Monnegre: Hiking Trails, Badlands and Historical Traces

Monnegre combines a striking landscape with hiking trails and historical points of interest. Between the houses of Monnegre and the Valle del Sol development, the Monnegre River forms a colourful badlands landscape in clay-rich Keuper rock. Contrasting riverside vegetation meets a dry, semi-arid environment here, making the geological formations a defining part of the local scenery.

Geology and trails through Silim, Mascuna and Salines

The route through Silim, Mascuna and Salines near Montnegre features colourful geological formations, meanders and cavities. This route also passes a section where a dam must be crossed on its right-hand side using metal staples and a thin chain. Crossing the gorges of the Monnegre entails a high level of risk due to deep crevices and steep slopes and is not recommended.

The geological area around the Monnegre can be reached via the Carretera del Monnegre (CV819). This road can be accessed from the Tibi–Jijona road (CV810) at kilometre 4.5. The area can also be viewed from the PR-CV 142. The warning concerns crossing the gorges; observing the geological formations from the PR-CV 142 is separate from this.

The SL-CV 151 hiking trail

The linear SL-CV 151 hiking trail runs for 8.00 km from Parc del Barranc de la Font to Montnegre de Dalt. Along its route, it passes Font del Moratell, Barranc de Salines and the hills of Sílm before reaching the Ermita de Montnegre and the old school. The trail is also connected with the Riu Montnegre, a ZEPA area, that is, a Special Protection Area for Birds. Its linear layout means that, for planning purposes, the start and finish are in different locations; it is not a circular route. The 8.00 km represent the entire trail between these points and provide a clear spatial framework for planning the hike.

No quality checks for the SL-CV 151 hiking trail have been documented in recent years. It is therefore unknown whether the signage and maintenance currently meet the optimal conditions for relying exclusively on these markings for navigation. If you include this route in your plans, this limitation is part of a realistic assessment of the trail.

Historical traces in Montnegre de Dalt

Archaeological work in Montnegre de Dalt focused on the Roman aqueduct known as “Séquia dels Enamorats”. Its construction features include galleries excavated into the rock and open sections cut through the rock.

Montnegre de Dalt also has the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles and the former schools of Montnegre de Dalt among its points of interest.

More destinations for orientation

To compare other destinations, you can also visit Santa Faz and El Moralet.

For the overarching travel overview: Alicante.