Badlands of Gorafe – Gorafe Desert loop from Guadix

Badlands of Gorafe – Gorafe Desert loop from Guadix

Hard

3.8

(4)

riders

Badlands of Gorafe – Gorafe Desert loop from Guadix

08:51

113km

1,710m

Gravel riding

Hard gravel ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: October 8, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Geoparque de Granada

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

37.1 km

Viewpoint

42.7 km

Gorafe in the Granada Geopark

Highlight • Settlement

A small, quiet, wonderful village with many earth houses.

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46.6 km

Puntal de Don Diego Viewpoint

Highlight • Viewpoint

From here the Desierto Gorafe lies at your feet. Great panoramas at any time of the day or year. Absolute must on gravel and mountain bike tours.

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46.7 km

Gorafe Desert - Gravel Paradise 🏜️

Highlight (Segment) • Canyon

The Gorafe desert is a particularly beautiful place that - very different from the Sahara, for example - does not consist of loose sand, but a high stone plain that suddenly collapses into dozens of gorges and ravines. The landscape is somewhat reminiscent of the Grand Canyon in the USA, but is very different and unique. Several gravel roads run through the desert that are more than worth driving. Cycling here is a unique experience!

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53.6 km

View of the Badlands in Geoparque de Granada

Highlight • Viewpoint

Very nice little place with the best view.

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56.8 km

Los Coloraos Badlands

Highlight • Canyon

This beautiful place located in Gorafe owes its name to the predominant color in the geological formations of its clay soils.

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61.7 km

Badlands of Guadix (Geoparque de Granada)

Highlight • Canyon

66.3 km

Badlands of Gorafe

Highlight • Canyon

The Gorafe Badlands are a unique landscape due to their characteristic reddish and ocher geological formations. It is an ideal place for cycling and discovering the geological and archaeological wealth of the area. In the Gorafe Badlands you can find archaeological sites of great importance, such as the Gorafe dolmen, dating from the Neolithic. This unique landscape is a must for lovers of geology and history.

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69.3 km

Gorafe Desert

Highlight • Natural

The Gorafe Desert is located in La Hoya de Guadix, a natural plain plenty of gullies and badlands in the northern part of the province of Granada.

La Hoya de Guadix, with a landscape deeply marked by the erosion of the basins of the Rivers Fardes and Guadix, is one of the oldest human settlements in the Iberian Peninsula, containing the largest concentration of cave dwellings and dolmens in Europe.

The picturesque village of Gorafe stands at the bottom of the Gor Canyon and it is considered the entrance to the desert.

Los Coloraos is one of the most popular areas of the desert, owing its name to the predominant red colour and its similarity to the Grand Canyon.

Although the sunset and the sunrise are probably the best moments to enjoy the amazing landscape and the dynamic shapes of the Gorafe Desert, the area also offers a spectacular night sky.

Tip by

113 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

92.1 km

18.4 km

2.31 km

334 m

Surfaces

77.1 km

22.9 km

9.15 km

3.88 km

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (1,160 m)

Lowest point (610 m)

Weather

Tuesday 20 October

19°C

5°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 9.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

May 13, 2023,Schwalbe Gorafe Epic (Medium)

Quite technical route due to the type of terrain. From Gorafe, the most scenic part begins, the Gorafe desert itself 🏜️

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September 24, 2026,GR_🇪🇦_My own Bdlnds 🏜 Day 2 🤠_68/1220_To Gorafe 🔥

How true my saying from yesterday would become - there is room for improvement in my gravel skills - I did not anticipate. Seven kilometers through slithery gravel, you learn something there. In the future, I will ride through the mud in the German low mountain ranges with my eyes closed. 😄 However, that is nothing compared to the penultimate …

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April 12, 2024,2 Los banios à Villanueva de la torres

Very beautiful views in and around the Gorafe desert. A must !

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April 12, 2022,Auf der Badlands-Route Tag 2

What a day: from sunshine and beautiful gravel roads to rain and mud that stubbornly settled everywhere and slowed us down so much that we didn't go to sleep until around 01:00 am, totally exhausted. // Sara

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