Las Cuevas and Paredes de Arriba, Barranco de la Maimona · Montanejos · Spain
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
One of the longest routes at Montanejos: ten pitches from the stream bed to the rim, in two halves separated by a walking ledge. Homogeneous 6b slab and wall climbing on excellent rock with close bolts, a bouldery first few metres and a hard move off the last belay. The mid-height ledge gives an escape.
The route
A long, sustained sport route that links the lower Las Cuevas wall with the Paredes de Arriba above it, about 278 m in all. The lower half is six pitches, mostly 6b slab and wall climbing; a big ledge then leads to four more pitches up the upper wall, finishing with the 6c. A February 2025 party found the rock exceptional on almost every pitch, the style mostly slabby and the equipment irreproachable. For them the hardest move was in the first four metres, which they aided on the bolts. Access and return are both short.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6b | 30 m | Bouldery and hard when cold, right off the top of the block. The openers' topo gives 6b or 5+ with aid; the 2025 party pulled on the bolts for the first four metres. |
| P2 | 5c | 30 m | Easier wall climbing. The topo gives 6a. |
| P3 | 4b | 20 m | Trend up and right. Do not follow the other route that leaves to the left here. Links easily with the previous pitch. |
| P4 | 6b | 35 m | Varied and very good. |
| P5 | 6b+ | 20 m | A slab on small holds. |
| P6 | 6b | – | A steep orange wall with a few holds to test. Skip the intermediate belay and continue to the ledge, then walk up the ledge to the foot of a brown corner with a lone tree. The topo gives 6a+/6b, 25 m. |
| P7 | 4b | 20 m | A pleasant, easy corner starting the upper wall (Paredes de Arriba), right of El Río que nos Lleva. The topo gives grade 3, 15 m. |
| P8 | 6b+ | 25 m | A steep, physical section followed by a cracked slab. The topo gives 30 m. |
| P9 | 6b | 25 m | A fine, steep slab. The topo gives 6b+ and shows a belay shared with El Río que nos Lleva. |
| P10 | 6c | 25 m | A hard section straight off the belay, then easier (about 6a+) to the top, where you still need to concentrate. The topo gives 20 m. |
Getting there
Montanejos is in inland Castellón province, on the CV-20 up the Mijares valley from Onda. The gorge starts at the climbers' refuge (Albergue El Refugio) by the Maimona bridge at the entrance to the village. Camptocamp says camping is not allowed, and that there is water at the village fountain or at the car park after the bridge. No source read gives public transport details.
Walk up the bed of the Barranco de la Maimona from the refuge, passing below the El Tubo sector and the Aguja del Alguacil. At the next group of routes, the Las Cuevas sector, look for a big block 6 to 7 m high in the stream bed. The route starts from its top. The openers' topo mentions a chipped arrow at the start, which the 2025 party did not find. No source gives a time; the Paredón del Alguacil just before it is 20 to 25 minutes from the refuge.
Loading map
The point is approximate: it marks the area, not the crag.
Coordinates · area: approximate
Point from camptocamp route 1705135 (El Tubo sector point in the Barranco de la Maimona); this route starts further up the gorge and no source gives its own point
Contains the route point. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 40.07007, -0.53294 (area)
Getting down
On foot. From the top follow the crest to the right to the waymarked descent path, described as easy and quick; it returns to the road and the refuge.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
The ledge between the two halves is the practical way out: the openers' topo marks an escape to the right from it. Below and above the ledge no source describes abseiling, although the belays are bolted and the pitches are 35 m or less.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing. The neighbouring Monsieur, on the same walls, is in the sun from the morning with its lower half sheltered from the wind, so this is a route for clear days from autumn to spring. Logged in February.
Sun on the wall · S-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan (usual season) | Feb (usual season) | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec (usual season) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 11 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 29 | 28 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 12 |
| Mean daily low °C | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 4 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 700 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
15 quickdraws (elev-arte text) to 17 (openers' topo), plus belay kit. Helmet. No source states a rope length; the descent is on foot and no pitch is longer than 35 m.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Entre Dos Chapas.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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France · Calanques
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A 300 m pillar on the 'Dolomite of Sardinia': a hard, smooth first pitch in a north-facing gully, long grey slabs and walls, a demanding technical crux on pitch 6, then exposed climbing on the crest of the pillar on big sculpted holds. Mountain atmosphere with sport protection.
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Read the cautions
Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.
