Sierra de Huétor and la Alfaguara Natural Park

The Sierra de Huétor and la Alfaguara Natural Park is a natural park in Andalusia, Spain. It is located near Granada city and was established in 1989.TopographyThe area of the park includes mountain ranges of moderate altitude such as the Sierra de Huétor, Sierra de la Alfaguara, Sierra de Cogollos, Sierra de Diezma, Sierra de Beas, Sierra de la Yedra as well as the southern end of the Sierra de Arana. The highest point within the park zone is the Peñón del Majalijar in the Sierra de Cogollos, at 1889m. Nearby Peñón de la Cruz is higher, at 2027m but lies outside the park limits further north in the Sierra de Arana. Other peaks in the park zone are Peñon de la Mata at 1669m and Peñon Grande at 1713m. The mountains have dramatic geological features including cliffs, caves, narrow ravines and springs. They are the source of the Darro River and Fardes River. The Fardes is abundant in trout and is popular with sport fishers.Human activityThe park is a few kilometers northeast of Grenada, and city residents often visit on the weekends. It is accessible via the A-92, which unfortunately cuts the park in half, connecting Granada to Guadix. It contains the Arboretum La Alfaguara, formerly a tree nursery that supplied mainly coniferous plants for the reforestation of the entire Sierra de Huétor. The arboretum is now an educational tourist attraction.