30 hiking routes through the Province of Zaragoza INDEX PRE-PYRENEES AND CINCO VILLAS 01. Malpaso Path > Santo Domingo 2 02. Val de Castellar > Castejón de Valdejasa 4 03 Layana > Los Bañales > Biota 6 04. Piedratajada > Los Aguarales de Valpalma 8 05. Biel > Pool Pigalo 10 06. Sos del Rey Católico > Roita Castle 13 MONCAYO 07. Moncayo Peak Route 16 08. Tarazonica Green Route and Malón Water Museum 20 09. Tabuenca > Bollón 22 10. Ambel > Maleján > Borja 24 11. From Alcalá de Moncayo to Añón through the Morana Valley 27 ARANDA / JALÓN / JILOCA PUBLISHED BY 12. Calcena > San Cristóbal Hermitage 3 30 The Zaragoza Council Tourist Board 13. Sierra de Vicor, ascent to Rayo Peak 33 Plaza de España, 2. 50071 Zaragoza 14. Jaraba Sanctuary and La Dehesa viewpoint 37 Phone: +34 976 212 032 15. La Requijada Waterfall 39 [email protected] 16. Aldehuela de Liestos > Cimballa 41 www.zaragozalaprovincia.es CARIÑENA / DAROCA / BELCHITE 17. Pool de Los Chorros (lagoon) in Belchite 44 18. The Surroundings of Moyuela 46 PRODUCTION 19. The Surroundings of Villanueva de Huerva 49 Comunicación y Medios de Aragón, S.L. 20. Valhondo de Aladrén Ravine 52 (Aragón Communication and Media S.L.) 21. The Villafeliche Gunpowder Route 54 Hernán Cortés, 37. 50005 Zaragoza Phone: 976 700 400 LOWER EBRO TEXT, GRAPHICS AND PHOTOGRAPHY 22. Nuestra Señora de Dos Aguas and Castellet de Faió 56 Taken from Civitur - Cinco Villas, Tierras del Moncayo, 23. Chiprana Lakes 60 Paths of Aragón, The Tourist Board 24. Route through Guadalope from Caspe 63 Santiago Cabello, Amado Martínez, Javier San Román 25. Route through the Montler hermitage in Sástago 66 and Absolut Media Archives. Translations: Imagine English CENTRAL EBRO DESIGN AND EDITING 26. El Castellar hermitage 69 Comunicación y Medios de Aragón, S.L. // Laura Monesma 27. Through the Alcubierre mountain range and The San Caprasio Hermitage 72 PRINTED BY 28. María de Huerva Plains 75 ISAC Artes Gráficas (ISAC Graphic Arts) 29. Alagón > Grisén through the Jalón aqueduct 77 30. La Cartuja Wetlands > The Francés Grove 80 LEGAL DEPOSIT Z-4579-2008 1 MAP OF PROVINCE PRE-PYRENEES AND CINCO VILLAS MONCAYO ARANDA / JALÓN / JILOCA PRE-PYRENEES AND CINCO VILLAS 01. Malpaso Path > Santo Domingo 07. Moncayo Peak Route 12. Calcena > San Cristóbal Hermitage 02. Val de Castellar > Castejón de Valdejasa 08. Tarazonica Green Route and Malón Water Museum 13. Sierra de Vicor, ascent to Rayo Peak 03. Layana > Los Bañales > Biota 09. Tabuenca > Bollón 14. Jaraba Sanctuary and La Dehesa viewpoint MONCAYO 04. Piedratajada > Los Aguarales de Valpalmas 10. Ambel > Maleján > Borja 15. La Requijada Waterfall 05. Biel > Pool Pigalo 11. From Alcalá de Moncayo to Añón through the Morana Valley 16. Aldehuela de Liestos > Cimballa 06. Sos del Rey Católico > Roita Castle ARANDA / JALÓN / JILOCA CARIÑENA / DAROCA / BELCHITE CARIÑENA / DAROCA / BELCHITE 17. Pool de Los Chorros (lagoon) in Belchite 18. The Surroundings of Moyuela 19. The Surroundings of Villanueva de Huerva LOWER EBRO 20. Valhondo de Aladrén Ravine 21. The Villafeliche Gunpowder Route CENTRAL EBRO LOWER EBRO 22. Nuestra señora de Dos Aguas and Castellet de Faió 23. Chiprana Lakes 24. Route through Guadalope from Caspe 25. Route through the Montler hermitage in Sástago CENTRAL EBRO 26. El Castellar hermitage 27. Through the Alcubierre mountain range and The San Caprasio Hermitage 28. María de Huerva Plains 29. Alagón > Grisén through the Jalón aqueduct 30. La Cartuja Wetlands > The Francés Grove HIKING ROUTES THROUGH THE PROVINCE OF ZARAGOZA 82 83 PRE-PYRENEES AND CINCO VILLAS > MONCAYO ARANDA / JALÓN / JILOCA CARIÑENA / DAROCA / BELCHITE LOWER EBRO 07 CENTRAL EBRO ROUTE TO Reaching the summit of Mon- cayo makes for an exceptional THE PEAK OF experience for nature lovers. The MONCAYO shortest and most logical route, is also the most frequented, even though it has its difficulties >Duration given its gradient from its begin- Around four hours, ascent/descent. nings, rising 650 metres in just >Difficulty two kilometres and a half, there- Medium-high, due to unevenness. fore a steady pace is best. >Recommended time of the year All year round, although the route The Sanctuary may be reached is made more difficult by winter’s by car, both from Tarazona and low temperatures and may prove San Martín, or from the Monas- dangerous. Therefore, good equipment: mountain boots, walking stick, drinking tery of Veruela. Once past the water, food, a good map and warm Sanctuary, next to the beautiful clothing, are a must. In spring, both, the path leading to the spring and vegetation and the views are superb. the San Gaudioso hermitage, a path close to a spring appears on the right. The path is well signed LITUÉNIGO Farm Worker Museum with white and yellow marks. Plaza de