Climb Veleta and Mulhacén in summer: routes, shuttles and preparation

To climb Veleta or Mulhacén in summer, first choose the starting point and the complete return route. The park shuttle reduces the approach, but the climb to the summit is still a high mountain activity. Walking above 3,000 meters requires preparation, orientation and favorable conditions.

Veleta is around 3,400 meters; Mulhacén reaches 3,479 meters according to information from MITECO and is the highest peak on the Iberian Peninsula. Here you will find options from Hoya de la Mora and Capileira, distance references and what to check before deciding.

Veleta or Mulhacén: which option suits you

• Veleta from Hoya de la Mora: allows you to organize the climb from the north slope. You can explore the approach on foot or consult the SIAC North during its operating season.
• Mulhacén from the Alpujarra: Capileira is a base for the SIAC Sur and access to Hoya del Portillo. The routes that pass through Poqueira and those that leave from Alto del Chorrillo have different beginnings and distances.
• A visit to the high peaks: the interpretive tour of the minibus could be your goal. Reaching your final stop does not require you to attempt a summit.
• First experience in high mountains: consult a guide and adjust the route to the group as a whole. The age of the children, the pace of the slower person, and experience matter more than the “easy” label on a tile.

Do not automatically combine Veleta and Mulhacén in the same day. Being close on the map does not resolve the intermediate slopes, steps, orientation, meteorology and return to the starting point.

Climb Veleta from Hoya de la Mora

Access to the beginning of the route

Hoya de la Mora, in the hostel area, and Pradollano are different places. Prepare the transfer to the start that you will actually use. The access guide to Sierra Nevada via the A-395 and by bus explains the difference between intercity transport and trips within the station.

If you arrive by bus, check where the service ends on your date and how you will reach Hoya de la Mora. Add that commute and connection back to the day. For the car, check the road, restrictions and parking before leaving; The existence of an old road to Veleta does not allow free access by private vehicle.

Option 1: SIAC North to Veleta Positions

MITECO describes the SIAC Norte as a minibus tour with an interpreter guide from Hoya de la Mora to Posiciones del Veleta. It works in the summer season. That guide explains the surroundings during the service; Check separately if you hire accompaniment for the ascent on foot.

The plan of the Junta de Andalucía places Positions at around 3,100 meters and represents the access to Veleta via the old track, with about three kilometers of ascent. Includes references of 3.1 and 3.3 kilometers for that section: estimate approximately six kilometers round trip if you return the same way, in addition to waiting for the minibus.

1. Confirm the departure from Hoya de la Mora and the specific arrival stop.
2. In Positions, identify on the map the route along the track to the summit. Do not confuse this itinerary with the detours to Carihuela, other lagoons or the crossing to Mulhacén.
3. Decide on a return time that leaves room to descend to the pickup point.
4. Return along the planned route. If conditions worsen, turn around before you exhaust that margin.

The approximately three hundred meters that separate the Positions elevation from the summit are not a difficulty classification or a guaranteed time. Assess terrain, wind, ice, visibility and group effort.

Option 2: entire approach on foot

For a defined option, the same plane represents Hoya de la Mora–Borreguiles crossing–Posiciones del Veleta, with 5.7 kilometers. Continuing along the track to the summit, the sum is around nine kilometers one way; Returning along that route is approximately eighteen kilometers in total.

These figures correspond to the combination of the sections of the plane, not to any path that shortens the curves. The route begins around 2,500 meters and requires gaining nearly nine hundred meters of altitude to Veleta. The accumulated gradient of the specific route may differ from that difference between elevations.

Prepare the complete layout on a map that you can consult without coverage. Follow the established paths and tracks and check the crossings towards Positions. If you choose another variant, recalculate its distance, gradient and return; Do not apply the data from this runway approach to a shorter route.

Reserve a day with enough margin for your pace, stops and return. A time observed by someone else does not guarantee that you will make it to the last bus. The park visitor guide recommends counting on the way back and using a guide when you lack experience in high mountains.

Climb Mulhacén from Capileira

SIAC South to Alto del Chorrillo

The Junta de Andalucía describes the SIAC Sur from Capileira, next to the park information point, to Alto del Chorrillo, with an intermediate stop in Puerto Molina. Its season is summer-autumn and the tour may change or be suspended due to weather or safety.

From the arrival point there is an ascent on foot. Confirm exactly where you will be dropped off, the itinerary you will follow to the Mulhacén hill and the return pick-up. The sheet that starts at the Poqueira Shelter does not give the total distance from the shuttle stop.

Prepare an alternative if you give up the summit and clarify with the service what happens in the event of a cancellation or schedule change. Don’t count on an extra trip to resolve a delay.

Hoya del Portillo–Refugio Poqueira: first section

The description of the refuge places Hoya del Portillo at about 2,150 meters, above Capileira. Its file publishes 7.7 kilometers, 526 meters of positive slope and two to three hours only to Poqueira.

