Trail Snapshot
Trail(s): 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
- Biking guides are a good idea in Spain. I didn't think they were needed, but biking routes and trails are poorly marked, if at all. Plus it was fun riding with a local (Franci) and his friends!
- Don't expect the rolling technical single-track experience you may be used to. The riding in Spain or at least in the region around Cazorla is all about climbing and descending on varied road surfaces with a few areas that you'll need some technical skill on.
Nuts & Bolts
Lodging:
La Oróspeda - This 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. Approximately $60 a night and is just right outside an entrance to Cazorla Natural Park. If you can, it helps to contact them in Spanish via e-mail Web-site.
See our lodging review for more details
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 Aventura - Offering 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. www.bikeiberia.com
Maps & Stuff
Trail Video
Trail Photos
Lots of great photos to give you a good idea of what riding here is like!
Mountain Biking
Ruta Chorro
Cazorla Natural Park, Cazorla, Spain
Ruta Chorro Riding from Cazorla to El Chorro and back
by 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.
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