance from Caçapava to Sã ...

and

São José dos Campos São José dos Campos (, meaning Saint Joseph of the Fields) is a major city and the seat of the Municipalities of Brazil, municipality of the same name in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Brazil. One of the leading industrial and res ...

, as well as the distant Serra do Mar, which separates the plateau from the coastline, can be seen in a clear day. Rich pine temperate forests line along the road. Picturesque stalls by the road sell milk directly from the cow, conserves, sweets, wines, smoked trout, brandy (cachaça), cheese and typical artworks of the region, very Switzerland, Swiss-like. Two belvedere (structure), belvederes in key places allow tourists and voyagers to enjoy the best views. The road is managed and maintained by the Department of Roads of the State of São Paulo (DER). Toll is not required.

See also