Mogorrita

Overview

Cerro Mogorrita, the highest summit in the Spanish province of Cuenca, is placed at the Montes Universales. Universal Mountains, wow, what a name. It’s got to be spectacular… Well: don’t expect too much. It’s just another sector in the 400 kilometer-long Sistema Ibérico, with plenty of rounded mountains that don’t offer excitement for lovers of hard climbs or steep difficult summits. But it’s got other attractives: highpoint of Cuenca, that’s for a start. The area around it is rather isolated, scarcely visited by tourists and offers fine walks for any experienced hiker willing to run away from crowds and enjoy a different landscape. River Tajo, one of the main rivers in the Iberian Peninsula, has its source some five kilometres east of the trailhead and the old karstic area of the Ciudad Encantada, present in any tourist guide of Spain, is on the way between Cuenca and Mogorrita. A nice chance, therefore, to do some tourism and to discover a new area as you bag a new highpoint in your collection

Getting There

Now, reaching the base of Mogorrita is not exactly easy. Not by public transport, anyway. The main cities around the mountain are Teruel (pop. 36525 in January 2011) and Cuenca (pop.55866 in 2009). Small towns, as you can see, with no airport but you will find train connections to both of them.
The closer airports are placed at Madrid (174 km away from Cuenca) and Zaragoza (181 km to Teruel. Both are linked by good highways to Cuenca and Teruel.
Once you reach Teruel, you will need to take road A-1512 towards Albarracín, cross the tunnel under the village and keep going towards Frías de Albarracín (road A-1703 at first, changing to A-1704 after 9 km). From that point on, it’s an additional 29 km (approximately) driving towards the col (Puerto del Cubillo) where the province limit of Cuenca stands. A couple of turns ahead (see picture), a dirt road starts on your right hand side just in front of a small white building. There’s a good space there to park your vehicle.
Coming in from Cuenca, the road to follow is CM-2105 towards Uña and Tragacete, following the bank of river Júcar. Turn right 5 kilometers before Tragacete, for a short climb to the Puerto del Cubillo and the trailhead (via road CM-2119)

Red Tape

There are no special rules to be followed, but Mogorrita is placed in the Parque Natural de la Serranía de Cuenca, a protected area. Therefore, follow your common sense and (as you usually do!) respect nature. Do not leave anything behind you, do not take anything but your pictures and good memories

Camping

No special rules apply, as far as I know, but I'll gladly incorporate any additional information I might get.

External Links

Ciudad Encantada: An old karstic area, really eroded, that has given origin to a fascinating landscape. Lots of tourists in weekend days, and you must expect to pay an entrance fee of 3 €, but the place's worth a visit once in a lifetime.

Images

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