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ACCEDER

Peralejo Trail

It is a short path with little unevenness, very suitable if we go with children. This path, which starts from the Mata Bejid visitor center, allows us to enjoy the richness and variety of species that the Mediterranean forest presents, such as holm oaks, junipers, gall oaks and Aleppo pines. We can also see numerous shrubs such as labiernagos, barberries, hellebore and honeysuckle.

Throughout the area you can see jays and thrushes. Also, chickadees, blue tit, finches and some squirrels. On the margins of the lanes we can find the trails and baths (puddle or place where the wild animals usually bathe and wallow) left by the wild boars.

On the other hand, the route shows us the immemorial use that shepherds have made of the mountains, since the route passes next to a trough for cattle.

Difficulty

high

ESTIMATED RUN TIME

7 hours and 15 minutes (round trip).

Type of firm

Dirt track (50%) and mountain path (50%), mostly on rocky surface.

SLOPE

980 m

980 m

DIFFICULTY. ASSESSMENT ACCORDING TO METHOD MEASURE

3

MEDIO.

Severity of the natural environment

2

Itinerary

Orientation in the itinerary

3

Displacement

Difficulty moving

4

EFFORT.

Amount of effort required

TIME OF THE YEAR

All year round.

SIGNALING

MUNICIPAL TERMS BY WHICH IT RUNS

Cambil Cazorla Huelma Sierra Mágina

RECOMMENDATIONS

This trail can be done all year round. In winter, its high mountain conditions can make it difficult, due to low temperatures, accumulation of snow, ice and strong gusts of wind. There are no drinking water points along the route, so it is advisable to take sufficient hydration with you. In summer, due to similar high conditions, the sunshine is very strong, together with the lack of shade, will provide important protection from the sun.
This path has the alternative, in the high mountain section, towards the summit of Miramundos, and from there to the Caño del Aguadero, and the northern slope of the massif. This complete alternative would mean a different planning, requiring more than ten hours of intense walking, with the added inconvenience of having another car at the end point.

POINTS OF INTEREST

- In spring, botanical endemisms can be seen in flower, such as Viola cazorlensis or Lithodora nitida (the only worldwide representation of this species in these places). Both are small seasonal herbaceous plants. Their very high fragility and the protection to which they are subjected prohibit any handling or taking of samples.
- Livestock landscape in the middle of the route, with traditional constructions such as wells and tinada.
- Panoramic views of the mountainous massifs of Jaen and neighbouring provinces.
- Formation of creeping junipers.
- Snow wells in the summit area.
- High mountain landscape, with endemisms, geological formations, refuge...
- It is common to see golden eagles in flight, and mountain goats on the summits.

DESCRIPTION

The climb to the Mágina peak (2167 m.) will take you to the top of the province of Jaén. This altitude makes the Sierra Mágina Natural Park the third highest in Andalusia, after Sierra Nevada and the Sierra de Baza. The effort is demanding, but it has the reward of knowing a unique landscape. The Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y las Villas, Sierra Nevada, the Sierra Sur de Jaén, La Loma de Úbeda or the Guadalquivir Valley are some of the panoramic views from the summit area.
The route is divided into three sections: the forest area, the high plateau for livestock and the high mountain section.
At the beginning of the path, in a curve there is a detour that leads to the Gargantón ravine, which we will not take. Our path is always uphill, along a wide track with a dirt track. Zigzageando gains height during four kilometres, while it crosses a dense pine forest of repopulation. This first stage of the approach begins to show us views, and takes us into the interior of Sierra Mágina.

Once the first climb has been completed, we will go down the Salinas ravine for a kilometre and a half, which will serve as a transition to the last stretch of the climb. This is an area of pastureland where you will find a wide variety of vegetation such as gall oaks, pines and junipers, natural representatives of this bioclimatic region. The transition ends a little higher than the Tinada de la Cruz, a very characteristic livestock construction.

A few hundred metres above the Tinada the track ends and the path begins, which climbs in an easterly direction, and is sufficiently marked to follow it without difficulty. Only in conditions of heavy snowfall can the mark of the path be lost. The Barranco de las Covatillas, the first section of the path, takes us to the Puerto de Bolos, which looks out over the eastern slope, towards the Barranco del Gargantón and beyond that the Valle del Jandulilla. At this point the path turns left facing north, towards the summit area.

From here the path runs through a rocky area, over limestone slabs. The landscape leaves behind the pine forests, and it will be the creeping savines that accompany us to the summit. Just a little further up, you will find the fork to the Miramundos peak on the right. We will continue along our path, on the left and gradually gain height. Then we lose height at the head of a somewhat cooler ravine. From this point onwards we begin the final stretch to the summit of Mágina peak. The path adapts to the relief. First you will go up some rocky steps, until you reach a circular rocky depression (a doline or sinkhole of limestone) on the slope, where you will find one of the restored snow wells. The end is a stone's throw away. The highest point is a high point surrounded by other immediate peaks (Cárceles, Peña de Jaén, Miramundos...), so the summit is one more ridge.

The return will always be downhill, along the same path of ascent, as long as we do not choose other return alternatives or combinations with different paths, only recommended for those who have the experience and information to connect them.

Source of information

Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development. Junta de Andalucía