Alto Tajo Natural Park, a scenic wonder in C-LM

Among the provinces of Cuenca and Guadalajara

As Alto Tajo is considered throughout the upper river from its source to its arrival at its middle course where he has more water and, usually, its slope is moderate. However, the Alto Tajo Natural Park covers only its upper reaches among the provinces of Cuenca and Guadalajara, excluding Teruel, where lies its source.

It was declared a Natural Park in 2000 as part of developing the Management Plan of Natural Resources (PORN). With an area of 105 721 hectares plus another 68 824 hectares of Peripheral Protection Zone and understanding both areas up to 44 municipalities.

The extension occupies the Natural Park has a geology and land-based lithology mainly secondary and quaternary, usually limestone, gypsum, sand and clay, making the difficult terrain presented are based mainly on moorland cut by large rivers forming large gorges and canyons. The areas of highest peaks correspond to the east, the mountains Universal, where they are born most of the rivers that flow through the Natural Park.

The Alto Tajo is crossed by many rivers, which are vertebrates north to south by the Tagus, and accumulate wealth between forests and the rugged terrain. Along with the Tagus River, its tributaries on the right Hoz Seca, Gallo, Linares and Ablanquejo are the main rivers that cut across the moors and mountains of the Park.

The river Tagus Natural Park structuring

The River Tagus is the main backbone of the entire drainage network of the Alto Tajo Natural Park. Garcia was born in the source, in the Sierra de Albarracín and continues northwest. However, it begins to take a permanent water until well traveled several kilometers. His first stretch runs through a plain little slope where his bed appears and disappears until it enters a deep cut that shapes his face throughout their upper reaches. In its first stage saves a drop of 453 meters in 35 kilometers piercing the ground where few still ply its waters until it joins the Hoz Seca, where he receives his first notable flow.

Major bridges over deep cut

The first grand canyon extends until it reaches the bridge Martinete in Peralejos of Truchas, where the Tagus River receives water from small streams. From here, the walls of the canyons karst, pierced by leaks aquifer, spring water from numerous sources of groundwater that are the most flow will contribute to the Tagus in the first kilometers.

From Heron Bridge in Peralejos to the bridge of San Pedro, in Zaorejas, the valley has still leaving behind more deeper cut in its initial section, a meandering path and a flow and quite remarkable. To save the deep cut through this section and report both sides of the river sometimes had to resort to large engineering projects such as bridge Peñalén. The tributary rivers begin to become important and abundant water pouring into the Tagus, all along the right bank. The first is the river that makes Cabrillas near the bridge and later Peñalén Gallo River, its main tributary in the upper course, under the bridge of San Pedro.

From the bridge of San Pedro river turns abruptly, after a large bend to the left until the end of Ocentejo Natural Park. The valley widens somewhat but soon narrows again proving difficult boxed and access to its shores by the verticality of its walls. It is for the sunken Armallones, where the river winds through the deep sickle. Throughout his tour of the sinking of some mills are located Armallones leveraging the strength of its waters and the salt of the Unexpected, who took the salinity of some of their sources. In this section receives water from its major tributary in the upper reaches, the Ablanquejo, also the right bank.

To save the narrow cut and able to communicate and Huertapelayo Huertahernando, on both banks of the Tagus, another high bridge was built, that of Tagüenza.

Terrain marked by gorges and canyons

The water network has been able to modify the land and organize the landscape of the region so that its appearance has been changed by a lot of gorges and canyons that give way to the streams. These cliffs reach up to two hundred meters deep favored by large limestone material and thickness of the Dolomites.

The most common among the gorges of the Alto Tajo is presented in the form of ladder showing the different materials of different thickness and resistance. Thus, where the rocks are predominantly compact and calcareous materials, the slope is more vertical and narrow canyon, where the rocks are softer side softens and the valleys are broader and more rounded hills on its shores.

In addition to the big guns of the River Tagus, like the sinking of Armallones whose origin is in an earthquake in the sixteenth century and caused the collapse of material in this part of the route of the Tagus, other large rivers have cut as El Gallo, the Barranco de la Hoz, which in its middle course and after passing through Molina de Aragon, it extends between trimming highest fells in their journey for more than eight miles between Windy and Torete within the municipality of CorduenteHowever, until it flows into the Tagus has other deep cut and not much less than the vertical HozAt its deepest section is the Sanctuary of the Virgen de la HozLa Hoz Seca, the first important tributary of the Tagus, has high cliffs before emptyingThe Pleiades from Chequilla to its mouth on the Tagus, which over a dozen miles left walls of varying prominence and shapeAlso The Ablanquejo in almost all the way and the first and last sections of its tributary Linares, and the lower Bullones before flowing into the gorge de la Hoz, a large cut.

