Hiking in Alicante Province: El Picatxo of San Cayetano
In yet another edition of BEYOND THE BEACH, we would like to discover outdoor and hiking opportunities in and around Alicante. Several non-profit groups are dedicated to organizing and executing hiking excursions in the area on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, including Fartets Senderismo Montaña (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000862676792&sk=info). The regional government of the Comunitat Valenciana and local tourist authorities have even launched another website dedicated to the increasingly popular hiking acivitiy in the Levante region with more information available on www.senderosdealicante.com. Within barely 30 minutes inland from the coast, plentiful hiking routes become available to visitors, many of which yet undiscovered or barely frequented by area locals. It almost seems like leaving the overdeveloped coastal areas around Santa Pola or Benidorm is the safest and most scenic way to avoid mass tourism, seek solitude and soak up the local culture and scenic charm of Alicante Province.
Among the most accessible and beautiful of local hiking areas ranks the mountain range of San Quetano (San Cayetano) within 20 minutes by car from central Alicante and just outside the UNESCO world-heritage city of Elche. Near the industrial suburb of Crevillente, where ample parking space is available just outside factories empty over the weekend, we gather with other hiking enthusiasts to consolidate cars, since parking further up in the mountain may pose to be challenging. We then proceed from Crevillente along small highways and well-maintained dirt roads to the mountain area of San Quaetano about 5-10 miles Northwest of Crevillente near the villages of San Pascual and Serralba. At the top of the mountain road just before ELS ANOUERS, as far as regular cars are allowed to drive to, we find limited parking space and a picnic area with tables, running water and bathroom facilities (Sant Gaita). From here numerous trails branch off in all directions, among the most popular the 3-4 hour roundtrip hiking trail through the SERRA MITJANA to the peak of EL PICATXO at about 850m above sea level.
Hiking trails in Central Spain are easy to follow as their trayectory is usually marked clearly with yellow and white bars at strategic points along the way including tree stumps, forks in the road or larger rocks. The trail to EL PICATXO initially is well paved and supported occasionally by hand rails and wooden steps but then increasingly becomes narrower and continues as a rather slippery gravel trail, which may pose a falling hazard particularly during the descent back to the parking area. Increasingly, views open up towards Elche, Crevillente and local villages such as EL BAJÓN and HONDÓN DE LOS FRAILES. We also repeatedly see the water reservoir of EMBALSE DE DON FRANCISCO MIRA CANOVAS immediately to the North.
The most scenic and rewarding route to EL PICATXO is circular, best approached through and from the SERRA MITJANA and offers gradual ascents and descents, except for a short stretch towards the very peak at 850m, where only one trail leads to in either direction and hikers may congregate in larger numbers to rest, repose or unite for the last leg of the ascent to the top. Here, at a promontary jutting out at 850m, we may enjoy sweeping views of the SIERRA DE CREVILLENTE and the entire Southern Half of Alicante Province, on the very border to Murcia including coastal areas such as Santa Pola, and the UNESCO world-heritage palmgroves of ELCHE and sometimes as far away as the castillo de Santa Barbara in Alicante. The return to the parking and picnic area Sant Gaita is needless to say much faster than the ascent and may take anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes depending on the exact routing and hiking speed. Particular caution may be advised, however, on the gravel trails in the mid-section of La Mitjana in the San Quaetano mountains, as they tend to be slippery irrespective of the quality of hiking boots used.
For planning and executing a hiking adventure in the area, numerous tools are available to visitors, including the website www.senderosdealicante.com mentioned above, but also www.wikiloc.com dedicated to uploading and offering a comprehensive map database in gpx form submitted by members. To this end, modern smartphones offer additional applications to help facilitate, execute and document hiking routes, including ORUXMAPS available for both Apple and Android phones. Recorded routes in GPX format may then be displayed inside ORUXMAPS´' own program or can be exported to MY TRACKS, which works in unison with Google Maps. A gpx route display of above hiking route to EL PICATXO in the SIERRA DE CREVILLENTE may be found at http://en.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=631609.
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