WARNINGS:


- The beginning of the hiking trails Canuto de Risco Blanco and Arroyo de San Carlos del Tiradero trails are accessed via forest trailOjén Valley cycle route, approximately 8 km. Access is limited to authorised vehicles due to visitor quotas on the first and third weekend of every month, except during the season of high risk of forest fires, from June 1 to October 15. During which period, vehicle access is prohibited, and access is only allowed by foot or by bicycle.

-On certain days when there are hunting activities (such as cull hunting) the trail may be temporarily closed to ensure visitor safety, so we recommend finding out in advance if there are any such events by calling the natural park office in Alcalá de Los Gazules, phone 856 587 508 (business hours: Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, except public holidays).


Riverside forest, Valencian oak and bujeo clay soil are the three environments that this trail crosses. Each one of them home to an extensive list of species, plants and animals finding shelter and food. As representatives trees of the different tree formations, we can discover up close the alder, the Valencian oak and the wild olive. In all three cases, they were of use to the inhabitants of these lands, who knew how to exploit them in such a way that today it is still possible to walk through them and enjoy all their riches.


The path enters a magnificent gallery forest, through which the Tiradero stream runs, with water all year round. In addition to ash trees, hazelnuts, laurustinus or gorges, we can see the alder, whose roots withstand the strong flow of water. The alder trees provide shade to a rich and varied vegetation among which the royal fern stands out, recognisable by its large leaves, and the climbers seeking light by climbing trunks and branches moist from the environment.


Little by little, the Valencian oak, the dominant tree in this area, will become more populous until the environment turns into a quejigal (a Valencian oak grove), an exceptional forest that takes advantage of very high humidity conditions, displacing other species such as the cork oak.


At the exit of the quejigal, we will be able to see the wild olive trees that grow on areas with bujeo soil or soils rich in clay which are not very permeable and which crack in summer and become flooded in winter.


In mushroom season, after the first autumn rains, we can find numerous specimens, not all of them edible. Some of them, unfortunately, can be very harmful, so it is advisable to taste them in a dish in a nearby restaurant and savour them with the tranquillity and trust that this delicacy deserves.