Where is El Moixer located?
Spain, europe
13 km
N/A
extreme
Year-round
Okay, picture this: El Moixer, also called Roc del Comptador, a major player on the French-Spanish border. It’s the highest point in Alt Empordà and the Serra de l'Albera range. Translation? Epic views and a serious off-road challenge.
You'll find this beast straddling the border between Spain (Catalonia) and France (Occitania), looming over Maçanet de Cabrenys. Forget about driving up the French side, though. The fun (and challenge) is on the Spanish side, thanks to a gnarly service road built for maintaining the comm towers up top.
Ready for some numbers? From Maçanet de Cabrenys, it's a 13km push to the summit. Sounds easy? Think again. You're climbing 1,067 meters, averaging an 8.20% gradient. Prepare for a relentless ascent and a whopping 27 hairpin turns. Seriously, this is one of the most technical mountain tracks you'll find in the eastern Pyrenees.
The road is unpaved, mostly loose rock and dirt, so a high-clearance 4WD is non-negotiable. Some of the super-steep bits and the tightest hairpins have been reinforced with concrete to help maintenance trucks get through. Be warned: the track is narrow. Passing another vehicle often means finding a shoulder or reversing to a wider spot.
So, what are the dangers? First, that relentless steepness combined with a serious lack of safety barriers on those 27 hairpins. Then there's the altitude. The Tramuntana wind can be brutal up here, making the drive a real test of skill, especially near the top. Winter? Forget about it. Snow and ice often block the road above 1,200 meters, turning those concrete sections into a death trap. Keep an eye on your engine temp on the way up and give your brakes a good once-over before heading back down those 13 km.
The reward? Massive antennas and telecommunication towers mark the summit. And the views! At 1,441 meters, you can see forever, from Cap de Creus and the Gulf of Roses on the Mediterranean to the imposing Canigó peak in France. This ridge is like a 360-degree viewing platform over the wild Albera range. Trust me, it's worth the white knuckles.
Road Details
- Country
- Spain
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 13 km
- Difficulty
- extreme
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