1. Mountain Range Orihuela

LITERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE ROUTE

The itinerary begins in the "Cabezo de la Ballesta", close to the Oriokart kart circuit on the CV-870 road, ascending slightly to continue, next to various farms, until we enter next to the "Los Baladares" ravine, which we will skirt and later we will cross to the crossroads with a track turning to the left and moving to an ascending path towards some zig-zags. Without leaving our path, and after approximately 45 minutes, we will see the famous "Cruz de La Muela" (463 m) which we can access from the "Explanada" (esplanade).

Continuing west along the "Explanada", we will head towards a wooded area that runs along the North slope (good shade in summer) until we descend to a crossroads located in the "Cuevas de la Tarsca", now on the South slope, which will leave us at right hand the variant called “Las Minas”. Following the trail markings, we will reach another fork after 300 meters, finding the “San Cristóbal” variant on the left, which can be accessed from the “Solana del Coto”.

If we continue ascending we will arrive at "La Naveta", from this pass, with a gentle ascent at the beginning and a steep ascent at the end, we will arrive at "Bancalico de Diego", a place that deserves a stop to rest. To the northwest of this place we will find a path that leads us to the highest peak of this mountain range, the "Peña de Orihuela" with 634 meters above sea level.

At the southwestern end of the Bancalico, the route continues downhill, until a fork in “Los Bancos Gordos” where the “Las Minas” variant ends. Continuing along the path located on the right hand side, we will pass under the impressive walls of the Peña Orihuela until we reach the so-called "Collado del Puerto", where on the left, in the direction of travel, we find indications of the variant called "Las Yeseras".

From the "Collado del Puerto" our next objective will be the "La Serratilla del Puerto", spotting the derivation that would lead us to the "Pico del Águila". Our route continues taking the path to the left, now always descending, where we will reach La Rellana turning left and continuing along the Barranco de Sanes until we cross the Barranco de los Muertos, where we will skirt the Aparecida Cemetery, continuing towards the This until you reach the parking lot of the "Casa de Los Tomasos" ending this emblematic route.

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ROUTE MAP

If you wish to download the map in PDF format at a scale of 1:10,000, click on the image.  

If you wish to download the Track of the Tour in GPX format, click here.

ITINERARY PROFILE

TABLE MEASURES

 *The coding used for the assessment table of the difficulty in the route is the following:

 Severity of the natural environment

1. The medium is not without risk.
2. There is more than one risk factor.
3. There are several risk factors.
4. There are quite a few risk factors.
5. There are many risk factors.

 Orientation in the itinerary

1. Well defined paths and junctions.
2. Trails or signage indicating continuity.
3. It requires the precise identification of geographical accidents and cardinal points.
4. Demands off-trace navigation.
5. Navigation interrupted by obstacles that must be skirted.

 Difficulty in displacement

1. Walking on a smooth surface.
2. Walk along bridle paths.
3. March on staggered paths or uneven terrain.
4. It is necessary to use the hands or jumps to maintain balance.
5. Requires the use of hands for progression.

Amount of effort required (calculated according to MIDE criteria for an average hiker lightly loaded).

1. Up to 1 hour of effective walking.
2. Between 1 h and 3 h of effective walking.
3. Between 3 and 6 hours of actual walking.
4. Between 6 and 10 hours of actual walking.
5. More than 10 h of effective walking.

• Introduction
• Orihuela's Mountain Range
• Las Minas
• San Cristóbal
• Las Yeseras
• San Miguel
• Cruz de la Muela