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Vereda de la Estrella - Puente del Burro - Cuesta de los Presidiarios - Refugio de la Cucaracha - Puente del Río Real - Vereda de la Estrella |
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| Map for the route (ED50)
GPS waypoints for download (WGS84, gpx) |
How to get there: Drive
from Güéjar Sierra on the GR-420 eastwards. After 3 km you reach a
fork with signs for Barranco San Juan and Vereda Estrella. Follow the
signs to the left through a tunnel. Drive on this narrow asphalt road
till it ends by a large parking place. (Roadmap)
Distance: 7h/19.5km |
| Descend from the parking place to a wooden
bridge on your right. On the other side of the bridge you find an
information panel on the route (1160 m). Bend left on the signposted
path,
Vereda de la Estrella, and zigzag steeply uphill. You come to a fork
with white-red waymarks to both directions (15min) (1235 m). Bear left
and follow the path that from now on ascends gently. The Genil river
flows in a deep canyon on your left. Lined with old chestnut trees and
pistache bushes the wide path crosses a brook (55min) (1320 m) and
a couple of minutes later another brook.
When you encounter a ledge reaching out to the canyon (1h07min) (1360 m) look out from its tip to the basin that opens up to both directions. In a few minutes more, you come to a fork (1h10min) (1370 m). Go left and zigzag steeply downhill. The path takes you to the cottage of Vadillo by the bridge of Burro (1h15min) (1310 m). After the bridge the route bends first left and starts then to snake uphill through a cypress forest. Later on the cypresses give way to pines and oaks (1h40min) (1485 m). Across the canyon you spot your return route. Higer up you enjoy a lovely view over the canyon. When you reach the ridge of Cuesta de los Presidiarios (2h06min) (1670 m) a mountain scenery opens up on both sides of the Vadillo gorge. For a moment the route goes along the left flank but soon it crosses the ridge to the southwestern flank. A gorgeous view to the mountain tops starts to spread out on your right. First you see the ridge of Loma del Lamchar, which curves towards the top of Veleta. The most prominent is the northern face of Mulhacen. Watch for a stone cottage on the right hand side of the path (2h36min) (1780 m). Do not continue uphill along the path by the cottage, but go to the cottage yard with walnut trees, where you find a stone table. By the table you encounter a path that you start following. Muchacen rises now in front of you. The path takes you to the cottage of Aceral (3h05min) (1810 m) where you bend left. The treacherously narrow path leads you to the upper part of a gorge (3h18min) (1820 m) which you cross to the opposite flank. When the path forks (3h40min) (1800 m) descend to the right towards the bridge crossing the Real river. From the bridge (4h) (1670 m) you have a lovely view to the water. On the other side of the bridge, follow the path with white-yellow waymarks to the right. A half an hour later, you discern a waterfall on the opposite side of the gorge. When you reach a wooden bridge, the river changes its name to Genil (4h55min) (1485 m). Soon you encounter the impressive ruins of of an excavation community (1495 m). The path slopes gently down to an information panel (5h15min) (1460 m) where you find the path of "Pecuaria Canada Real del Camino del los Neveros". Ignore this path that branches off left. When you come to the fork, where you took the path to the cottage of Vadillo, keep left and return along the familiar path back to the parking place (7h). |
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