# Sunday in the Sierra de Cazorla: the Cerrada del Utrero and the source of the Guadalquivir

The Guadalquivir gorge in the morning, its source among pines, game in Cazorla and the river that runs beneath the square. An hour and a half from Jaén.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-cazorla/itineraries/cerrada-del-utrero-and-the-source · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 08:30 · Salida: 1 h 30 by car (from Jaén via Úbeda, Peal de Becerro and Cazorla, 1 h 30 to the Empalme del Valle)
- 10:15 · Cerrada del Utrero and the Linarejos Waterfall (1.7 km circular walk · 45 min · car park of about ten spaces)
  - 30 min by car, 14,3 km
- 11:30 · Source of the Guadalquivir at the Cañada de las Fuentes (By the Puente de las Herrerías and forest track · 1 h) · TurisNat, From €39 per person
  - 1 h by car, 36,2 km
- 14:15 · Mesón Leandro (Game meat grilled and on the stone · open on Sundays · booking) · Mesón Leandro, €€€
  - 1 min on foot
- 16:30 · Santa María Ruins and the Cerezuelo River Vault (16:30 or 17:00 sitting · requested at the tourist office) · TurisNat, From €20 per person
- 17:45 · Vuelta (In Jaén around 19:15)

A Sunday to see the Guadalquivir before it is a river: first hemmed into the limestone gorge of the Cerrada del Utrero, then newborn in a pine clearing, at 1,360 metres. You go down to Cazorla for lunch of game and end up inside the tunnel through which the Cerezuelo river passes beneath Plaza de Santa María. From Jaén it is an hour and a half; from Granada, about two hours.

## The day, hour by hour

8:30 · Set off. From Jaén, take the A-316 to Úbeda, Torreperogil and Peal de Becerro, and the A-319 to Cazorla. Go through the village and continue along the A-319 towards El Tranco: about 17 km of bends over the Puerto de las Palomas to the Empalme del Valle junction. There, the JF-7091 towards Vadillo-Castril.

10:15 · Cerrada del Utrero. About 3.5 km from the junction, at the turning towards the Vadillo hamlet, the trail starts, with a car park of about ten spaces: if you arrive after eleven, you may not find room. It is a 1.7 km circuit that the Junta reckons at 45 minutes: you go down some stairs beside the dam, see the Linarejos waterfall on the other side and go round the Lanchón rock on a path with carved steps. Look up: the vultures nest in the walls.

11:30 · Source of the Guadalquivir. Continue to the 15th-century Puente de las Herrerías, and from there the forest track to the Cañada de las Fuentes. The water emerges among stones in a pine clearing with a picnic area. It is more symbol than spectacle; the lovely part is the road. Go slowly: the track is dirt.

14:15 · Lunch at the Mesón Leandro. Return to Cazorla and park in the centre: calle Hoz, next to the ruins of Santa María, is narrow. The Mesón Leandro opens every day from 13:30 to 16:00. Order the meat cooked on a stone for two or the grilled venison sirloin; if you do not want meat, mountain trout. Book: on Sundays the walkers come down to eat.

16:30 · Santa María and the vault of the Cerezuelo river. The ruins are a short step away. The church, attributed to Vandelvira, lost its roof after the flood of 1694, and below it the river runs in a 16th-century vault that is visited in sessions: according to the council notice, at 16:30, 17:00 and 18:15. The tourist office is in the ruins themselves.

17:45 · Head home. In Jaén around a quarter past seven; in Granada, around eight.

## With children

It works from age five or six, if they walk on their own: the gorge is short and has a waterfall, and at the source there are tables. It is not for pushchairs. With small children, swap the afternoon walk for the tourist train, which goes up to the viewpoints in an hour.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
From Jaén, an hour and a half on the A-316, the A-315 and the A-319. From Granada, about two hours on the A-44 and the A-401 via Jódar towards Úbeda. From Córdoba, a little over two hours on the A-4 and the N-322. The last kilometres are mountain road.

## Consejos

### Arrive early at the gorge
The car park has about ten spaces.

### Bring water and something to eat
There are no bars at the gorge or the source.

### If there is time to spare, the castle
La Yedra castle opens on Sundays from 10:00 to 17:00. If you come down to Cazorla earlier, climb it before lunch.

## Cuándo no ir

On snow days in the sierra, the track to the source. Do only the gorge and stretch the afternoon out in the village.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Jaén to the Cerrada del Utrero?
About two hours: an hour and a half to Cazorla and half an hour more on the A-319 and the Vadillo-Castril road.

### Can you drive to the source?
Yes, on a dirt forest track from the Puente de las Herrerías.

### Do I need to book for lunch?
It is advisable, especially in spring and autumn.

### Can you enter the vault of the Cerezuelo river on Sundays?
Yes, the visit is in sessions every day; ask for yours at the tourist office in the ruins of Santa María.