A wild road (14.2%) to Alto de San Miguel de Aralar

Alto de San Miguel de Aralar is a mountain peak at an elevation of 1.233m (4,045ft) above the sea level, located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, in Spain.

Alto de San Miguel de Aralar

Is the road to Alto de San Miguel de Aralar paved?

Set high in the slope of the Aralar mountain chain, just outside of the Pyrenees, the narrow road to the summit is totally paved, mostly with concrete, that complicates the climb due to lessened grip. The summit hosts a sanctuary, San Miguel de Áralar, also known as San Miguel in Excelsis, with more than a thousand years of history, featuring spectacular views that encompasses the Arakil or Barranca corridor, San Donato and the sierras of Urbasa and Andia.

How long is the road to Alto de San Miguel de Aralar?

Tucked away on the northern part of the country, the road to the summit is 11.5 km (7.14 miles) long starting at Uharte-Arakil. The summit has been featured in the Spanish Vuelta race.

Is the road to Alto de San Miguel de Aralar steep?

The elevation gain is 773 meters and the average gradient is 6.72%. This is a first category climb. It's relatively steep, and for much of the way it is concreted rather than paved. This is 11km at more than 8%, much of it on those same rough, unforgiving concrete roads. The maximum gradient is 14.2% at the very top; though the climb never has any truly brutal sections, it is continually tough, with several kilometres at over 9%, a handful of stretches of 15% or so, and the climbers will need to make these 11km count, since this is the final roll of the dice.