Moncayo (mountain)
Encyclopedia
Moncayo is a 15 km long and about 7 km wide mountain massif giving name to the Tarazona y el Moncayo
Tarazona y el Moncayo
Tarazona y el Moncayo is a comarca in Aragon, Spain. The most important town is Tarazona.This comarca is located at the western end of Aragon, bordering Navarre, Soria Province and La Rioja...

 comarca, Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...

, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. It is located between the provinces of Zaragoza in Aragon and Soria in Castile and León
Castile and León
Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...

. The ridge's highest summits are usually covered in snow between October and May every year.

The Moncayo's highest summit, San Miguel (2,314 m), is the highest point in the 500 km long Sistema Ibérico
Sistema Ibérico
The Sistema Ibérico or Iberian System is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.It is a vast and complex system of mountain chains and massifs located in the central regions of the Iberian Peninsula, but reaching almost the Mediterranean coast in the Land of Valencia in the east.From...

. The Moncayo range also includes two other peaks that are almost identical and are located close together, Cerro San Juan (2,283 m) and Pena Lobera (2226 m).

This mountain was mentioned as Mons Caius by Marcus Valerius Martialis
Martial
Marcus Valerius Martialis , was a Latin poet from Hispania best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Rome between AD 86 and 103, during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan...

 in Ancient Roman times.

The nearest large town to Moncayo is Tarazona
Tarazona
Tarazona is a municipality in the Spanish province of Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragon. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tarazona and the capital of the Tarazona y el Moncayo Aragonese comarca.- History :...

, with many old and historical buildings, located on the massif's northern side 10 km away from it. There are also smaller villages closer to the mountain.

The Sierra de Nava Alta
Sierra de Nava Alta
Sierra de Nava Alta or Sierra de la Nava Alta is a mountain range in the Valdejalón comarca, Aragon, Spain, located west of the A-121 road, between Fuendejalón and Ricla and east of Tierga and Mesones de Isuela....

 is an eastern prolongation of the Moncayo Massif.

Hiking

Moncayo is one of the most popular hiking places in Spain and there is public transport to reach the mountain.
There are few buses during the winter season, but almost hourly connections in the summer time.

From the village of San Martín de la Virgen de Moncayo
San Martín de la Virgen de Moncayo
San Martín de la Virgen de Moncayo is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 291 inhabitants.-See also:*Moncayo Massif...

 starts a road for hikers, ending at the village of Agramonte
Agramonte
Agramonte is a surname. People with this surname include:* Juan de Agramonte, 16th century Spanish sailor* Roberto Agramonte, Cuban revolutionary* Juan Carlos Robinson Agramonte, Cuban politician* Ignacio Agramonte , Cuban politician...

.
The lower ranges of the mountain are covered by forest, including oak trees and spiky shrubs.
There is a wide path at the northern side of the mountain zigzagging upwards.
In the north east corner of the mountain is a mountain hut made of stone which can be used as shelter in emergency situations.
The shelter is located at the car park north of the Lobera peak before the slope.
At the north west side of the mountain is a tiny river.
One can ascend the highest peak going up from Agramonte or from the eastern side of the mountain range, also via Lobera peak. Going up takes about three hours.
There are a few loose stone sections which can be avoided when following the paths. On the top of the highest peak one can see the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...

in clear weather.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK