The viewpoints of El Garbí (Mirador del Garbí) are well known in Comunidad de Valencia for their extensive views of the Sierra Calderona national park and the Valencian coastline. It’s possible to see Sagunt, Valencia and on a clear day the Colunbretes Islands. There are many ways to reach the view point including by car, walking, and the way we chose – El Garbí por Cadenas, the route of the chains.
Our hike started on a sunny morning in the town of Segart. We walked out the village and followed the road for a short time before turning on to the GR10 path. The path was loose shingles and mainly uphill but still a pleasant walk through the forest. Even early on there were a few rock formations that needed climbing over rather than walking over.
Going up and climbing without chains.
It wasn’t long before we came the rockface where the real fun started. There are numerous rock formations that need to be climbed. Fortunately, there are well secured chains to make scaling the rock face possible. We climbed up in single file, often taking breaks for madroños and silly photos. On the way up there are other rock formations that can be climbed without the need for chain. This this is a highly recommended diversion and we enjoyed both the climbing and the views.
There were a many challenges when climbing, some rock were a simple case of holding the chain for support, whereas others involved going through small gaps or narrow ridges to walk along. Using the chains doesn’t really need any specialist skills, more important is good balance, a willingness to scramble and a tight grip! It was a really fun way to get up the mountain and added to the variety of the hike.
Climbing is fun!
After the chains the path was walkable and we followed it until we came to a crossroad. We had two options, following the road directly to the peak or taking the more scenic route through the forest, obviously we choose the longer and more fun route through the forest. We still had to walk along the road for a short distance though. The kerb is just wide enough for a human foot and using it as a balance beam lead to much entertainment.
We continued through the forest and enjoyed the views and the shade the trees provided on the unexpectedly hot day. We soon came to the car park of El Garbí viewpoints and from there it was a short walk to the first of three viewpoints.
From the first viewpoint we could see all along the Valencian coast. Here there was a shrine, seats and picnic tables, so we enjoyed lunch with a view! A short path lead us to our second viewpoints, a rocky outcrop that involved a bit of climbing, the views of the Sierra Calderona peaks were spectacular as were the views looking down. There was also a helpful sign to show us exactly what peaks we were looking at. We then moved on to the third viewpoint which had equally as fantastic views as the previous two. The rocks lent themselves to fun scrambling and numerous opportunities for yet more funny photos.
The views from El Garbí and relaxing after the hike.
From the view points it was a short walk back to the car park where we took a different path down. This trail was a combination of sand and loose stones and a few steep rock formations. The long zigzags of the path meant that even on the way down we could still appreciate the views of the Sierra Calderona and surrounding area.
This path took us directly back to Segart and not far from our original starting point. This hike was really fun! The chains and variety of different terrains and landscapes meant that boredom was never going to be an option. The three view points offer some of the best vistas in the national park and both getting to, going around and going down from them is a very enjoyable experience.