Puig Mayor

Trail head starts beside parking, if you can’t find a space try further up near the tunnel and walk down the road back to the trail.

The first few Km’s are sheltered forest, not rocky at all, just soft terrain, it’s a nice warm up to the next section.

Once the forest ends you are then faced with a very steep ascent (which will eventually bring you to the road leading up to the military zone) but the trails are poorly marked, I say trails because there really are multiple ways to ascend this section, you’ll see on mine that i if zagged in an attempt to save time and cut out shale areas and also snow on this particular day. The trails are not great, they’re poorly marked with a lot of loose rock. You’ll also find nearer the top the trail is hidden very well by foliage and grass. Along the way are two ruins which are good checkpoints for shelter and a break from the sun.

Once you reach the top of this section you can pass through a gap in a wire fence, here you have a great viewpoint of The Valley you ascended and your first sight of the military zone dome, from here you can walk on the road and begin the ascent to the summit.

Again, much like the valley ascent there are multiple trails and routes to attempt or follow, but the trails are shale for about half the ascent before it turns into hard rock with a bit of climbing involved. It’s steep but enjoyable and the climbing is fun. Near the top it’s an easy climb to the summit and you’re rewarded with spectacular views.

My advice is to try on a clear day to fully appreciate the summit panoramic views. Usually there is a bit of snow up there so wear warm clothes and I suggest a puffer because once you sit down you’ll cool quickly and if the wind picks up it’s very chilly at that altitude.

The descent is less fun because of the terrain overall. It hammered my knees big time and wasn’t the most fun to navigate even though I knew where I was going!