Snowshoe treks in Puerto de la Ragua mountain pass
Spectacular snowshoe trek at a height of over 2000 metres amongst the impressive forests of the La Ragua mountain pass through ice crests and incredible white landscapes… are you coming?
The La Ragua mountain pass is probably one of the most unknown areas of the Sierra Nevada National Park. It is at an altitude of 2000 metres and forms a natural border between the provinces of Granada and Almeria, and its impressive forests, which look more Canadian or Swiss than Andalusian, have spectacular landscapes that provide a range of activities for visitors in both winter and spring.
This time, we visited in February. After several weeks of snow, we got ready to travel to Puerto de la Ragua to discover the whiteness of its landscapes on a snowshoe trek with one of the local companies that provide this activity in the pass: Nevadensis.
The day began a little cold but sunny, which is not surprising taking into account that this area gets 2000 hours of sunshine a year.
If you have never gone snowshoeing before, don't worry. You don't need any kind of technical knowledge to walk in them. When you walk wearing snowshoes, you get the sensation that you are "floating”. Without them, there would be sections where you would sink directly so you wouldn't be able to go on, and by wearing them, you can reach places where you can enjoy stunning landscapes.
As soon as we started, we walked parallel to the pistes for cross-country skiing and sledging at the La Ragua mountain pass; we went on, leaving a small stream behind us; and we gradually went deeper, going up steep slopes of snow in beautiful landscapes that had us exclaiming "wow" with every step.
What beautiful forests! We said time and again. What a treat to be walking through the snow without sinking, with the sound of the wind in the trees and that spectacular sun shining above us.
Once through the area of forest, we were on an enormous snowy plain which seemed to invite us to leave our tracks on it
The landscape was dyed white and the emotion of walking through places like this was latent in all of us.
What views of the whole La Ragua mountain pass! Treks like this are worth it simply for the mere event of being able to see these views with your own eyes.
The La Ragua mountain pass is characterised by its commitment to activities that are 100% compatible with the surroundings, which means that the noise and crowds of other alpine ski resorts don't exist in this case, and you can enjoy the snow, the scenery and activities like this in peace and silence that - believe me - make it truly spectacular.
The route continued up to a height of almost 2200 metres, along snow crests that, like ice bridges, took us from one point to another on the mountain.
As we progressed, our retinas reflected, practically by themselves, spectacular images like this.
Snowy postcard imagery, landscapes and a forest adventure that is really worth discovering and with which we hope we've encouraged you to get to know the La Ragua mountain pass in winter and to experience what it feels like to go snowshoeing through places like this.
So without needing to think twice, grab a little sun cream, a coat, some water, adjust a pair of snowshoes to fit, fling your rucksack on your back and… enjoy!
