Hiking in Spain - GR7 Trail Guide


Be sure the check the main Hiking in Spain and Hiking in Europe pages for additional information and links.

overview map of gr7
GPX track here (GR7, including southern and northern variants in Andalucía, GR7.9, GR171, part of GR172, GR174, GR175, Estels del Sud, plus waypoints showing locations of hotels/stores/fuentes). View in Google maps here.

Here is my trip report of parts of the GR171 and GR172 in Catalonia in 2013.

Here is my trip report of the GR7 between Ronda (Andalucía) and Andilla (Communidad Valenciana) in 2014.

Other trip reports: John Hayes, Amy Lauterbach, Juan Holgado.

Official hiking organizations:

Prices below assume low season (everything except Christmas, New Year, Semana Santa, holidays, July, August). Sometimes late June, early September and weekends during spring and fall are also considered high season. Pricing information from hotelsearch.com, toprural.com, and ecoturismorural very unreliable.

Whether or not Saturday is considered high season for pricing, that day is usually the busiest at most hotels. Be prepared to camp then if you don't have a reservation.

Most towns have a water fountain. Stores in small towns face severe competition from a combination of daily fruit/bread trucks and delivery by hypermarts (ordering by internet) and many can be expected to shut down in the future. Bakeries (horno or panadería) sometimes also sell non-perishable food (canned goods, chocolate, etc). Stores and bakeries may have limited hours. It is best to always carry some extra trail food (biscuits, pan de molde, etc).

As of 2016, quantity of Airbnb.com listings is rapidly increasing for rural areas of Spain, so be sure to check that site. Booking.com is also increasingly being used by smaller hotels. But I would avoid using booking.com to make reservations and especially to pay with smaller hotels, since they often have internet problems. Sometimes booking.com shows vacancy in small hotel but either hotel is closed or no vacancy. So just use it to get availability and price range of rooms.

Quick jump

Andalucía

Murcia

Communidad de Valencia

Catalonia

map of gr7, catalonia, part 3

Balneari de Vallfogona

Bellprat

Cervera

Coma i La Pedra, La

Fórnols

Igualada

Jorba

Lladurs

Olius

Pinós de Solsonès

Pontils

Sant Llorenç de Morunys

Seu d'Urgell, La

Solsona

Su

Tuixent

map of gr7, catalonia, part 2

Turismo en Catalunya has some accomodation info.

More accomodation info for GR175 at La Ruta del Cister.

Arbolí

Albarca

Balneari de Vallfogona (see above)

Bellmunt del Priorat

Bellprat (see above)

Belltall

Cabacés

Cabra del Camp

Cornudella de Montsant

Escaladei

Espluga de Francolí, L'

Falset

Figuera, La

Garcia (see below)

Gratallops

Montblanc

Mont-ral

Morera de Montsant, La

Poblet (see Vimbodí below)

Poboleda

Pontils (see above)

Porrera

Pradell de la Teixeta (on the N-420, a few km southwest of where the GR7 crosses that highway)

Prades

Prenafeta

Riba, La

Rocallaura

Santes Creus

Torroja del Priorat

Vallbona de las Monges

Vallespinosa

Viella Baixa, La (La Viella Alta is on the GR174, use road to get to La Viella Baixa)

Vilaverd

Vimbodí

map of gr7, catalonia, part 1

Alfara de Carles

Arnes

Beceite (see GR8 trail guide)

Benifallet

Caro

Colldejou

Font Ferrera (intersection with GR8)

Gandesa

Garcia

Mora d'Ebre

Mora la Nova

Paüls

Prat de Comte

Tivissa

Communidad de Valencia

map of gr7, valencia, part 4

Ares del Maestre

Benasal (or nearby Font d'en Segures)

Culla

Fredes

Morella

San Juan de Peñagolosa

Vallibona

Villahermosa del Rio

Vistabella

map of gr7, valencia, part 3

Just north of Mas de Noguera is a very overgrown section of foot trail, including thorns. I recommend staying on the road, which adds about 2km distance.

Andilla (intersection with GR10)

Bejís

Chelva

Mas de Noguera

Montán

Montanejos

San Vicente de Piedrahita

Villahermosa del Rio (see above)

Torás (several km from Bejís, not shown on map above)

map of gr7, valencia, part 2

Benagéber

Benalí

Collado Caroche

Cortes de Pallás

Nogueras, Las

Rebollar, El

Requena

Vallada

  • Casa Rural Casa Peseta, 658 93 72 85, 54 Avenida Guardia Civil. €50 via booking.com in April 2023.

    Venta Gaeta

    Villar de Olmos

    Viñuelas (5km west of Venta Gaeta along paved road)

    map of gr7, valencia, part 1

    Alcoy

    Bocairent

    Camping Mariola

    Castalla

    Elda

    Pinoso / El Pinós

    Venta Roman

    Murcia

    Murcia Tourist Office

    map of gr7, murcia, part 1

    About 97km from El Sabinar to Cieza. Possible to hike in 2 long and 1 short days, staying in hotels in Moratalla and Calasparra, but I prefer 5 short days: camp 2 nights, hotel in Calasparra, camp again. After drinking 2L with breakfast, carry 6L water between Calasparra and Cieza in warm weather (for man weighing 75kg), 4L sufficient in cool weather.

    Alternative route follows dirt roads east from GR7 to Abarán, buy food there, continue east to hotel Mesón del Moro on highway N301. Next morning, follow route MU22A, highway N344 and various minor roads north until intersection with GR7 at location marked Casa del Alto on CNIG maps. About 42km total for this route from Mesón del Moro to Hostal La Cañada in Pinoso.

    Calasparra

    Cieza

    Moratalla

    Sabinar, El

    Venta Roman (see above)

    Andalucía

    Andalucía Tourist Office

    Province Granada Tourist Office

    map of gr7, andalucia, part 6

    Cañada de la Cruz is village on GR7 20km north of Puebla de Don Fadrique, with fuente across from church, or ask residents for water if fuente turned off in cold weather. Fuente de los Almeces is on GR7 about 19km north of Cañada de la Cruz (14km south of El Sabinar) and runs reliably in spring and early summer.

    Cazorla (see below)

    Huéscar

    Galera

    Orce

    Pontones

    Puebla de Don Fadrique

    Sabinar, El (see above)

    Santiago de la Espada

    map of gr7, andalucia, part 7

    Cambil / Carchalejo (on the A-44 at the exit for Cambil)

    Cazorla

    Quesada

    Jódar

    Frailes

    Torres

    map of gr7, andalucia, part 5

    From La Calahorra to Baza about 67km. Buy 2.5 days food in La Calahorra, load up with 4L at Fuente La Fraguara (6km past Charches), camp 11km past Charches (32km day). Day 2, load up with 2L at Fuente de la Canaleja (28km past Charches), camp about 35km past Charches (24 km day). Day 3, descend to Baza (11 km day). If no vacancies at hotels in La Calahorra, then backtrqck and camp in forest nearby. Fuentes reliable in March and probably April and May, not sure about other months.

    Baza

    Cúllar

    Juntas de Gor, Las

    Orce (see above)

    Zújar

    map of gr7, andalucia, part 4

    To get from Tímar to Lobras (towns located between Juviles and Cádiar), descend steeply from Tímar to the sendero local Acequias los Castaños, thereafter level path to Lobras. GR7 between these towns is deeply eroded, difficult to follow and of little scenic/cultural value compared to the Acequias trail. My GPX track shows both options.

    Fuente just south of Puerto de la Ragua used to be reliable in March and probably also April and May. but was completely dry in both March 2022 and March 2023. Henceforth, carry 3L out of Bayárcal, which should be enough to get to Ferreira next day, unless extremely hot, in which case carry 4L.

    GR7 between Bayárcal and Puerto de la Ragua has been increasingly overgrown every year I hiked it. Starting 2022, I gave up following the trail and stayed on the paved highway. North of Puerto de la Ragua, after leaving the paved highway, trail is okay until descent into Arroyo Chico, which was thorn infested in March 2023, though I managed (barely) to get through without any damage to clothing or skin. In future, might be better to stay on ridge between Arroyo Chico and Arroyo Hondo. Based on Google maps satellite view, ridge and east side of Arroyo Hondo are open. So cross to east side of Arroyo Hondo before reaching bottom of ridge, continue north 100m or so, then descend to road, and thus avoid thorn infested bottom of Arroyo Chico.

    Albuñuelas

    Bérchules

    Bubión

    Busquístar (2km east of Pórtugos on GR7)

    Cádiar

    La Calahorra

    Capileira (2km north of Bubíon)

    Dúrcal (several km north of GR7, buses leaves from Palacio de Congresos in Granada every half-hour weekdays, Palacio de Congresos is south of río Genil, Madrid-Granada bus drops off about 4km north of river)

    Jayena (see below)

    Juviles

    Lanjarón

    Laroles

    Lobras (between Juviles and Cádiar)

    Mecina Bombarón

    Mondújar

    Niguelas

    Pampaneira

    Pitres

    Pórtugos

    Soportújar (between Lanjarón and Pampaneira)

    Trevélez

    Ugíjar (5km south of Válor)

    Válor

    Venta el Zamburino

    Yegen

    map of gr7, andalucia, part 3

    Alcalá la Real

    Alhama de Granada

    Antequera

    Arenas del Rey

    Cuevas de San Marcos

    Frailes (see above)

    Jayena

    Priego de Córdoba

    Riogordo

    Rute

    Valle de Abdalajís (see below)

    Ventas de Zafarraya

    Villanueva de Cauche

    Villanueva de Algarides

    Villanueva del Rosario

    Villanueva del Trabuco

    Villanueva de Tapia

    map of gr7, , andalucia, part 2

    Ardales

    Chorro, El

    Cuevas del Becerro (5km west of Serrato)

    Ronda

    Ubrique

    Valle de Abdalajís

    map of gr7, andalucia, part 1

    Barrios, Los

    Castillo de Castellar

    Jimena de la Frontera

    Tarifa