Trail Snapshot
Trail:
26 km 15.5 miles total. Some asphalt surface road, dirt road, wide dirt trails and a small section of single track. One half of the ride is climbing while the second half is descending.Difficulty:
Moderate - The distance isn't great, but the climbing does require a certain level of fitness. As for technical skills needed, an experienced beginner could handle the off-road portions.Outdoor Travels Rating:
4.5 bikes out of 5 bikes for scenery alone. Can you say BEAUTIFUL?!?!Lessons Learned
Lesons Learned:
Nuts & Bolts
Location:
Cazorla National Park, Cazorla, Spain in AndaluciaLodging:
La OróspedaThis is the little apartment we rented from Juan Benavente and his wife Fatima. It features a kitchen, living room and upstairs bedroom with a balcony. It is just right outside an entrance to Cazorla Natural Park. If you can, it helps to contact them in Spanish. Web-site Villa de Sabena
Juan's other property. It sleeps up to 17 people and is just a little outside of Cazorla. We did not stay there, but it looks like the same quality or better than our loding (above). This would be ideal for larger groups. Web-site
Bike Rental
Tierra AventuraOffering canoeing and rapelling in Cazorla Natural Park, Juan Benavente (owner) is now offering quality bike rentals and reliable and friendly guide service from Franscisco who was our guide on this ride. Juan and his wife Fatima speak some English but you will be better off e-mailing in Spanish if possible. Web-site
Bike Iberia
Bike Iberia is based in Portugal and will ship (for a price), bikes anywhere for you in Spain or Portugal. They are a good choice if you are not sure you can get rental bikes where you are going. They rent nice Specialized bikes and speak English. Web-site
Maps Links and Photos
Maps and Links:
City of Cazorla MapTrail Photos:
Lots of great photos to give you a good idea of what riding here is like!
Ruta ChorroOne of our rental bikes from Bike Iberia outside our apartment
Enjoying a tasty Cruzcampo before a ride!
Kelli at the first mirador (overlook)
Kelli, Victor and Fransciso at the first mirador
Riding into the forested elevations
Dana, Fransciso and Victor in front of a larger waterfall
Another great view of a castle and Cazorla below
Heading back with beautiful mountains in background
At the mirador just below the Rio Gaza Hotel
The more narrow dirt track begins below the hotel
Mountain Biking
Ruta Chorro
Cazorla Natural Park, Cazorla, Spain
Ruta Chorro Riding from Cazorla to El Chorro and back
Dana Farnsworth, Outdoor Travels
It's amazing how things fall together sometimes. Kelli and I decided to rent bikes from Bike Iberia. They are based in Portugal and ship bikes anywhere in Spain. Since we couldn't find a listing on the Internet for bike rentals in Cazorla, we decided not to take a chance on not getting a bike. Paying for the shipping increases the cost, but at least we knew we were getting bikes and that they would be quality Specialized bikes.
We hadn't realized that our lodging owners - Juan and Fatima - were not going to be at their house that day. Since we had been out sightseeing, we were worried that we had missed the delivery of the bikes altogether. Kelli and I sat on our little balcony drinking beer and lamenting our apparent loss when the delivery van rolled up to the front of the house! From this point, it's amazing how well things went. As we played with our bikes a little, Juan returned home. He owns an adventure company called Tierra Adveturra, so he has a lot of knowledge about Cazorla Natural Park (the largest in Spain). He immediately offered to give us a guide for a ride!
Later that afternoon, 18 year-old Franci (Franscisco) showed up with his friend, Victor. After a brief introduction, we were off! To where, we were not sure. They just asked us how far we wanted to ride. When I researched riding in Spain, I always read that a guide was a good idea, because biking trails in Spain are not marked and are confusing. I didn't believe it at first, but I was still happy to have Franci and Victor to show us around.
We left Cazorla heading west towards the nearby village of La Iruela. At La Iruela we took an immediate right heading south on a steep uphill road that was clearly marked with a sign indicating that the park was that way. At this point the entire ride had been uphill and it continued this way. I noticed how all of the local guys climbed hills standing up as compared to my and Kelli's technique of sitting while climbing. We continued on this road going up and up. Along the way we passed several "miradors" or overlooks which gave us great views of Cazorla and the olive tree-lined countryside below. It was really beautiful! Around 6 KM (roughly 3.5 miles) into our ride up the mountain we passed the Cascada Riogazas (Water Gaze waterfall), we stopped for a picture and a brief rest and continued uphill!
It's at this point that the asphalt road surface gives way to dirt road. We continued passed the Riogaza Hotel below on our right. When we return, we'll ride down to the hotel, but for now, we climb! We stopped at several other miradors for a look at the town and rolling hills dotted with ancient castles and churches below. It certainly is breathtaking! The terrain we were riding was also quite incredible. It looked very similar to the Colorado Rockies. Large rocky mountains towered above the pine trees as we peddled even higher.
