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.
| Title | Sendero del Pedro López |
| Place | Cerro de Pedro López. Cumbres de Espuña. |
| Municipality | Totana. |
| Start | Aparcamiento del collado Mangueta. Pozos de la Nieve. |
| End | Aparcamiento del collado Mangueta. Pozos de la Nieve. |
| Outstanding points | Regional Park of Sierra Espuña, zone LIC and ZEPA, set of Wells of the Snow of half-full of century XVI, panoramic viewpoints, sighting of forest fauna, Mediterranean forest, history of the hydrological forest restoration of end of geologic history of the 19th century. |
| Itinerary Information | Water point in the spring of La Carrasca. Peaks area, caution in winter due to cold and windy conditions. Be aware of isolated, large expanses of open areas – without forest during summer months. Access to the Geodesic Vertex may be a restricted area between January and July due to wildlife conservation. |
| Guide Services | ECOESPUÑA-LA HOJARASCA, S.L. Ecoturismo. Tel: 968 636 205, 608 301 115, 639 350 181 Email: info@sierraespuna.com |
| Type of features | Description |
| Historical | Historic Set of Snow Wells. Water pipes to the old anti-tuberculosis sanatorium. Caves of La Plata. |
| Cultural/Ethnographic | Traditional activity in the Wells of the Snow. Great snowfall of 1806 in La Carrasca. Old orchards of El Pinillo and La Carrasca. |
| Environmental | High mountain vegetation. Rocky and high mountain fauna. Excellent landscapes from a large part of the route, especially from the top of Pedro Lopez Jurassic geological outcrops and karst type erosion Methods |
| Hostelry/Refreshments | Bar Fuente del Hilo. Bar restaurant La Perdiz The same as for the paths of the Lentiscos, Ballesteros and El Berro due to their relative proximity |
| Accommodation | Hostel Classroom of Nature of the Alquerías. Hotel La Santa. Los Faroles rural house. The rural pine house. Rural Aledo. Hospedería Bajo el Cejo. Camping Sierra Espuña. |
| Other Activities | Guide activities (BTT & Trekking). Ecoespuña-La Hojarasca SL. Ethnographic activities. Ecoespuña 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.
Asociación de empresarios turísticos de Sierra Espuña. Objetivos:
