Hiking routes near Alicante, from the 6,000 steps to Aitana's summit

Alicante province is not only coastline: inland, five mountain ranges hold most of the serious walking in the Comunitat Valenciana, from the 1,558-metre Serra d'Aitana down through Puig Campana, Font Roja and the Serra de Mariola. This guide gathers the area's waymarked routes, a ruined castle reached only by chain, and two easy walks by water, ordered by how hard they actually are rather than how good the photos look.

Four waymarked routes, moderate to demanding

In the Vall de Laguar, the Barranc de l'Infern is the toughest route on this list: a 14-kilometre loop from Fleix, around 800 metres of accumulated ascent and 5 to 7 hours on the clock, almost all of it on stone steps that Morisco farmers carved by hand over the Girona gorge. It is popularly known as "the 6,000 steps", and published counts land close to that figure; there is no technical climbing here — what wears you down is the stone underfoot, first descending and then climbing the opposite slope.

Near Dénia, Cova Tallada is shorter — 4 km round trip, 200 m of ascent, 2 to 3 hours — but not a flat stroll: the final stretch down into this old tosca quarry is a chain descent over rock polished by the sea. Entry is free, but in 2026 there are several date windows through the year when the Generalitat requires advance authorisation, so check the current dates before setting out.

Climbing the Montgó from the Xàbia side (PR-CV 355) is 8.6 km round trip and 612 m of ascent over 4 to 5 hours: loose limestone almost the whole way, with a final quarter where you need your hands on the rock. There is not a single water source anywhere on the route, so you carry what you need — nothing gets topped up along the way.

Climbing the Peñón de Ifach, above Calp, is free but requires online booking with a daily cap of 300 people. The waymarked path up to the 1918 tunnel is short and easy; beyond it, up to the 332-metre summit, the route turns properly difficult, over limestone polished by thousands of footsteps, fixed chains and a narrow final ridge. In total it is 4.6 km round trip and 2.5 to 3 hours.

A castle you only reach by chain

Between Pego and the Vall de Laguar, Castell de les Atzavares is a ruined Andalusi fortress at just over 350 metres above the Girona gorge. There is no road and no opening hours: you reach it on foot via the SL-CV 185 trail from Campell, and the final stretch is an 8-metre inclined slab climbed by holding two chains anchored into the rock. At the top, the old parade ground hangs over a 120-metre drop with no continuous railing. This is not a route for children, off-lead dogs or anyone with vertigo, and hiking boots plus thin gloves for the chain are worth bringing. In return, the view is one of the best inland: the Vall de Laguar horseshoe, the Montgó, and on clear days the coast as far as the Peñón de Ifach.

Two easy walks, both beside water

In the Serra de Mariola, between Banyeres de Mariola and Biar, Font de la Coveta is the mapped source of the Vinalopó, the province's longest river at 81.2 km to its mouth at Santa Pola. Water emerges at a constant 14 degrees from a karstic aquifer at 790 metres, into a small stone-basin spring that is not for swimming or for drinking untreated. Vehicle access on the final track is restricted, so you walk in from El Pantanet: 5.6 km round trip, 135 m of ascent, about ninety minutes following the riverbed.

On the edge of Alcoi, Racó de Sant Bonaventura is the opposite kind of walk: an 18.34-hectare municipal nature site, almost entirely flat, where the Polop river has carved pools and channels known as Els Canalons. The SL-CV 25.7 trail, with wooden boardwalks, covers under 2 km from the reception area to the pools and takes a little over an hour there and back; in summer you can take a short dip in the signposted stretches. It is the most accessible walk in this guide, manageable with an all-terrain pushchair as far as the first boardwalk.

The big summits, for a harder day out

Puig Campana, above Finestrat, is the province's second-highest peak at 1,406 metres, with a notch near the summit — the Tajo de Roldán — visible from the sea. The usual ascent starts at Font del Molí and climbs over 1,000 metres of elevation gain: it is a full day's mountain route for hikers with prior experience and a solid level of fitness, not an afternoon stroll.

The Serra d'Aitana is the province's high point at 1,558 metres, and on its north face, in Confrides, Font de l'Arbre is one of the more common starting points, at moderate difficulty. Aitana is also part of the classic multi-day traverse linking it to Puig Campana itself, for anyone after more than a single day out.

Near Alcoi, the Font Roja Natural Park protects the most biodiverse patch of Mediterranean forest in the Comunitat Valenciana, topping out at the Serra del Menejador, 1,356 metres; and the Serra de Mariola, the same range where the Vinalopó rises, peaks at Montcabrer, 1,390 metres, with colour-coded waymarked trails.

What to bring, route by route

On the mountain routes — Barranc de l'Infern, the Montgó, the Peñón de Ifach, Puig Campana and Castell de les Atzavares — you need boots with a grippy sole, at least a litre and a half of water per person, and an early start, since none of them offer shade on the upper stretches. On the two water walks, comfortable shoes that can get wet are enough. None of the routes in this guide has a reliable water source partway along, so bring what you need from home.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the easiest route in this guide?

Racó de Sant Bonaventura, in Alcoi: a flat trail a little over an hour round trip, with wooden boardwalks and manageable with an all-terrain pushchair as far as the first one.

Can you take children up to Castell de les Atzavares?

No. The final stretch is an 8-metre chained rock face, and the parade ground at the top hangs over a 120-metre drop with no railing. This is an adults-only route for anyone comfortable with heights.

Do you need to book to climb the Peñón de Ifach?

Yes, online and free, with a cap of 300 people a day and a maximum booking window of ten days ahead.

What is the highest mountain in Alicante province?

The Serra d'Aitana, at 1,558 metres, followed by Puig Campana at 1,406 metres.

Pairing it with the views

Several of these summits double as the province's best viewpoints: the best viewpoints near Alicante guide ranks them by distance and says which ones are a walk and which need a car.