PEDRO LÓPEZ BOASTS AN ALTITUDE OF 1,568m, THE SECOND HIGHEST SUMMIT OF SIERRA ESPUÑA. THE POSITION OF THIS ROUTE ENABLES WALKERS TO ENJOY BEAUTIFUL VIEWS OF THE VALLEY. THE MAGNIFICENT 360º PANORAMIC VIEW ENSURES A TREAT OF SPECTACULAR SUNSETS.
The route begins through a grove of rowan pine trees and through the historic area of Los Pozos de Cartagena, Orihuela and the Villa, until arriving at the Collado de los Pozos de Don Eleuterio. Positioned in dense forest, we soon will see a path to the left by which the ascent is made in the last section of the route. At the moment we will continue straight ahead, with a gentle slope, to cross the elongated plateau to reach the summit of Pedro López.
From the summit descend to the Humero pass, a place where the access to the mythical valley of Malvariche (on the right, but not taken) or to El Pinillo and the caves of La Plata (to the left, which is followed) are distributed. Both at the top of Pedro López and in these areas it is common to find arruí or mouflon, wild sheep of the Atlas. Catch sight of the flight of some great and majestic birds of prey like the golden eagle or griffon vulture.
After descending through the El Pinillo forest track, which covers a large area, turn right onto a path that passes through the ruins of the houses of Don Blas and La Carrasca. This will be a good place to take a break and walk the ascent to the pass of the Pozos de Don Eleuterio by the link PR-MU 63.1 or Prado Negro path. Once on the Eleuterio pass, follow the path on the right (previously used in the first part of the route) to return to our starting point, the Mangueta pass.
The altitudes above 1,300m and the abundant shadows of the first part of the route made it possible that between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries nothing less than 26 Pozos de la Nieve were built. They were used during the winter to enclose snow, after it was crushed and turned into ice and cut into blocks. They were transported down into the valley on beasts and sold in the cities of Murcia, Cartagena, Lorca and Orihuela for health purposes or domestic consumption among wealthy families. They are of unique historical-environmental heritage, as there is no other Mediterranean mountain known to have such a high concentration of buildings devoted to the production of ice.
| Type of features | Description |
| Historical | Forest House – Las Alquerías. Old forest nursery. Excellent nearby repopulation trails of the late nineteenth century: Villa medieval de Aledo (Torre del Homenaje s. XII. Picota s. XVI. Iglesia Santa María La Real. Obras de Salzillo). Santa Leocadia. |
| Cultural/ethnographic | Old, traditional gardens/orchards. Balsa Chica. Camping area. Nearby: Aledo (Patron festivities in honour of Santa María La. Real – 2nd half of August. Fiesta del Carro. Auto de los Reyes Magos, a festival of regional tourist interest. La agonía de Viernes Santo. The Puja dance. The jirillos. La Noche en Vela. Festival of gangs. Traditional music. Crafts: ceramics |
| Environmental | The entire route runs through a protected natural area Dense pine forest with numerous species of Mediterranean middle mountain scrub. Monumental trees. Wildlife sighting. Obvious traces of the reforestation of the late nineteenth century. Wide landscapes of the Espuña central mass of rock and areas outside the park. Interesting geological outcrops. Heights in excess of 1,200 m. Links with other approved trails. |
| Socio-economic Resource | Forest area. Environmental education and ecotourism activities. |
| Hostelry/Refreshments | Restaurant – Los Donceles. Restaurant – Mandola. Restaurant – Rincón del Grillo. |
| Accommodation | Albergue Aula de Naturaleza de las Alquerías. Hotel La Santa. Country house – Los Faroles. Country house – El Pino. Aledo Rural. |
| Other establishments | Autoservicio Miguel (self-service supermarket) Panadería la Muralla (bakery) Gasolinera de Aledo (petrol station) |
| Other activities | Nature Hall of Las Alquerías. Ecoespuña-La Hojarasca S.L. |
| Tipo de recurso | Descripción |
| Histórico | Casa forestal Las Alquerías. Antiguo vivero forestal. Excelentes senderos de repoblación de finales del siglo XIX. En las inmediaciones Villa medieval de Aledo (Torre del Homenaje s. XII. Picota s. XVI. Iglesia Santa María La Real. Obras de Salzillo) y Santa Leocadia. |
| Cultural/etnográfico | Antigua huerta tradicional. Balsa Chica. Zona de acampada. En las inmediaciones Aledo: Fiestas patronales en honor a Santa María La Real. 2ª quincena de agosto. Fiesta del Carro. Auto de los Reyes Magos, fiesta de interés turístico regional. La agonía de Viernes Santo. El baile de la Puja. Los jirillos. La Noche en Vela. Festival de cuadrillas. Música tradicional. Artesanía: cerámica. |
| Ambiental | Toda la ruta discurre por un espacio natural protegido. Denso bosque de pinar con numerosas especies de matorral de media montaña mediterránea. Árboles monumentales. Avistamiento de fauna silvestre. Rastros evidentes de las repoblaciones forestales de finales del siglo XIX. Amplios paisajes del macizo central de Espuña y de zonas externas al Parque. Interesantes afloramientos geológicos. Cotas superiores a los 1.200 m de altitud. Enlaces con otros senderos homologados. |
| Recursos socioeconómicos | Zona forestal. Actividades de educación ambiental y ecoturismo. |
| Hostelería | Restaurante Los Donceles. Restaurante Mandola. Restaurante Rincón del Grillo. |
| Alojamientos | Albergue Aula de Naturaleza de las Alquerías. Hotel La Santa. Casa rural Los Faroles. Casa rural El Pino. Aledo Rural. |
| Otros establecimientos | Autoservicio Miguel. Panadería la Muralla. Gasolinera de Aledo. |
| Otras actividades | Aula de Naturaleza de Las Alquerías. Ecoespuña-La Hojarasca S.L. |
El Berro is a serrana village situated to about an altitude of 600m just at the limit between the municipalities of Alhama and Mula. Their origins as a village are related at the end of the 18th century, but the area has archaeological evidence of more than 7,000 years of history.
This route begins in the denso pinar de Las Alquerías, fruit of the forestry hydrological restoration at the end of the xix century directed by the illustrious Ricardo Codorníu from Cartagena and other mountain engineers.
It is one of the most characteristic and surprising trails within protected landscape surrounding the barbecues of Gebas. The hidden wonders of Murcia is close and can be enjoyed by all.
Route PR-MU 78 constitutes one of the most agreeable and attractive visits to the deep pinares of the escarpadas hills of Perona and forest. It gradualy follows the layout of a forest track located in a large part of the route to about an altitude of 700m.
