Cruz de Hierro (Santa Colomba)

Start Town	Altitude	Elevation Gain	Length	Gradient	Difficulty	Rating
Santa Colomba	1,510m	511m	13.2 km	3.9%	242	***

Climb Description

Cruz de Hierro (Iron Cross) is best known as being the highest point of the Camino de Santiago - the great pilgrimage route across northern Spain. You can find out more about the history and symbolism in our article about the Cruz de Hierro.

This climb from Santa Colomba follows the traditional Camino route. It is an enjoyable ride with pleasant scenery and some great views near the top. Cyclists looking for a challenging climb may find the Cruz de Hierro too easy, and would be advised to combine it with a tougher ascent in the area - such as Llano de las Ovejas.

Cruz de Hierro is nearly always open from late March to November. During winter it depends whether or not the road has been cleared. Often it will only be cleared as far as the last villages.

Roads & Traffic

The road surface is in fairly good condition, although is slightly cracked in places. There is little traffic on the climb throughout the year.

Alternative Routes

Cruz de Hierro can also be climbed from the west, starting from Molinaseca. This is the more challenging side.

Nearby Climbs

Llano de las Ovejas

Piedrafita

Puerto de Lumeras

Cycling Holidays

Cruz de Hierro is climbed on our Camino de Santiago cycling holiday.

Find out more in the links below about this and other holidays that we run in north-west Spain.