Llanada del Mulhacen: The Road That Has It All
Llanada del Mulhacén is a high mountain plateau at an elevation of 3.408m (11,181ft) above the sea level, located in the region of Andalusia, province of Granada, in the south of the peninsula of Spain. It’s one of the highest roads of Europe.
Located in the Penibética mountain range, within the Sierra Nevada National Park, the road to the summit is unpaved. Starting from Alto del Chorrillo, the old track was built in the 19th century to transport devices to build the geodesic link between Europe and Africa, on the Mulhacen summit, the highest peak in the Iberian Peninsula. But this track, closed to motor vehicle traffic since the early 1990s, is currently very poor maintained. In order to protect the wild nature of the national park, the road is currently closed to any kind of vehicles, even bicycles.
The surface of the road is rocky with loose gravel. It’s drivable by bike only. Accessibility is largely limited to the summer season, due to the absence of snow on the most common routes, although there are always snow fields. Extreme care with the winds. The conditions to reach the summit in winter, through any of its itineraries, can be extremely harsh. The views are truly unique, dominating practically all the high peaks of Sierra Nevada (Veleta, Cerro de los Machos, Alcazaba, Caballo, Vacares, Cerro Pelao, etc). It’s one of the highest roads of the country.
Travel guide to the summit:
Stretch 1:Capileira-Aparcamiento Hoya del Portillo. Paved road until 1800 masl apx
Stretch 2:Aparcamiento Hoya del Portillo(parking alot)-Alto del Chorrillo.Wide track
Stretch 3:Alto del Chorrillo-Llanada del Mulhacén
Road suggested by: jorge manuel gómez sánchez
Pic: José Angel De la peca