Cerrada del Utrero

About Cerrada del Utrero

The Cerrada del Utrero is a narrow gorge carved by the Guadalquivir, only a few kilometres from its source, through limestone below the Peñón del Lanchón (1,089 m). The river has cut down faster than its tributaries, so side streams such as the Linarejos are left hanging on the cliffs and enter as waterfalls, the best known being the Cascada de Linarejos, or Cola de Caballo.

The Junta's signed 1.7 km loop crosses limestone pavement grooved by rain, descends a path cut into the cliff to the small Utrero dam, then runs opposite the Linarejos fall. It returns round the Peñón del Lanchón past a stone viewpoint over the disused Utrero power station and pines scarred by resin tapping. Griffon vultures nest on the walls.

From Cazorla take the A-319 for 17 km to the Empalme del Valle, then the JF-7091 for 3.5 km to the turn for Vadillo Castril, where the path starts by a car park for about 10 cars. Allow 45 minutes. Rock-cut steps suit families with children used to hills, not wheelchairs or pushchairs; the Junta warns of falling stones near the start.

Spring and the weeks after autumn rain bring the most water over the fall, and the flow is lowest in late summer. In July and August arrive early, as the car park fills by mid-morning, and wear shoes with grip on the damp steps.

Cerrada del Utrero in pictures

What you’ll find

• Car parkParkingFree
• Hiking trailHikingFree
• ViewpointSightseeingFree
• WaterfallWaterfall viewingFree

Nearby places to visit

The Cerrada sits in the heart of the Cazorla side of the natural park, east of the town of Cazorla, where the Castillo de la Yedra (7 km) guards the streets below the Peña de los Halcones, a Moorish fortress rebuilt in the 14th century. North-east up the Guadalquivir valley, the Río Borosa and Cerrada de Elías (12 km) trail follows a clear trout river into a second gorge on timber walkways. To the south-east, the Cerrada del Río Castril (19 km) has a free trail of walkways, a hanging bridge and a tunnel, while to the south-west the Cueva del Agua de Tíscar (19 km) hides a waterfall inside a limestone cleft below the Sanctuary of Tíscar.