Peñarroya

Overview

Peñarroya is one of those mountains whose summit might look attractive because of its altitude. Two thousand meters, wow... Well: don't expect anything exciting. It's only a rounded mountain, typical of the spanish Sistema Ibérico, with a good number of dirt roads running close to the summit, lots of pines and some medium quality panoramas to offer from the top. But it's the highest spot of the spanish province of Teruel, and that will surely make it a target for summit-baggers. Short hikes -specially on the normal route from the Collado Gitana- and a visit to a new area. That's it.

Getting There

Peñarroya is placed at the Sierra de Gúdar, one of the smaller parts of the large Sistema Ibérico, at a rather forgotten part of the spanish province of Teruel. The main trailheads for hikes to the summit are the parking area at Collado Gitana (scarcely 1.5 km east of the summit) and the village of Alcalá de la Selva, on the southwest slopes of the mountain. Both trailheads can be reached from the city of Teruel driving along highway A23 (towards Valencia) and exiting it 25 km away from Teruel, towards Mora de Rubielos (road A232). When you reach Mora de Rubielos, turn left across the village and follow road A228 towards Alcalá de la Selva(about 20 km north of Mora de Rubielos). Should you decide to head for the Collado Gitana trailhead, turn right towards the tiny ski resort of Valdelinares on the crossroads placed a short way before Alcalá de la Selva.

Red Tape

No special remarks to be made on this section. Of course, proper equipment is mandatory in winter hikes to the summit. Easy or not, it's still over two thousand meters high and you don't really want to bother anyone having to rescue you.

Camping and lodging

I don't know about any special restrictions on camping in the area, but I'll try to search some more and (of course!)will gladly include any additional info provided by readers of this page.
Apart from that, the villages around the mountain offer (see external links section) a number of lodging possibilities and you can always consider those placed at the city of Teruel

External Links

Sierra de Gúdar: list of the lodgings that belong to the tourist association "Sierra de Gúdar"

Rural houses: Local lodging in village houses at the Sierra de Gúdar, and also at the nearby Sierra de Javalambre

Images

View Peñarroya Image Gallery - 15 Images