the park is characterized by its high granite peaks and cliffs that reach up to seventy five degrees in incline, and sugar loaf shaped mountaintops. beyond the highest point that gives the park its name, there are various others notable peaks, including pico são mateus, at 1,576 meters, and pedra agulha, at 1,080 meters.

the park also offers a large range of different plant and animal species native to the atlantic forest, many of which are rare and endangered. this includes muriqui, the largest primate species in the americas and a candidate for the mascot for the 2016 olympic games. out of the 283 species of fauna in the higher altitudes of the park, 22 are endemic and reduced in population.