HIKING IN CALBLANQUE REGIONAL PARK SPAIN

INTRODUCTION

If you are looking for some great hiking trails with varying degrees of difficulty, with beautiful views of the Mediterranean Sea, then the trails in Calblanque Regional Park Spain are for you. The coastline here has both rugged mountainous sections and long stretches of beach and sand dunes, all within a short drive from Cartagena. This park is a great destination for those looking for day trip ideas.

Walking this part of the Mediterranean coast is like walking backward through time. Established in 1987, the area has successfully evaded all commercial development along its coastline. This is one of the few places where you can see the Mediterranean coastline in its natural state. (For helpful tips and ideas see related posts: Mediterranean Travel Guide and Guide to the Mediterranean Coast of Spain)

HIKING IN CALBLANQUE

Location

The park is located in the Sierra Minera mountain chain, located about 20km east of Cartagena Spain. It borders the Mediterranean along its southern shore, with the Mar Menor immediately to its north. There coastline has rocky sections with beautiful sand beaches with crystal clear waters, dunes, salt flats, and a rocky desert-like landscape. Here and there you can see old stone foundations left over from the area’s mining past. For the most part, however, nature has reclaimed almost the entire area.

Cabo de Palos

There are over a dozen trails set up in the park of varying difficulty and different starting points. My preferred trail is the Geominera Path which starts at Cala Reona (Reona beach) in Cabo de Palos. You can start and end the hike at the very western end of the town at Reona Beach where there is parking and a beach bar (this detail becomes important later when completing the walk). 

Getting Started

The hiking trail does have a few rough spots and there is a lot of loose gravel for most of its path. I highly recommend some sturdy shoes (not sandals), a good pair of running shoes should do. I highly recommend a day pack with water, a snack, a towel and swimsuit, sun tan lotion, sunglasses, and probably most importantly a camera. There are tons of photo-worthy shots to be taken on this trail.

The hiking trail starts immediately beside the beach bar and rises relatively steeply almost immediately. After about 10 minutes, however, the trail starts to level off and from this point, it hugs the contour of the rocky coastline at roughly the same elevation for the remainder of its course. The path is wide and flat for most of its run with a few rough stretches here and there. At one point there are even some ropes set up to hold on to in order to cross a narrow rocky patch near the 2 km mark. This is the one area that is a little dangerous and you will want to be careful here. 

Old Mines

However, after this rough patch, it’s downhill from this point. Here, you will notice remnants of the old mines across the hillside, a reminder of another time. Take your time on the trail here as there are a lot of loose rocks and steep sections. Once you reach the bottom of the trail, you will be rewarded with a secluded sand beach called Cala Dorada.

Sand Beaches

From here there is a short climb over the next small hill and the last 400 meters to Calblanque which represents one of the few places on the Mediterranean coast that is relatively untouched by the encroachment of civilization. Note that this is a popular beach and there is road access and bus service in the summer to reach this location so you will likely not find it abandoned. However, the beach is about 300 meters lon