We reached our turn-around point of El Chorro mirador at km 13 (7.8 miles). El Choro is hard to miss. It's a very large and more elaborate overlook than the previous ones. We took a few pictures, had a little rest, watched a couple of raptors flying high above the valley below, then mounted our bikes for the return trip.
Initially we retraced our route up, which was obviously much easier going downhill. Upon reaching the Hotel Riogaza, our route varied from our previous ascent. We turned left off of the main road and continued down to the hotel. Continuing lower and beyond the hotel, we found yet another beautiful large mirador (overlook) where we stopped, jaws agape, and took several pictures.
It's at this point the trail became even more interesting. No more asphalt surfaces. We were now riding on a trail through the woods as we continued a fast descent. Several switchbacks later, we passed the small Cascada Malena (Malena Waterfall) and continued on. We soon found ourselves riding by the ancient ruin of Ermita Santo Bastian on one of the single most beautiful pieces of single track this rider has ever seen. Tight little single track winding around an ancient church with green rolling olive tree hills, vibrant spring green grass, tall pines, and ancient castle ruins in my immediate vision with majestic mountains behind me. In the early evening light, the scene looked quiet, calming and, well, just right. As if on purpose everything beautiful had been assembled in that one spot for anyone hiking or biking by to appreciate. At this moment it was my turn to enjoy the perfection and tranquility.
All too soon we rounded the bend; the trail turned into a narrow paved one-lane road that looked like a private road which lead us back into Cazorla, where we easily found our way back to our apartment via a very interesting ride through the town. I really wanted to return to the section of this ride that stretches from the Hotel Riogaza to Cazorla. Sadly, I didn't get to, but I will return.
Cazorla National Park Overview
The Spanish designation, "nature park", refers to mixed use natural areas with an emphasis on recreation and conservation rather than other types of activities - they are not like National Parks in the United States. This is the largest park of its kind in Spain, and one of the premier wilderness recreation zones in western Europe, renowned throughout the continent through the many nature documentaries that have been made there. This range is the experienced hiker's and biker's paradise. Reaching about 2,200 metres (7,000 feet) in height, it is criss-crossed with hundreds of kilometres of trails that climb in and out of the lush pine forest, move along rugged cliff faces and exposed heights of land and form a lattice which provides access to virtually all of the sierra. Originally, they evolved as the mule and donkey roads and were the economic lifeblood of the sierra for thousands of years. Although not for the most part signed, they are well marked on the topographic maps.
Abundant in the forest, and regularly sighted once away from populated areas, are mountain goats, mountain sheep, wild boar and two species of deer. On the cliff faces thrive several species of eagle, falcon and vulture. And the range, because of its unusual microclimate, supports a wide variety of flora that are distinct to the area.
Besides hiking, other activities include camping (only in approved areas), fishing, hunting and mountain biking. Also, several companies offer 4x4 excursions to restricted wilderness portions of the park. The lake behind the hydroelectric dam at Tranco de Beas is being developed for watersports.
The park, measuring some 850 square miles, or 214,000 hectares, is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Omni Resources carries the topographic map series for the area.
You can locate this one-of-a-kind natural wonder on your map of Spain by following the Guadalquivir River valley up from its mouth at Cádiz, at the extreme southwest corner of the Iberian peninsula, past Sevilla, Córdoba and Jaén and through the towns of Cazorla and La Iruela to its source, which is the sentimental and symbolic heart of the Parque Natural de las Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas.
There are many activities to do within the park. Trekking, biking, canoeing and repelling along with rock climbing and mountaineering are all possible. In Cazorla there are many places to hire a 4x4 to drive you deep into the park for a wonderful sight-seeing tour. There is also a possibility of hiring them to shuttle you and your bike to a spot in the park from which you may ride back. Some of these companies also offer organized rock climbing, rapelling and canoeing excursions.
City of Cazorla Overview
Situated below the Pena de los Halcones, the village's narrow and steep rising streets from an environment of beautiful architecture create a sight to behold. Two castles of Muslim origin sit perched above the city. The town is home to approximately 10,000 residents. Beer, cured ham and tapas (small plates of food) are not only predominant here, they are omnipresent; expect to enjoy the local cuisine in the form of an ever changing variety of tapas washed down with a little beer. The people of Cazorla are friendly and helpful. You'll just need to get passed their initial dour expressions to find a smiling, friendly and helpful person. Not much English is spoken here so it is a good idea to brush up on your conversational Spanish before visiting.
There are two places to rent bikes in Cazorla. One is just off the main square where busses drop people off. The other is through Tierra Aventura who also offers a great guide service.