Gorges, gorges and terraces are beautiful landscapes in the park, which surprise visitors

The striking feature of the geology of the Alto Tajo are curious rock formations that occur in places like carbonated Chelva, the Dolomites of the Enchanted City, the dolomitic limestones of the Tranquera Swamp or limestone and dolomite caves tables Labradas . In these places, the stones are carved by erogenous agents, especially water. Canyons and gorges known for their abundance, length, height and singular forms, such as knives, needles and monoliths. In fact, the Alto Tajo is the most extensive in this type of training de Castilla-La Mancha. Not forgetting that the plains on land abundant carbonates potholes, sinkholes, sinkholes, torques and Torm. Of the one hundred twenty-five geomorphological sites detected, the large building and cascade tuffaceous Campillo, along the Bridge of San Pedro, and the scree Enebral Brook, in the Sierra del Tremedal can be considered as of international concern.

Without detracting from fourteen other sites very special characteristics: the gorges of the Valle de los Milagros, Arandilla river near the shrine of the Virgen de Montesinos, the cave of Los Casares, the guns of the Tagus River between the bridge and the Blacksmith Armallones sunk, and between the close of the stove and Horcajo and from the latter, the Boards of the Hoz Seca and the River Hoz Seca, from gorge Valdelatas and The Blacksmith, the waterfall and the terraces of The Cárquimas in Armallones, buildings and waterfalls tuffaceous Source of Toba, in The Birth Escaleruela and Raven, the karst lake and Tormos Taravilla monolithic Chequilla delighted the city.

The park has a variety of fauna

Most of the specie of prey and mammals of the Iberian Peninsula live in the Alto Tajo. And are the first the most prominent among all, which has led to the creation of a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA). The concentration of mammals, predators and herbivores, reptiles, amphibians and fish are abundant throughout the park because of its size and its geographical and climatic conditions.

Among the most abundant mammals in the forests of Alto Tajo Natural Park are the predators. They are especially numerous in the area: the marten, the European badger, otter and the European red fox, although areas can be found for populations of wild cats, weasels, ferrets and wild genets. Also hunting mammals such as pigs, deer, roe, deer, hares and rabbits.

The small mammals are very abundant in the Alto Tajo: red squirrels, hedgehogs, common shrews, shrews and dwarf mice.

The large quantity of sickles and cut excavated by the rivers that cross the Natural Park makes it among birds of prey are the most visible, of which there are many species that fly the skies of the Natural Park. The griffon vulture is the largest of all raptors in the region is very common in western cannons park, but there are also communities of kestrels, sparrow hawks, peregrine falcons, buzzards, hawks, owls, booted eagles, eagles Bonelli, short-toed eagles, golden eagles, black kites and falcons.

In the Alto Tajo Natural Park is also remarkable the presence of fifteen species of reptiles, among which were the common gecko, lizards, snakes, lizard and snub-nosed viper Ocellated, nine kinds of amphibians and seven native species of fish.

Wide range of plant habitats

This area has a wide range of plant habitats. The flora is rich and diverse, presenting many enclaves of small areas with endemic, endangered species, as well as a number of rare species not yet scheduled.

Forest stand of juniper forests, maritime pine, Corsican pine and Scots pine in the valley of the Tagus. In the most inaccessible areas of the canyon are groves of oaks and other areas and melojares gall. The many rivers that cross the National Park and the lack of pollution of its waters support the growth of various species of riparian vegetation.

In general, we can consider the Alto Tajo Natural Park, an area of high interest from a botanical point of view, both peninsular and autonomous. Through the declaration of SCI and SPA Alto Tajo several plants have been specially protected by its scarcity and floristic interest.

Population and economy

Due to the large size of the Alto Tajo Natural Park, many municipalities whose territories, or parts thereof, are protected by legislation. Due to the harsh climatic conditions and terrain and remoteness from major urban centers, none of them has ever been over-populated, and historically only Czech and Alustante, traditional commercial centers and migratory, have more than one thousand inhabitants, but a good number of them, if reached or was close to five hundred inhabitants.

A mid-nineteenth century began to open the first kaolin mines in the area, causing a change in the economic uses of the area, traditionally nomadic loggers and ranchers and the population increased considerably. Along with livestock, fisheries, especially subsistence, has been a constant activity in the rivers of the region. The ganchería, transport of logs down the river, is one of the traditional crafts of the Alto Tajo.

The municipalities suffer a steady depopulation since 1960 due to migration to large cities, leaving areas with low population density. Since the declaration of Natural Park tourism has undergone significant growth, becoming a key economic sector. Is usually based on internal tourism and adventure, usually at weekends and in spring and summer months.

