Walking and Trekking in the Sierra Nevada. Richard Hartley
1 Ascent of Alcazaba via Cañada de Siete Lagunas
Route 2 Ascent of Mulhacén via Cañada de Siete Lagunas
Route 3 Round of the Río Juntillas and Trevélez valleys
Route 4 Barranco de Poqueira circular
Route 5 Ascent of Mulhacén from Hoya del Portillo
Route 6 Ascent of Mulhacén from Refugio Poqueira
Route 7 The Caldera peaks
Route 8 Around Mulhacén via the Vasar and Siete Lagunas
Route 9 The Púlpitos
Route 10 Pico del Tajo de los Machos and Cerrillo Redondo
Route 11 Ascent of Cerro del Caballo from the south
Route 12 Ascent of Cerro del Caballo via los Tres Mojones
Route 13 Silleta de Padul
Route 14 Integral de los Alayos
Route 15 Boca de la Pesca
Route 16 Trevenque via Cuerda del Trevenque
Route 17 Circuit of Trevenque and Dílar valley
Route 18 The Cerro Huenes group
Route 19 Pico del Tesoro and Cerro del Cocón
Route 20 Trevenque direct
Route 21 Veleta, Tajos de la Virgen and Lagunillas
Route 22 Veredón Superior and Cerro de los Machos
Route 23 Veredón Inferior, Veta Grande, northern flanks and lakes
Route 24 Across the mountains to Lanjarón via Refugio Elorrieta
Vereda de la Estrella/Genil valley
Route 25 Vereda de la Estrella, Refugio Cucaracha and Cueva Secreta
Route 26 Cortijos del Hornillo circular
Route 27 Ascent of Mulhacén via Cueva Secreta
Route 28 Round of the northern peaks via Peña Partida
Jérez del Marquesado and Refugio Postero Alto
Route 29 Ascent of Picón de Jérez and round of the Alhorí valley
Route 30 The eastern peaks
MAIN RIDGE TRAVERSE AND LONGER TREKS
Route 31 ‘Los Tres Miles’ Integral 3000m peaks
Route 32 ‘Los Tres Picos’ – Veleta, Mulhacén and Alcazaba
Route 33 The Sulayr GR240
Route 34 Espolón de Alcazaba
Route 35 Traverse of Puntal de la Caldera
Route 36 Espolón de la Caldera
Route 37 Arista de las Campanitas
Route 38 North ridge of Tozal del Cartujo
Appendix A List of the 3000m peaks
Appendix B Accommodation
Appendix C Useful contacts
Appendix D Glossary
Appendix E Further reading
ROUTE SUMMARY TABLES
Towards Veleta and Cerro de los Machos from the south ridge of Mulhacén (Route 5)
INTRODUCTION
Winter sun setting over the Mediterranean Sea (Route 5)
Tucked away in the south of Spain, in the centre of Andalucía, lies another world. A world of soaring, snow-clad peaks and deep valleys far removed from the crowded beaches of the Costa del Sol. Relatively few foreign visitors to the region venture into the Sierra Nevada – especially in winter, when snow normally lies over the mountains from December until May. It is a very special place.
The Sierra Nevada is not only one of Europe’s most southerly mountain ranges, it also contains the highest peaks in Western Europe outside of the Alps. It is a relatively small range of mountains (90km long by 35km wide) situated in the Granada province of Andalucía, Spain – but what it lacks in size it makes up for in altitude, with over 25 peaks above 3000m. These include the highest point in Western Europe outside the Alps: Mulhacén, at 3482m. From these mountains, on clear days it is possible to view the coast of North Africa some 200km away across the Mediterranean Sea. No glaciers remain here but their effect is marked, with deep cirques and valleys on the northern flanks. By contrast, the southern aspect is relatively gentle.
The range gained national park status in 1999 and covers an area of 85,883 hectares, making it the largest national park in Spain. It was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1986, in recognition of its exceptionally diverse plant, bird and animal species.
The Sierra