Walking and Trekking in the Sierra Nevada. Richard Hartley

ROUTE 1

      Ascent of Alcazaba via Cañada de Siete Lagunas

Start/Finish	Car park at Barrio Medio, Trevélez (1540m)
Distance	22km
Total ascent	1770m
Grade	Tough
Time	11hr/2 days
Summits	Alcazaba
Water sources	Usually plentiful at Siete Lagunas and above, although a filter is advisable in high summer. Below Siete Lagunas there are many cattle herds, so it’s better to carry more water rather than risk taking from lower sources.
Seasonal notes	In winter the caves at Siete Lagunas may well be filled with snow, requiring excavation. The waterfall at Chorreras Negras can be sheet ice in midwinter; in these conditions great care should be taken when ascending the flanking path. In July and August an early start is recommended from Trevélez to avoid the heat at lower altitudes.

      Many visitors each year make the trip from one of the highest villages in Spain to the beautiful valley and lakes at Cañada de Siete Lagunas. Surrounded by the crags and cliffs of Mulhacén and Alcazaba, it is a spectacular place and in itself one of the classic walks of the Sierra Nevada. Many people camp here and then either return via the same route or continue to ascend Mulhacén or Alcazaba. As such this walk can either be done in one very long day or split into two shorter ones.

      Alcazaba (3371m) is one of the finest mountains in the national park. Its very name, which translates as ‘the fortress’, invokes a sense of invincibility and impregnability. It is surrounded by cliffs, and yet to the south and east there are chinks in its armor that give pleasant ways to its lofty summit. There are three walking routes to the summit from Siete Lagunas, all of roughly the same length and time. The route via El Colaero is the most spectacular and is described here as the ‘main’ option; the other two alternatives are also given.

      

      From the car park take the tarmac road 100m east to a market square, from where the route to the start of the track leaving town is well signposted. Walk up the street east past the Coviran store, turn left up the hill just before Hotel La Fragua, and then dogleg right. A large sign on the left indicates the start of the route as you leave the village.

      After leaving the town proper the track rises slowly, passing through agricultural land before turning left up steepening slopes to join an irrigation channel (acequia) – the Acequia Gorda. Shortly after crossing the acequia, the path traverses up and across more open slopes towards the prow of Prado Largo.

      After emerging from a young pine forest and crossing the Acequia del Mingo, the recently restored building at La Campiñuela (2410m) is reached (2hr, 5km). This is a useful landmark: make a mental note of the return path into the pine forest. (In descent it’s easy to wander off on the wrong path, especially in mist.) In blizzards or bad weather the refuge makes a suitable emergency shelter.

      The well-marked path continues into the valley of the curiously named Río Culo de Perro and crosses the river before ascending to the foot of the waterfall coming from the lip of Siete Lagunas, the Chorreras Negras. The path then zig-zags its way up the steep northern side of the Chorreras, often muddy at the very top, before emerging over the lip and into the valley of Siete Lagunas (4hr 15min, 7.5km)

      SIETE LAGUNAS