Scenic Routes

The vastness of the park to a great number of routes and paths, largely well signposted easily seduced. These sites are invited to be traveled more slowly, walking, biking or canoeing. And in the small towns that are happening, invite you to enjoy the simplicity of its architecture, its history, folklore, festivals, customs, and how not to be expected, of traditional gastronomy.

One is the traditional route of the Barranco de la Virgen de la Hoz, which leads through the canyons of the rivers Tajo, Gallo and Arandilla, with branches that lead to overlooks and scenic spots.

The Valley of Miracles is a journey into the geologic past.

The route from the viewpoints of the Tajo leads us to three viewpoints, Cave February, foot and a half and strut Pancho, from which we can see spectacular views.

Besides these, six well-marked paths invite us to visit the beautiful places in the Alto Tajo, being most notably: The source of the River Cuervo, the salt of the Unexpected in Ocentejo, the sunken Armallones; Tagüenza Bridge on the Tagus, the cave of Majadillas in Sacecorbo, the Valle de Los Milagros, the bridge of San Pedro, in Zaorejas, the cascade Escaleruela, near San Pedro Bridge, the banks of the Tagus in criminal cases, Source recreational area of the Toba, the Taravilla lagoon, with numerous species of waterfowl Heron Bridge in Peralejos of Truchas; the Downs of Chequilla; Source of the Cowboys, in Czech, and the beautiful coastal scenery Cabrillas of rivers and Hoz Seca.

The route from the sunken Armallones by the Valle de los Milagros, combines culture and nature

Of the many routes that can be done in the Alto Tajo Natural Park we chose the one that starts in the village of Ocentejo, where the sunken Armallones and ancient salt mines of the Unexpected. Another stop along the way is Sacecorbo, with modest bill Romanesque temple overlooking the river mouth Ablanquejo. Continuing the journey we reached the Riba de Saelices, where is located the famous site of Valle de los Milagros, here you can see some monolithic formations and cave paintings and engravings in the cave of Miracles.

Again the banks of the Tagus Huertahernando run the trip, near the Sistal Buenafuente is a curious medieval-looking town, and Tagüeza bridge, which provides one of the most beautiful and breathtaking rides in the area. The road continues to unite Cobeta Village and after passing the bridge of San Pedro, and Criminal Zaorejas to Poveda de la Sierra. This is another small interesting towns that still retains vestiges of its history, its Romanesque church with a beautiful cover of capitals decorated with imaginary animals and plant motifs. Following the river path along a forest track leads to the Laguna de Taravilla, ruled by the people of the same name. In Peralejos Terzaga and referred to the Truchas beautiful examples of traditional mountain architecture and typical houses molinesas.

Point of interest

The large number of municipalities that abarba the Alto Tajo Natural Park allows us to admire buildings and monuments from different eras and styles, just to name a few, starting with the province of Guadalajara in Ablanque find Roman remains and Roman camp “Fence” the year 195 a. C, Anguita.

In Cifuentes, the XIII century Romanesque church and the castle built by D. Juan Manuel, the fourteenth century.

In Mazarete, the Church of the Assumption, the follow XVI.

In Sacecorbo, the parish church, the seventeenth century.

Riba de Saelices In the Cueva de los Casares, declared a historical monument since 1935, with paintings and engravings of such schematic.

In Villar de Cobeta, the Monastery of the Sistal Buenafuente.

In Zaorejas museum is the Hook and Interpretation Cento Alto Tajo.

In Poveda de la Sierra, the Romanesque church of XII century.

In Terzaga, the parish church of the eighteenth century, one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in Spain and the houses molinesas.

In Peralejos of Truchas, traditional mountain architecture, the parish church dedicated to St. Matthew, the Blacksmith de la Hoz Seca, eighteenth century work, with a magnificent collection of bars and the shrine of Our Lady Of Ribagorda.

In Chequilla, the bullring and the whole village.

In Republic, the Plaza Mayor, where the City Council of the eighteenth century

In Orea, the Church of the Assumption and molinesas houses.

The Natural Park covers only two municipalities in the province of Cuenca: Beteta and Cuenca, a city declared Patimonio of Humanity by UNESCO.

In Cuenca, in addition to its famous hanging houses, the twelfth century, and the Enchanted City, we can find many religious and civic buildings full of history, the Cathedral, which was begun in the twelfth century, the Plaza Mayor, where his Hall is the time of Charles III, and the convent of Las Petras, the sixteenth century.

Cuenca is a real delight for the senses, enjoying a rich cultural visiting museums or taking part in Easter declared of International Tourist Interest.