The best hiking routes in ZEPA Monte El Valle y Sierras de Altaona y Escalona

ZEPA Monte El Valle y Sierras de Altaona y Escalona offers a stark, semi-arid Mediterranean landscape of limestone ridges, badlands, and pine forests just south of Murcia. This is not a lush green mountain range; instead, you will walk through dry, eroded ravines and over stony, sun-baked hillsides. The terrain is dominated by Aleppo pine woods on the northern slopes of El Valle, which transition into sparse, scrubby garrigue and bare marl formations as you move south toward the Altaona hills.

Underfoot, the paths vary from wide, hard-packed dirt forest tracks to narrow, stony trails littered with loose gravel and limestone fragments. The erosion is highly visible along the paths, where deep gullies and barrancos cut through the pale clay soils. You will notice how the vegetation adapts to the dry conditions, with rosemary, thyme, and esparto grass anchoring the loose earth along the trail edges.

The area is well-known locally, meaning the northern trailheads near the El Valle visitor centre can be busy with walkers and mountain bikers, while the southern ridges of Altaona remain much quieter. If you prefer shaded forest walks, stick to the northern slopes; if you want to see dramatic, desert-like badlands and open scrub, head deeper into the southern sections of the protected area.