Running roughly south-west to north-east, the Sierra Nevada ridgeline is only 50 km across, yet can easily give five or six days of fantastic walking, rarely dropping below the magic 3,000 m mark.
Like many of the best routes, such as Wainwright's "A coast to coast" in the UK, Los Tres Miles has no single fixed route, but is taken to mean any multi-day crossing of the main ridge of the Spanish Sierra Nevada range.
It is normal to start in Lanjaron and traverse El Caballo, Veleta, Mulhacen and Alcazabar before dropping to Trevelez on a typical short route. Far more interesting (and more complete!) however, is to continue on from Alcazabar to Jerez de Marquesado. A moderately fit walker (and competent scrambler) can complete this in five long days without undue haste.
Day One – Lanjaron to El Caballo
This stage is the only one which is mostly uphill, and can be very hard work if walked all the way. A better option is to arrange private transport to the trail-head at Ventura, and commence the walk from there. The El Caballo hut is a very basic bivouac hut, but can be overpopulated at times – especially Saturday nights in summer, so walkers should take camping gear. Water is in short supply on this section of the route – boiling water from the lake near the hut may be the only option for drinking and cooking water – walkers should take plenty with them (two to three litres minimum per person) at the start of the trek.
Day Two – El Caballo to the Elorietta Hut
This stage makes a welcome change from the almost constant uphill of the previous day. It starts as it means to go on – visiting the El Caballo summit, and then staying close to the magic 3,000 m mark for the rest of the day. Again free-flowing water is non-existent on this section – walkers should ensure they have enough cooking fuel for snow-melting.
Day Three – Elorietta Hut to Siete Lagunas
This stage dips down below the Tajos de la Virgen, before rising to reach the summit of Veleta. From here walkers should descend to the Cariguela hut (the north face of Veleta is not for walkers, but for experienced climbers only), following the old track to the Caldera hut. (Both huts are in good state of repair). From the Caldera hut, the route continues over Mulhacen, and down to Siete Lagunas. This can be a long day – slower walkers may wish to break the stage at one or other of the huts, but water is usually plentiful.
Day Four – Siete Lagunas to Bocadillo de Buitreras
This stage is probably the longest (if transport options to/from the road-heads are taken at each end), but arguably the most enjoyable. Ascending Alcazabar from Siete Lagunas, the route then descends via the Loma de Alcazabar before reascending near the Bocadillo de Goteron to the ridge just east of Puntal de El Goteron.
(NB Despite the presence of a marked path on the Penbetica map, walkers should not attempt to descend the north-east ridge of Alcazabar - this is not a path in reality!)
A delightful and sustained scramble then follows towards the Laguna de Vacares. Slower walkers may wish to camp overnight, but pushing on to a sloping grassy area at Bocadillo de Buitreras reduces the distance of the following day. Water is available in a few places.
Day Five – Bocadillo de Buitreras to Jerez de Marquesado
A gentle walk along the remaining summits then leads to a very long but pleasant 1,200 m of descent to the trail-head at the Postero Alto hut. It is a long and very hot way to walk beyond this to Jerez itself!
Other articles by the same author on walking in the Spanish Sierra Nevada include walking around Trevelez, walking around the Poqueira Hut and walking around Veleta.
Chiz Dakin - A keen mountain walker, scrambler, cyclist and occasional climber and sea kayaker for several years, Chiz Dakin has carried a camera with ...
