Climbing the Moncayo from the sanctuary

The Moncayo, at 2,314 m on the San Miguel peak, is the roof of the Iberian System. The standard climb starts from the last public car park before the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Moncayo, at about 1,570 m, and rises through pines and beech trees, alongside the glacial cirques of San Miguel and Gaudioso, up to the ridge.

The route

From the car park it is a quarter of an hour to the sanctuary, at 1,620 m. You pass the building and the path enters the forest, zigzagging between beeches and pines. Where the trees end, the San Miguel cirque begins, and with it the real climb: a stone path that crosses a scree slope and gains the spur between the San Miguel and Gaudioso cirques in long switchbacks, with views of both.

Higher up, the waymarks lead along the ridge. Some wooden posts mark a false summit and you pass the Cerro de San Juan before the last steep push to San Miguel. From the top you look over the Ebro valley and can see the contrast between the cool, damp north face and the drier south one. You come down by retracing your steps to the cirque and the forest.

Route details

9.6 km round trip, about 793 m of ascent and close to 3 h 50 without stops: 2 h 30 to climb to the summit, according to Senditur. It is waymarked with white and yellow marks, and stone walls close off the wrong shortcuts. The hardest stretch is the zigzag scree from the cirque to the ridge: do not take shortcuts, as they loosen stones onto anyone climbing below. If you start from a lower car park, allow up to 5 h 30.

Bring hiking boots, a windproof and warm clothing, sunglasses, sun cream and, if you know how to use them, a map, compass or a GPS with the track. If you take a dog, bear in mind that the stones are hard on its paw pads.

Getting there

From Tarazona, take the SO-382 towards Santa Cruz de Moncayo as far as the turning to the Agramonte interpretation centre; from there, a paved and then dirt track leads to the car parks. Park only in the marked spaces: the one at the sanctuary is private. The same track leads to the Peña Roya beech forest, a much gentler route, and at Agramonte you will find the Restaurante Agramonte.