Any time of the year is good to take a walk through the Magic Mountain, but undoubtedly the best of all for its spectacularity and contrasts, is autumn. The reds, oranges, ochers and yellows stain the green of the slopes by any of the paths or roads that ascend towards the recreation areas of Agramonte or the Sanctuary.
Located in the central sector of the Iberian Mountain range and between the basins of the Duero and the Ebro, the summit of the Moncayo, also known as Pico de San Miguel, is located on the northern slope, more humid and cold. Its 2,315 meters of altitude make it one of the most important peaks of the Iberian Peninsula.
We can find dozens of routes to enjoy the scenery and climb the ridge.
The Moncayo mountain range rises above the rest of the Iberian System. At the confluence of the kingdoms of Navarre, Aragon and Castile, the Romans gave it the name of 'Mons Caunus' (Mount Cano) because of the white color of the snow that practically all year round stains the highest part of its summit. The mountain reveals three cirques, which are called hoyas: Hoya San Miguel, San Gaudioso and Morca, all three of glacial origin. The Moncayo massif has three summits of more than 2,000 meters of altitude and other more secondary ones:
- Moncayo itself, 2315 m.
- Peña Negra, 2,118 m.
- Lobera, of 2.226 m.
- Other secondary ones are San Juan (2.283 m.), Morca (2.273 m.) and Peña Negrilla, (2.171 m.).
All this space of high mountain preceded by forests on the slopes, form the Natural Park of the Dehesa del Moncayo with a current surface of more than 11,000 hectares. In autumn it is a real delight to enter its dense forests dominated by holm oaks and kermes oaks along with wild oaks and pines along ravines, ridges, peaks and trails. As we ascend we come across beech and black pine until we reach the summit where meadows and scrub predominate. The Park opens before us a great variety of natural systems, with a very varied plant mosaic and a large number of unique enclaves and rich in biodiversity.
Autumn is the time of the year when we can find more varieties of mushrooms and mycological species.
The network of trails in the Moncayo Natural Park is one of the basic pillars for the knowledge of its natural values as well as allowing the visitor to know, appreciate and respect these values through their experiences. Autumn is also very conducive to find mushrooms in the mountains, it is at this time of year when we can find more varieties of mushrooms and mycological species.
Almost all of the trails have a starting sign describing the main characteristics of the itinerary (estimated time, difficulty, recommendations, etc.), and a series of directional signs at the most conflictive crossings. There are also interpretative signs and viewpoints through which the most outstanding values of each route can be seen. The network of trails is made up of pedestrian trails and cycling routes of simple layout and moderate difficulty, which run through the main places of interest in the area.