Puerto de Pontones (Hornos)

Start Town	Altitude	Elevation Gain	Length	Gradient	Difficulty	Rating
Hornos	1,605m	876m	24.7 km	3.6%	710	****

Climb Description

Puerto de Pontones (not to be confused with this similarly named climb in Asturias) is ascenic climb in the Sierra de Cazorla mountains, situated in the north of the Andalucia region.

This is by far the more challenging side of the climb, both in terms of length and steepness. The main difficulty comes in the first 10km, where the gradient regularly pitches into double figures. The second half of the climb, after the tiny village of La Parilla, is much more gentle and easy to ride.

The Sierra de Cazorla mountains are home to picturesque mountain scenery, as well as a wide range of animal species, including wolves, which were re-introduced recently to Andalucia. Puerto de Pontones does get snow in the winter which causes sporadic closures, but not usually for long periods of time. Apart from these, the climb is open throughout the year.

Roads & Traffic

The road is in very good condition throughout and there is little traffic on the climb.

Alternative Routes

Puerto de Pontones can also be climbed from the Zumeta River in the east.

Nearby Climbs

Agua de los Perros

El Yelmo

Collado de la Traviesa

Cycling Holidays

We can arrange customized cycling holidays to the Sierra de Cazorla mountains and other parts of Andalucia, including the climb to Puerto de Pontones. If you would be interested in this, please contact us to discuss the options and to put together an itinerary.

You may also be interested in the links below to some of the other tours that we currently run in Spain.