
A classic road trip to Sierra Nevada in Granada
Spain, europe
12 km
2,385 m
moderate
Year-round
Sierra Nevada is a ski resort sitting pretty at 2,385m (7,824ft) above sea level in Granada, Spain — and it's seriously high up there. It's one of the country's loftiest roads, nestled in the Andalusia region in the southeastern corner of Spain. Want to go even higher? This place is your launchpad to Pico del Veleta, Europe's highest paved road.
Tucked away in the dramatic Sierra Nevada mountains, the route up to the resort is the fully paved A-395. Fair warning though: winters here are no joke. The mountain dishes out some seriously harsh weather, and weekends plus holiday seasons bring crowds that make the drive even trickier. Fun fact — this climb's so legendary it's been featured in the Spanish Vuelta cycling race.
Starting from Alto de Hazallanas on the GR-3200, you're looking at a 12km ascent that'll gain you 724 meters of elevation. The average gradient sits around 6.03%, but heads a few notches steeper with some sections pushing 14%, 15%, even 17%. So buckle up — it's an exhilarating ride through one of Spain's most spectacular mountain roads.
Where is it?
A classic road trip to Sierra Nevada in Granada is located in Spain (europe). Coordinates: 41.3471, -3.6930
Road Details
- Country
- Spain
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 12 km
- Max Elevation
- 2,385 m
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Coordinates
- 41.3471, -3.6930
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