The Sierra Nevada is the highest mountain range in Spain outside the Pyrenees, and the Mulhacén (3,479 metres, the highest peak in the Iberian Peninsula) is the only mountain in Europe over 3,000 metres that can be climbed in a day from a campsite. The campsites of the Sierra Nevada, the Camping Las Lomas in Güéjar Sierra (the view of the Veleta, the second-highest peak, and the best camping in the range), the Área Recreativa de la Hoya de la Mora (the high-altitude camping at 2,500 metres, the stars, the silence, and the best wild-camping experience in Spain), and the Camping Trevélez (the highest village in Spain, 1,476 metres, the jamón serrano, and the best food of any campsite in the range), are the base camps for the hiking, the climbing, and the skiing of the Sierra Nevada. The range is a miniature Alps, compressed into a 90 km by 40 km area: the Mediterranean at the foot of the mountains (Granada, 45 minutes, and the beach of the Costa Tropical, the warmest sea in Europe, 30 minutes), the snow on the peaks from November to May (the Sierra Nevada is the southernmost ski resort in Europe, and the combination, the skiing in the morning, the beach in the afternoon, is the most surreal winter experience in Spain), and the hiking trails that climb from the olive groves to the snow line in a single day. Here is your guide to camping and hiking the Sierra Nevada.

Camping & Hiking the Sierra Nevada

• The Mulhacén, the highest peak on the Iberian Peninsula: The Mulhacén is named after Muley Hacén, the penultimate Nasrid king of Granada (the father of Boabdil, the last king, who surrendered the city to Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492, the legend says that Muley Hacén is buried on the summit, the mountain and the kingdom united in death), and the climb, the 2,500 metres of ascent, the 8–10 hours, and the sense of standing on the highest point of the Iberian Peninsula, is the essential Spanish mountain experience. The route (the southern approach, from the Hoya del Portillo): the bus from Capileira (the village in the Alpujarras, the Poqueira Gorge, and the most beautiful approach in the range) to the Mirador de Trevélez at 2,700 metres. The walk from the mirador to the summit, 4 km, 2–3 hours, the gradient is gentle, and the view of the Mediterranean, the Rif Mountains of Morocco, and the Atlas on a clear day (the visibility is best in the winter and the early spring, the summer heat and the haze obscure the distant views). The summit is a ridge, the most beautiful summit in Spain, the view of the north face, the Corral del Veleta, and the Alpujarras. The climb is non-technical (the path is well-defined, the gradient is manageable, and the walk is suitable for a fit hiker), and the essential gear: the water (3 litres, there is no water on the mountain), the sunscreen (the UV at 3,500 metres is ferocious, the SPF 50, the hat, and the sunglasses), and the layers (the temperature at the summit can be 0°C even in August, the wind, the altitude, and the fleece are essential). More Spain →
• The Alpujarras, the villages of the southern slope: The Alpujarras, the villages of the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, the white houses, the flat roofs, the chimneys, and the Berber architecture of the Moors who settled here in the 8th century, are the most beautiful mountain villages in Spain. The essential villages: Capileira (the highest and the most beautiful of the Poqueira Gorge villages, the view of the Mulhacén and the Veleta, the best base for the hiking, and the essential lunch, the jamón serrano, the olives, and the local wine. ~€12), Bubión (the middle village, the quieter and the more authentic, the Moors’ irrigation channels, the acequias, still carrying the water from the mountains, and the best walking in the Alpujarras), and Pampaneira (the lowest and the most touristy of the three, the shops, the rugs, and the best shopping in the Alpujarras, the blankets, the pottery, and the local produce). The essential walk: the Poqueira Gorge trail, the 7 km from Capileira to Pampaneira, the acequias, the villages, and the most beautiful day walk in the Sierra Nevada
• The skiing and the beach, the Sierra Nevada paradox: The Sierra Nevada ski resort (the Pradollano, the 2,100-metre base, the 110 km of pistes, and the season that runs from late November to early May, the longest ski season in Spain) is the southernmost ski resort in Europe, and the combination, the skiing in the morning, the beach of the Costa Tropical in the afternoon (the Motril, the Salobreña, the Almuñécar, the 45-minute drive from the ski resort to the beach, the sea, the sun, and the most surreal day in Spain), is the essential Sierra Nevada winter experience. The ski pass: ~€50/day in the high season. The essential tip: the snow is best in the morning (the southern exposure, the sun, and the slush by the afternoon, the ski day begins at 8.30am and ends at 1pm, and the afternoon is for the beach)