Parrizal-Beceite

The Parrizal route is regulated; an access ticket is required to complete the itinerary. To purchase a ticket, click here.

The first section of the Parrizal route follows an unpaved track. It is an 800 m walk, suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs with assistance. It follows a signposted botanical trail where the rock paintings of La Fenellassa are found — UNESCO World Heritage, belonging to the Levantine rock art of the Mediterranean Basin.

On reaching the end of the first part of the excursion, at the Pla de la Mina del Parrizal, you can see the old installations used for transporting coal from the mines.

From the Pla de la Mina the excursion proper begins, a linear route (out and back along the same path). After these 800 metres, you will spot a wooden walkway and begin following the river upstream to its source, until you reach the Narrows — two vertical rock walls 200 metres long, 60 metres high and, in places, just 1 metre wide.

The most difficult sections are equipped with wooden walkways and handrails to avoid bathing, which is completely forbidden along the entire route. The route cannot be done by bicycle, and dogs are not permitted.

We start the route from the last car park, right next to a recreational area with a snack bar and excellent toilets; a little further on, about 100 metres ahead, there is a picnic area with tables for a bite to eat before or after the route. The route follows the course of the Matarraña River in an upstream direction; initially along a forest track that takes us close to the archaeological site of La Fenellassa (the paintings are very faded from time and, I imagine, from the wind).
From this point, sections of trail and walkways alternate as they run above the river bed —which we must cross on several occasions—, where bends, pools and small waterfalls succeed one another to form a landscape of great beauty, truly spectacular.

Bear in mind that bathing is strictly forbidden (subject to a fine of €60 according to the sign at the end of the route); the purpose is to protect the native species of the Matarraña River, such as the common freshwater crayfish.

As we advance, we enter a dense conifer forest made up mainly of Scots pines and some specimens of downy oak, accompanied by an understorey of box, maple, ferns and holly.

The terrain becomes more rugged and the river channel narrows, flowing between large formations of carbonate rock (limestone and dolomite), which are highly erodible and give rise to a karst landscape that manifests itself in a wide variety of forms, such as gorges, pinnacles, caves and sinkholes.

We are at the entrance to the Narrows of the Parrizal, where the process of karstification is displayed in all its splendour: the Matarraña River flows through a canyon stretching more than 200 metres, between limestone walls 60 metres high and, in some sections, with passages of only 1 metre in width.

The spectacle is awe-inspiring, grandiose, of extraordinary proportions — a legacy left to us by those who came before, inviting us to reflect on the power of Nature and the need to preserve these landscapes so that they can be enjoyed by future generations.

After passing through the narrows — which in summer, thanks to the lower water level, we navigate without needing to swim — we retrace our steps and head back, with the satisfaction of having completed one of the most beautiful routes in eastern Spain.

IMPORTANT.- The route described here, as well as the GPS track, is for guidance only. It is the responsibility of those undertaking it to take the appropriate safety measures for the itinerary, which will depend on weather conditions as well as the technical and physical preparation of the person carrying it out. It is clearly stated that everything indicated (track and comments) is purely informative and without any other purpose, and the author disclaims any responsibility for any incident that may be suffered by anyone who, of their own free will or at the instigation of others, undertakes the route.