la Iglesia s/n Phone 658 676 866 SAN MARTÍN DE LA VIRGEN DEL The route can’t be missed, as MONCAYO the path itself leads us to Loma Mycology Centre C/ Santa Catalina s/n del Moncayo (hillock). Firstly are many milestones. walking the peak of Moncayo on the right, Phone 976 192 166 amongst pines, later turning to along a gentle ridge allows us to the peak of Lobera on the left, in TRASMOZ see both cirques, San Gaudioso front of us Castilla and behind Moncayo Witchcraft and the right to finish up at the Sanc- Superstition Museum tuary and El Cucharón. on the left and San Miguel on the Aragón. C/ Sagrado Corazón de Jesús s/n. Phone 976 198 819 right. VERA DE MONCAYO After which, the road zigzags to At this point the landscape ma- D.O. Campo de Borja Wine Museum. Monastery of Veruela. abandon the pinewood, slowly Far to the right, the peak can be jestically appears. From here to Phone 976 649 025 / 976 288 881 leading us to the San Miguel made out. Slowly we reach Palo- the peak, around fifteen min- (guided) / www.campodeborja.com Cirque. Here, the path diverges ma del Moncayo (2250 metres). utes, with the company of the SAN MARTÍN DE MONCAYO Gomar Hotel/Restaurant becoming steep and stony and The tough part is already done. cierzo (the cold North wind) that, Camino de la Gayata s/n There are two big milestones according to tradition has its ori- Phone 976 192 101 / 609 488 360 / one should take the left. Al- www.hotelgomar.com though the road is clear there signalling the point, we can see gin here. HIKING ROUTES THROUGH THE PROVINCE OF ZARAGOZA 16 17 At the peak an image of The Virgin route in itself will add a little more of the Pilar, a cross, the geodesic than two hours to the ascent. vertex and remains of ancient constructions can be found. On Another proposal could be to a clear day the Pyrenees can be park in Agramonte, where the seen. we are at highest point of San Martín and the Monastery of the Ebro Valley and the Iberian Veruela roads meet, at 1085 me- System: 2 316 metres above sea tres. From here the route can be level. continued by road, until the first crossing with the GR 90.1, at the The descent can be done along the Tarazona refuge point, a large same path, gentle until the Loma building on the left side of the and steeper to the Sanctuary. road. This route takes one and a half-hours, from Agramonte to There are three ways of taking a the Sanctuary. longer and more enjoyable route. From the Los Frailes Fountain, One option would be to park at where there is a parking place at a the «Fernando El Católico» youth sharp bend on the right side of the campsite. From here to the Sanc- road, about 300 metres of incline tuary the GR 90.1 may be taken, and about 45 minutes more are from Lituénigo leading us through added to the route. This option beautiful woods, taking a shortcut, is more advisable than the route with never ending zigzags, this from the Sanctuary. Moncayo, at 2316 METRES, IS THE HIGHEST elevation OF THE IBERIAN SYSTEM. ITS IMPOSING form over THE EBRO PLAINS IS perfectly VISIBLE FROM ALL over THE AREA, especially ON CLEAR days THE mountain can BE OBSERVED FROM THE PYRENEES. IN ADDITION THE BEAUTIFUL VIEwS, THE variety OF vegetation AND fauna ARE fantastic IN THIS AREA. HIKING ROUTES THROUGH THE PROVINCE OF ZARAGOZA 18 19 PRE-PYRENEES AND CINCO VILLAS > MONCAYO ARANDA / JALÓN / JILOCA CARIÑENA / DAROCA / BELCHITE LOWER EBRO 08 CENTRAL EBRO TARAZONICA VIA The Malón water Museum offers VERDE (GREEN an original, large-screen, audio- ROUTE) AND THE visual display on the formation, route, nature and the villages of MALÓN WATER the Malón basin which includes MUSEUM a voice over explanation. A beau- tiful slideshow is also projected > Duration onto the wall along with panels If both activities are combined the showing the geology of the area whole day and the fauna and flora of the > Difficulty queiles River. One ends at the Low. Drinking water and food for the magnificent viewpoint where Via Verde route and sun protection is most of the river’s basin, which advisable in summer. Moncayo overlooks, can be con- > Recommended time of the year templated. On a clear day even Spring and autumn. In summer avoiding the midday hours is advisable. the peaks of the Pyrenees may be seen. After the visit, starting at Malón station, the 22 kilometres route TARAZONA wE PROPOSE A VISIT Information Department of the Tarazonica Via Verde be- Pza. San Francisco, 1 gins. From Malón we can walk to THE MALóN Water Phone 976 199 076 / 976 640 074 MUSEUM COMBINED www.tarazona.org towards Tarazona, 9 kilometres wITH A ROUTE along TORRELLAS later, the path is very well pre- Islam Interpretation Centre THE Tarazonica Plaza Mayor, 6 pared and can be covered on foot VIA VERDE, AN OLD Phone 976 199 210 or by bicycle.