in the nineteenth century, the area was one of the first regions to be entirely dedicated to the cultivation and production of coffee, housing several large plantations. later the park was temporarily used as a military training area.

since 1988 it is a conservation unit maintained by the secretaria municipal de meio ambiente (smac). it accommodates one of the largest urban forests in the world, the others being part of the pedra branca state park and of the tijuca national park.