La Torrecilla
1,919 m
Spain
Also known as TorrecillaAlso known as
Torrecilla
- Elevation
- 1,919 m
- Prominence
- 1,468 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Mar–May
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1The standard ascent on the waymarked SL-A 140: from the Los Quejigales recreation area a steep path climbs through the Spanish fir forest of the Cañada del Cuerno to the Puerto de los Pilones, then rolls across high karst with relict mountain oaks past the Pilar de Tolox spring to a short steep pull to the summit. About 3 hours up.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 7.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +728 m
- −97 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 1,919 m
- Time Up
- 3h 32m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 42m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Área Recreativa Los Quejigales cross the wooden footbridge and enter the Cañada del Cuerno, a ravine of old, twisted Spanish firs (pinsapos). The path climbs steeply from the start and is marked with wooden posts all the way. After a little over an hour and about 3 km you meet the broad forest track near the Puerto de los Pilones (about 1,750 m), with telecommunication masts behind; turn left. The hardest climbing is over. The path now rolls gently across open limestone ground with groves of endangered high-mountain oaks (quejigos), with the Torrecilla on the left and the Cerro de la Alcazaba on the right; the PR-A 351 from the Puerto Saucillo (Yunquera) joins near the restored snow pit (pozo de nieve). Descend slightly to the Pilar de Tolox, a spring among rocks where water is usually available, then climb the last 100 m or so on a steep, winding path up the left side of the summit ridge, about 30 minutes for the final kilometre. Descend the same way (about 2½ hours), or from the snow pit take the quieter Cañada de las Ánimas through another fir forest back to Los Quejigales, adding about 2 km and 30 minutes. In summer the access track is closed to cars, which adds a few kilometres of walking; carry water, as springs are few.
Start
Área Recreativa Los Quejigales1,288 m
- None to Los Quejigales; Ronda (bus and rail) is about 25 km away by road and track; a taxi or car is needed.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Área Recreativa Los Quejigales → Torrecilla | 7.3 | 728 | 97 | 3h 32m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Área Recreativa Los Quejigales1,288 m
End of about 10 km of track from the A-397; closed to cars in the summer fire season
- Col: Puerto de los Pilones1,746 m
- Feature: Pilar de Tolox1,686 m
Spring
- Summit: Torrecilla1,919 m
Key Passages
- Steep climb through the Cañada del Cuerno fir forest
- Puerto de los Pilones
- Final steep path up the summit ridge
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest summit of the Sierra de las Nieves (1,919 m), a limestone dome south-east of Ronda in Spain's southernmost national park. A waymarked half-day walk through relict Spanish fir forest leads to views that on clear days reach from Sierra Nevada to Morocco.
La Torrecilla crowns the Sierra de las Nieves, a karst massif between Ronda and the Costa del Sol that became a national park in 2021. It is often called the highest point of Málaga province, though some sources give that title to La Maroma on the Granada border. On clear days the summit view reaches from Sierra Nevada to Morocco.
The walk is the attraction as much as the summit. The paths climb through pinsapares, forests of the Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo), a Tertiary relic found only in the mountains of Málaga and Cádiz, which reaches its largest extent here, nearly 2,000 ha. Higher up, open limestone with old mountain oaks, sinkholes and restored snow pits from the ice trade (the last snow harvest was in 1931) leads to the rounded summit with a trig point.
The ascent from Los Quejigales is a steady, waymarked mountain walk with no scrambling. The main practical issues are summer heat and fire-season closures of the access tracks, and in winter snow and ice, which can be significant at this height despite the latitude.
Climbing Notes
Any reasonably fit hill walker can do the Quejigales route in 5–6 hours return; the first hour through the Cañada del Cuerno is steep. Carry plenty of water, since there are few springs (the Pilar de Tolox near the top usually runs), and sun protection, as most of the upper route is open.
Check access before you go. During the summer fire-risk season the forest tracks to Los Quejigales and the Yunquera viewpoints (Puerto Saucillo, Caucón) are closed to motor vehicles, so you must walk in from further down; in 2025 the closure was extended to 31 October. Walkers on foot are still allowed. Autumn, winter after the closures end, and spring are the best times. After snowfalls the access track can become icy and blocked by cars, and microspikes are useful on the upper path. Fog is common on the summit plateau, so a map or GPS track is helpful away from the waymarked path.
Season
Best Mar–May- January: Good
- February: Good
- March: Best (best window)
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Good
- July: Possible
- August: Possible
- September: Good
- October: Good
- November: Best
- December: Good
- Jan
- Snow possible on the upper slopes; icy access track after snowfalls
- Feb
- Snow possible; cold winds
- Jun
- Getting hot; summer fire-season closure of the access tracks to cars usually begins
- Jul
- Hot; access tracks closed to cars; start very early
- Aug
- Hot; access tracks closed to cars; start very early
- Sep
- Access tracks still closed to cars
- Oct
- Tracks usually reopen mid-October (extended to 31 October in 2025)
- Dec
- Short days; snow possible
Access & Permits
- Rules
- Sierra de las Nieves National Park: national park rules apply; stay on paths
- Fire season (roughly 1 or 15 June to 15 October, depending on the year and source): the forest tracks to Los Quejigales and to the Puerto Saucillo and Caucón viewpoints near Yunquera are closed to motor vehicles; access on foot is allowed. The closure can be extended in high fire-risk years (in 2025 until 31 October)
- Getting There
Ronda; Yunquera and Tolox on the eastern side
Málaga-Costa del Sol (AGP)
- Car: from Ronda take the A-397 towards San Pedro de Alcántara and turn left at about km 14 (signed Área Recreativa Las Conejeras), then about 10 km of mostly good track to Los Quejigales
- No public transport to the trailhead; Ronda has bus and rail connections
- Puerto Saucillo approach: forest track from Yunquera
Hazards
- Weather