The route starts next to the guard house, crosses the pine forest and a firebreak and continues along a track and path until it reaches the access to the refuge. Consult the complete description and its layout. Even if you see the building below, avoid improvising a descent through the ravines to shorten it.

The sheet warns of possible errors in the track. Also check the road access to Hoya del Portillo; Snow may prevent you from reaching the start. This first section does not include the ascent to Mulhacén or the return to the vehicle.

From Poqueira: Mulhacén hill or Mulhacén river

The shelter publishes two different tours. Along the hill, the reference is 7.1 kilometers, 1,100 meters of positive elevation gain and three and a half to four hours of climbing. It describes the approach towards Chorrillo and the Mulhacén hill, passing through Mulhacén Chico before the main summit.

By the Mulhacén River, it covers 4.2 kilometers, 958 meters of positive slope and three to three and a half hours of climbing. The route goes up the valley towards the Majano and the Caldera and then faces the slope of the west face. The description itself warns of the danger that that shovel with ice can present.

They are references from Poqueira to the summit, without the descent or the previous approach. Choosing the shortest distance section does not eliminate the slope, the ice, or the need for orientation. Consult the complete sheet of the chosen variant and prepare your return.

Poqueira: Check which part is open before planning a night out

The park file dated October 1, 2026 indicates an open bivouac area and a guarded area pending opening soon. The Board notice dated March 27 continues to describe closure for renovations.

Before basing the tour on an overnight stay, confirm the opening and reservation with Poqueira, at 958 343 349. A bivouac area is not equivalent to bed, food or services of a guarded shelter. To divide the activity into two days, you need to decide on the accommodation actually available, the overnight regulations and the material you will bring.

The Poqueira website, consulted on October 7, 2026, maintains a closure notice for works. Confirm with the shelter what spaces and services you can use before having a night, meal or assistance saved.

Distances and times: compare equivalent sections

The times on the refuge sheets are indicative for your routes. Calculate the complete day with the chosen route, stops and group pace. An exit and a descent using different variants require their own form; Avoid adding data from routes that you are not going to travel.

Book the shuttle: contacts and return

The Board publishes 671 564 407 for SIAC Norte and 671 564 406 for SIAC Sur, with the emails siacnorte.amaya@juntadeandalucia.es and siacsur.amaya@juntadeandalucia.es. Also link Andalusian Ecotourism for reservations.

Check operating date, places, final fare, departure location, top stop and return. If the group has specific needs, please ask when booking. Confirm the cancellation conditions and the actual walking margin. The seasons described by the park do not prove that there is service on a specific day.

Equipment, time and reasons to turn around

Check the AEMET mountain forecast for Sierra Nevada and park notices before leaving. Check rain, storms, visibility, wind at altitude and thermal sensation. The temperature of Granada capital is not useful for deciding summit clothing.

• Clothes and footwear: mountain equipment appropriate to the terrain, shelter and protection against wind or rain according to the forecast.
• Sun, water and food: glasses, sun protection, hat and enough provisions for the entire route and its margins. Do not base your exit on finding drinking water in lagoons or streams.
• Orientation and communication: map available offline, charged phone and a person who knows your route and expected return. Prepare lighting for a delay, without using it as a reason to lengthen an unknown route.
• Snow or ice: requires evaluating specific technique and material. Buying crampons or ice axes is not a substitute for knowing how to use them; Consult a professional if you lack experience or knowledge.

If a storm approaches, the wind increases, visibility is lost, terrain appears that exceeds your capacity, or the return window runs out, give up continuing. The park safety campaign recommends adapting the activity to the weather and not starting it without adequate knowledge and material. In an emergency, call 112 and indicate location, affected people and situation.

Walk and spend the night inside the park

Respect the paths and avoid stepping on the sheepsheads, wet grasslands of the especially sensitive lagoons. Take away the waste and do not feed the animals. The MITECO information prohibits, among other uses, lighting fires, leaving garbage and keeping dogs loose.

To sleep in the mountains, check with the park for the conditions and procedures applicable to the chosen place. Wild camping, bivouac and a refuge reservation have different requirements. The existence of a building or flat land does not grant authorization to set up a store.

Public use inquiries to the park

To clarify access, routes or the overnight conditions of the chosen place, the Board publishes the 958 980 246 of Public Use of the Sierra Nevada Natural Space. The park’s security sheet also provides pnsierranevada.usopublico.csma@juntadeandalucia.es and the telephone number of the administrative center, 958 980 238. The SIAC and Poqueira reserves are consulted in their own contacts; In the event of an accident or emergency, use 112.

Related guides to prepare for departure

• How to get to Sierra Nevada by road and bus: access, snow and connections.
• Sierra Nevada on a day without skiing: options if your objective is to visit the resort and organize activities according to the season.
• What towns to see in the Alpujarra: prepare your stay on the southern slope.
• Los Cahorros de Monachil: a different route, with its own conditions and preparation.