Which direction should it be walked?

The official entry recommends anticlockwise, continuing straight on at the first junction towards El Hoyazo and Boca de la Hoz.

SL-CU 5, Torcas de Lagunaseca: 4 km among dolines

SL-CU 5: Torcas de Lagunaseca

SL-CU 5, Torcas de Lagunaseca, is an easy circular local trail of 4 km and 90 m of elevation gain, taking 1 h 15 min. It starts at the Natural Monument car park at km 4.2 on the CUV-9031, beside Lagunaseca's Mirador Astronómico, climbs to the top of the torcal, a karst landscape, and circles Torca Larga, Torca de las Cabras and Torca de Miguel Orea.

Walking time without travel or stops. Difficulty as graded by the official source. «Easy» does not mean accessible.

Where to start

At the Torcas de Lagunaseca Natural Monument car park, at km 4.2 on the CUV-9031, also the location of Lagunaseca’s Mirador Astronómico.

The route

Walk anticlockwise. The track heads towards El Hoyazo and Boca de la Hoz, shared for a stretch with PR-CU 2, a short-distance trail, and GR 66, a long-distance trail; a narrow path then climbs to the top of the torcal, a karst landscape. Through dense pine forest it skirts Torca Larga, reaches Torca de las Cabras and, along a faint path, Torca de Miguel Orea, before returning to the car park. More about the torcas, collapse sinkholes, in their entry.

IGME explains that ice breaking the rock and snow helped shape this karst and fill the slopes with debris.

Difficulty and time

Circular, 4 km and 90 m of elevation gain, between 1,298 and 1,361 m. Easy, 1 h 15 min. Suitable at any time of year.

Before you set out

The torcas are depressions with loose-rock edges: keep away from the rim. At night, the astronomical viewpoint is beside the route.

Official route · Federación de Deportes de Montaña de Castilla-La Mancha y Diputación de Cuenca (Senderos de Cuenca) (SL-CU 5). Description, track and notices on the official route page (in Spanish). Before you set out, check there for changes or closures.

Where it is

● Villages · ● Places · ━ Simplified official route

Location sketch. The map with paths and names loads as you scroll to it.

Reference villages: Lagunaseca · Masegosa · Santa María del Val · Cueva del Hierro.

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