Espadán-Mijares: the hiking paradise in the province of Castellón
In the southwest of the province of Castellón, the Espadán-Mijares Community presents an incredible natural environment, with the immeasurable Sierra de Espadán and the Mijares river at the head; elements that, in addition to giving the Community a name, make this beautiful region an ideal place for practicing active tourism in general and hiking in particular.
In fact, this formidable territory offers hiking lovers a total of ten local trails (up to 10 km long) and short trails (up to 50 km long), and even, for the most daring, the trail long-distance GR-333, which connects the 15 municipalities of the Commonwealth with a total distance of 104 km, designed to be covered in 15 different stages.
Such is the offer of trails that cover this wonderful land from start to finish, which visitors can download on this website or request a complete hiking guide that lists all the itineraries at Espadán-Mijares Tourist Info, details and ins and outs of these beautiful routes These are routes with an irresistible charm, mostly of medium difficulty and without great unevenness, which can be traveled -at any time of the year- alone, with family or friends, at the same time as discover, practically at every step, the great historical and cultural wealth of the land.
Likewise, the tour of these trails will also allow you to enjoy the interesting flora and fauna of the region, the result of the special climatic, geological and edaphic conditions of the territory. Regarding the first one, the presence of pine forests, riverside forests, holm oak or cork oak stands out, among other species; while in terms of fauna, it is worth mentioning the common toad, the running toad or even the gallipato. The observation of curious reptile species is also very common, such as the Ocellated Lizard, the Bastard Snake, the Ladder Snake or the Long-tailed Lizard.
As for birds, birds of prey especially stand out, as the increasingly scarce Bonelli's eagle, in addition to the short-toed eagle, the causeway and the goshawk, not to mention nocturnal birds of prey and other common birds in the area, such as the finch, the twist or the robin, among many others. Finally, with respect to mammals, the badger, the genet, the marten or the fox are some of the most common species.
All the aforementioned, together with the spectacular historical heritage of the region, strongly linked to the Moorish era and full of castles, churches, trenches and shelters still existing from the Spanish Civil War, invite the visitor of Espadán-Mijares to put on well-fitting shoes comfortable, hang a backpack on your back and enjoy hiking in its purest essence to discover every corner of this fabulous community.
