Downhill from Turo de l'home - North-side
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 16.44 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,430 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Very difficult
- Elevation loss
- 6,076 ft
- Max elevation
- 5,357 ft
- TrailRank
- 64
- Min elevation
- 721 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Moving time
- 2 hours 12 minutes
- Time
- 3 hours 46 minutes
- Coordinates
- 3374
- Uploaded
- June 18, 2018
- Recorded
- June 2018
near Santa Fe del Montseny, Catalunya (España)
Viewed 4088 times, downloaded 64 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
Well, if you don't want to head back the way you came, then there are really only a couple of options, none of them for the faint-hearted.
This one takes you down the north face of the mountain, past the Santa Fe Reservoir, to the town of Gualba and finally to Sant Esteve de Palautordera, and can be loosely divided in 4 downhill chapters plus a longish asphalt-ride from Gualba to Palautordera.
1: The first 2.5km is very technical, steep and rocky. Varied terrain, but with constant challenges. Some sections let you build up speed, but take care, some of these sections end in sudden drops over outcropping roots and rock.
2: After that, things mellow out for 3 km or so, and you weave through forest, mostly picking out your own trail between the well spaced trees, (keep a look out for the rocky sections), with a couple of short distances over asphalt. This takes you as far as the reservoir, where you might want to stop for a while to take in the view.
3: From the reservoir there's about 5km of varied trail, sometimes in the forest, sometimes more open. The ground varies a lot, sometimes muddy and loose where the trail crosses the stream, sometimes firm dirt with some rocks and roots, sometimes gravel, sometimes very rocky. This section lets you build up some good speed, as long as you keep an eye out for loose (and not so loose) rocks. Enjoy the flow while you can, because the next section will slow you down to a crawl.
4: The next 2km feel more like 10. This is extremely technical "trail", crawling down over extremely inclined rock-slabs, rock-gardens, deep ruts, root-mayhem, loose stones, grabby branches and every kind of evil the mountain can throw at you. Many places have multiple line-choices, but most of them are between "extremely hard" and "borderline impossible".
Enjoy!
5: You made it down. Congratulations :) If you're going to Gualba, then you've basically arrived. If, like me, you're going to Sant Esteve de Palautordera, then you have a longish but comfortable ride on wide trail and mostly asphalt still to go.
Waypoints
Summit
Fountain
4,910 ft
Fountain (and tricky trail)
Take care, the trail passes just above the fountain, narrow and exposed. I'm not sure of the quality of the water here...
Photo
4,641 ft
Sudden stop
Don't trust the flowy forest trail. It is punctuated with dangerous rocks and roots
Car park
Photo
3,751 ft
Back into the forest again
Just after this sign there's a parking space on your left. This is where you head back into the forest again
Lake
Photo
3,557 ft
Beginning of the 'Desaigua' trail
This next section crosses the stream multiple times. Be ready to get wet and muddy.
Dead-end street
Intersection
3,516 ft
This way!
The trail goes down to the left here, running straight on top of the stream for a while, then parallel to it.
Photo
2,562 ft
Why the trail is called 'Desaigua'
The trail mostly follows the drainage tubes, and the natural water flow from the reservoir.
Photo
2,565 ft
Next to the pipes.
I got a flat here. Seems to have been a pinch flat. Look out for those sharp rocks!
Photo
1,987 ft
Let the crazy begin
This is where the track starts to follow the natural rock-formations carved out of the rock by the water draining from the reservoir. Get ready for some slow and seriously technical descent
Panorama
Photo
1,686 ft
Roooocks
Looking up from below. Line choice goes each way around the bush in the center of image. Either "super steep and down onto the rocks", or "over a bunch of rocks and then down onto the rocks" The "Desaigua" section of trail has many spots like this.
Photo
1,060 ft
End of 'El Desaigua'
This is where the craziness finally ends. The next section is over wide trail, which feels like a 4 lane highway after the descent you just did.
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