How to visit and what to see in Mesa Canyon, a natural area in Zaragoza

La province of Zaragoza It has many interesting places that are worth visiting on a tourism trip.

Some as Tarazona and Stone Monastery, are very visited, but there are others that for one reason or another are not so visited.

One of the discoveries in our last trip through Zaragoza has been the Mesa River Sickles, a natural area that is declared touristic interest by Aragon.

El Mesa River It is a tributary of Stone and the sickles area is located quite close to the aforementioned Stone Monastery.

However, despite its beauty and proximity to its famous neighbor, it is much less known.

The best things to see and do in Mesa River Canyon in Zaragoza

Like the stone river, Kitchen and its tributaries have excavated, over the millennia, a set of gorges and gorges that create a very peculiar setting that is beautiful and fascinating.

This makes it an ideal destination for enjoy nature.

The excursion includes a walk through the sickles, which can be longer or shorter depending on the time available and the physical conditions of each person.

The choice is simple since all the routes are perfectly signposted and linked to each other.

In addition, there are several interesting towns in the area, like Jaraba e Ibdes, so the whole is enough to have a good time weekend de active and cultural tourism.

In addition, Jaraba It is a town famous for its thermal sources, so the trip can be completed enjoying the spas.

How to do the route through the Mesa Canyons

The route can start at Jaraba, where there are several accommodation options both in Rural houses as in the spa hotels.

La tourist office Provides information about visits to the area and tours of the nearby gorges.

The best things to see in Jaraba in Mesa Canyon

Jaraba is located right where the Mesa River It abandons the mountain ranges that it has carved with deep sickles and opens into a wide valley.

In this area are the hot springs where several have been installed spas.

It is said that the medicinal properties of these waters were studied and enjoyed by Santiago Ramon y Cajal at the end of the 19th century.

Un walk through Jaraba allows you to discover some interesting corners.

One of the most curious details are the peirones, the equivalents of the cruzeiros or terminus crossings that, in Aragon, they mark limits and crossroads.

Jaraba It is partly hanging on a hill and some streets are steep. From the Castle Eras viewpointAt the top of the hill, there are good views.

A path follows the shore of the Mesa River and goes through a lush riverside landscape and by the ancient hydrothermal facilities, precursors of the modern spas which are now one of the hallmarks of Jaraba.

A historical curiosity is that the Mesa Valley It was, in Roman times, the best route between Bílbilis (Calatayud) and Toletum (Toledo).

How to see Mesa Canyon: by car or marked trail

You can follow the Mesa Canyon by car or along a conditioned path that is part of the GR 24 itinerary and reaches the town of Calmarza.

Now you can enjoy the landscape, but you have to think that centuries ago, travelers must have entered its gorges with apprehension and perhaps fear due to the depth of the gorges, the abundance of caves and probably the flight of vultures above their heads.

Fortunately times have changed.

How to hike through the Hoz Seca Gorge

But most recommended itinerary In this area is the gorge that crosses the Dry Sickle, a gorge created by an ancient tributary of the Kitchen which has now disappeared and hence its name.

A walk through this gorge is ideal as it separates from the road and passes through a quiet area between very attractive rock formations.

To their natural and cultural attractions Added to this is that, if you follow only the bottom of the ravine, there is hardly any unevenness and therefore the route is appropriate for all types of hikers.

El itinerario It starts a couple of kilometers from Jaraba, when it is discovered that a cannon opens on the left hand side. At the entrance to this gorge you can leave your car.

Shortly after starting the walk, the first surprise along the way arises.

Sanctuary of the Virgin of Jaraba in Cañones del Mesa

Up there, embedded quite high in the wall of the gorge, appears the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Jaraba.

Its impressive location creates an extraordinary image.

The original hermitage took advantage of a natural cavity in the precipice and the current sanctuary, from the 18th century, is the destination of a popular pilgrimage in summer since it is about most important cultural and religious center in the region.

A ramp allows you to ascend to the complex and enjoy the view from the top.

The sanctuary can only be visited inside on certain days of the week, so it is advisable check the schedules in the Jaraba tourist office.

After descending the ramp, we return to the path that follows the bottom of the ravine and thus we continue our immersion in the nature of the region.

What landscapes to see in the Mesa Canyons in Zaragoza

The vegetation changes at every stretch, the walnut trees at black junipers and the bushes aromatic plants They abound all along the way.

In these sickles nest the griffon vultures, so it is normal to see them flying calmly over the area.

In addition to nature, we must highlight the memory of the human presence in these sickles.

The hollows of the gorge have always been used by shepherds to build corrals, farrowing pens, sheepfolds and broods.

Many of them have been recovered and restored in recent years and now the walk is a tour of an open-air ethnology museum.

If you continue along the bottom of the ravine, you will reach Calmarza, where the waterfall known as Round Well, at one of the extremes of the population.

Then you can turn to Jaraba through the bottom of the Mesa Canyon.

But well before reaching Calmarza, you can also take a detour to the right.

How to see the rock paintings of Roca Benedi in the Hoces del Mesa

A steep path leads to one of the treasures of the region: the cave paintings of Roca Benedi.

These are two human figures and two animal figures painted more than 7.000 years ago on a rock shelter from which one of the widest spaces in the city can be seen. Dry Sickle.

Some bars protect the place, so you have to see the paintings from a few meters away.

Since it is advisable to bring binoculars on this excursion in case there is an opportunity to spot birds, you can take advantage of it to also see the paintings in detail.

Dehesa Viewpoint in the Mesa Canyon

From here the path continues climbing and allows you to reach the Dehesa viewpoint, from where the view flies over the Mesa River Canyon.

This sickle appears covered in gallery forests, a vegetation very different from that of the Dry Sickle that has been traveled.

From here two options open: continue and descend until the table, or retrace our steps for a few minutes and then take a path that descends right to the Sanctuary of the Virgin, then completing a circular itinerary.

What to see in Ibdes in the Mesa Canyon

Back to Jaraba, you can continue 7 kilometers to the town of Ibdes.

In addition to a visit to the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel, the best thing is to follow, to the outskirts, the call Water Route.

This begins with a visit to the Grotto of Wonders, where you walk through two narrow galleries between stalactites.

Next to it, another cave, that of lonelinessIs a grotto-hermitage.

A few meters away, a waterfall from a primitive hydroelectric installation creates a cozy enclave.

A few minutes away we find a refrigerator, a curious 19th century construction that shows us how snow was stored for use during the summer.

Map: how to get to the Mesa Canyons in Zaragoza

For go to the Mesa Canyons, you have to reach Jaraba, town that is located an hour and a half southwest of Zaragoza, leaving the A2 at kilometer point 200, and two and a half hours from Madrid.