The High Peaks
The grandeur of the sierra is reflected in the well known phrase “You have a heart hotter than the Sierra Elvira and bigger than the Sierra Nevada” – quite a compliment! The Sierra Nevada National Park besides being the highest in Spain, is also the largest in area, over half of which contains the highest peaks.
Beginning at the eastern end of the range where the peaks are lowest we can prepare ourselves for the higher summits at the western end that reach over 3,000 mts.Travelling the range from east to west we cross more than 100 Kms.
Starting our journey from ‘Montenegro’, where it rarely snows given its height of 1,710 mts and its proximity to the desert region of Tabernas, we cross the pass and reach ‘Polarda’ the first summit of more that 2,000 mts. Just before ascending the summit, as we come out of the pinewoods, we can see in the far distance the blue light of the Mediterranean and the mountains of Cabo de Gata. There is a mountain refuge on the south face where one can spend the night. We continue westwards passing ‘las Torrecillas’, a group of peaks whose terrain is a type of ’altiplano’. From the highest of these we see the summits of ‘Alcazaba’ and ‘Mulhacen’, the most impressive mountains in the Sierra Nevada range. After crossing ‘el Rayo’ (2,420 mts) we get to ‘Buitre’ where there is a delapidated firewatching hut, which we are hoping will be restored or removed in the near future.
From this string of peaks (which also includes ‘Tajo de la Cruz’ and el ‘Cerro de Almirez’) long ridges and steep sided valleys descend southwards to the river Andarax valley, and to the north sheer sloped escarpments and vertical cliffs tower above the villages of ‘Las Tres Villas’.
‘El Cerro del Almirez’ (2,517 mts) is a mountain shaped like a truncated pyramid. Its summit is truly the best vantage point in all the Sierra Nevada – an ocean of criss crossing ridges definine the massif; to the north with a carpet of maples, and southwards a shimmering sea of alders.
In the pass, in a deep depression on the lower westerly flank of the mountain, there is a lake ‘Laguna Seca’ which dries up in summer. Its just one of the 42 lakes that are found in the Sierra.
‘El Chullo’, the highest peak in Almeria Province, soars above the Marquesado plain which is dominated by the impressive turrets of the ‘Castillo de la Calahorra’ silhouetted against the wide skies of the Guadix plain. Hidden inside this medieval fortress, like a precious stone inside a lump of rock, are the remains of a Renaissance palace with Italian balustrades and fascias of Carrera marble. Another remarkable feature of the plain is the enormous crater of some 1,500 mts in diameter formed as a result of mining for iron ore. The deposits in the Alquife have been worked since Roman times.
Descending the flanks of ‘el Chullo’ we come to the major north/south crossing point in the centre of the Sierra, the pass of the ‘Puerto de la Ragua’ (2,00 mts). Here there is a cross country ski station and recreation area which is very, very popular with visitors in the winter months, especially Sundays – which might be best avoided if you don’t like crowds of people.
The passes of ‘el del Lobo’ (2,412 mts), ‘el Collado del Puerto’ (2,621 mts), ‘el de Jerez’ 2,873 mts) and ‘el de Trevelez’ (2,798 mts) are also natural (although not drivable) access routes from the southern Alpujarra to the northern Marquesado. After the Spanish Civil War these mountain routes were often used by black marketeers trading in contraband or forbidden goods. The outstanding peak overlooking these passes is ‘San Juan’ (2,788 mts) whose slopes are a cross country skier’s paradise with no danger of hidden crevasses or sudden avalanches.
Continuing westwards we ascend to 3,000 mts with el ‘Picon de Jerez’ to the north and the altiplano of the Marquesado of Guadix and the finca ‘del Camarate’ where domestic bulls roam free. Nearby is the ‘Lavadero de la Reina’, and at the foot of the ‘Puntal de Vacares’ (3,129 mts) is the ‘Laguna de Vacares’, reputedly the deepest lake in the mountains. In ancient times condemned prisoners from Granada were force marched through the pass on their way to the slave ships awaiting them in the port of Almeria. They had to climb up along the ridge of ‘Calvario’ and up the hill that even today is named after ‘los Presidiaros’, the Convicts.
Although the third hightest mountain in the range, Alcazaba is the least accessible, as its name, the Fortress, suggests. The glacier between Alcazabar and Mulhacen is very impressive and its crossing is known as ‘La Cañada de las Siete Lagunas’, the Glen of the Seven Lakes.
In the XIX century the botanist Simon de Rojas Clemente, in order to measure the height of Mulhacen, had to descend from the summit recording levels all the way to the coast at Castel de Ferro by way of the Contraviesa range; at the same time he made a study of all the plants he encountered en route. The military used a different system; even today one can still see the remains of their refuge where military personnel stayed on the mountain top for more than a month waiting for the right weather conditions and clarity that would enable them to see the light signals emitted from the Algerian mountains across the Mediterranean Sea (M’ Sabilia and Filhaussen) and from the ‘Tetica de Bacares’ to the north east of the Sierra de Filabres on the mainland. Nowadays, after years of preparation, there is a geodesic link up between Spain and North Africa making it possible to triangulate correctly maps in both continents.
After some twenty years the intention of the Ministry of of Defence is still on record as wanting to install a radar station on the summit of Mulhacen. At the time there was a mass demonstration in protest on the streets of Granada the likes of which have not been seen in modern times. It effectively paralysed the military’s efforts and saved for posterity the sacred summit and final resting place of the last Moorish king of Granada. The well known medic and mountaineer Lorenzo Arribas was prominent in the campaign, as well as working at the same time to preserve the peaks above Pampaneira from despoilation and creating a mountain refuge 500 mts below the peak.
On the flanks of Mulhacen there is one of the largest lagoons in the Sierra,’ La Laguna de la Caldera’. The Swiss Andalucian Diego Martin wrote in 1894 that it was popularly believed to be bewitched, and that it was linked directly to the sea through a hidden channel under the mountains. It was said that strange songs emanated from its centre, and when the winds blew its surface into waves their splashing and pluming crests sounded like souls in pain. One thing is for sure, it is the first lake to be polluted due to its proximity to the ‘highest road in Europe’, as it presumes to be known. Fortunately, although perhaps a little too little and too late the ‘Delegacion de Medio Ambiente’ (Environment) has recently closed the road to public traffic.
On the north face of Mulhacen the river Genil, which flows through the centre of Granada, rises from the ‘Laguna de la Mosca’. These great peaks of more than 3,000 mts separate the northern gradient, the Altlantic face (hydrographically speaking), from the southern gradient or Mediterranean face.
On the next summit, ‘Veleta’ the second highest peak in the Sierra Nevada at 3,327 mts, there is a corral that is so exposed to the elements that even the most experienced mountain man cannot help but feel ‘vertigo’ on looking out. Here on the north east face is the Sierra Nevada ski station whose 50 kms of pistes obscure the ravages of earth moving and dramatic changes of direction of the original natural watercourses that were necessary to adapt the terrain and provide snow cannons, necessary for international level competitions.
The final peak is ‘El Caballo’ at 3,013 mts, which curiously is the mean height of all the peaks. From here we descend into the valley of the river Monachil passing as we go down the impressive pointed spires of the ‘Alayos de Dilar’, the pyramid of ‘Trevenque’, and the vertical rock faces of the ‘Tajos de Cahorros’ looming above the river.
