Route 2: La Hilera
LA HILERA
Round trip
- Distance: 13,36 Km
- Maximum height: 1495 m.
- Minimum height: 1379 m.
- Height of the exit: 1462 m.
- Height of the arrival: 1462 m.
- Accumulated descending level: 115 m.
- Accumulated ascending level: 282 m.
- Maximum speed: 3461m/h
A gentle outing along the island’s spine. Since the slopes are very gentle, it’s suitable for the whole family who will enjoy the magnificent views on both sides of the island.
La Palma is a volcanic basalt formation, with notable slopes that stretch all the way to the ocean floor. Like a stone iceberg, what we see and call today an island is the peak of a huge submarine mountain.
Several hundred thousand years ago, this enormous structure destabilized towards the west, sending millions of cubic metres of rock to the bottom of the Atlantic. This cataclysmic phenomenon left a sort of “bite” on the western flank of the island, which is still perfectly visible from satellite photos… and from this route’s vantage point. Looking in the opposite direction we’ll also enjoy the view of the island’s windward side, its cooler and humid counterpoint, bathed by the trade winds during most of the year.
From El Pilar we leave on asphalt towards the east, to turn north later on and get away from the traffic (which is scarce anyway). The rest of the path, winding but gentle on the legs, passes through a forest track in its entirety.
